Dog-Proofing Your Home

Getting a new dog is exciting, but it is important that you take care of some important practical matters before you bring your new family member home. An untrained puppy or young dog can be destructive. If you plan ahead, however, you can minimize the damage to your home, and help keep your dog safe.

If your dog will have access to the kitchen and bathroom, it is a good idea to invest in a garbage can with a lid. This makes it much more difficult for your dog to get into the trash and cause a huge mess. If your dog is allowed in the kitchen, you should also make sure that you do not leave any food on the counter. Dogs will jump to surprising heights to get a snack, and certain foods can harm them. Onions and chocolate can be deadly to dogs. If you cannot keep your new pet out of the kitchen, make sure you keep the counter clear.

There are probably some rooms in your house where it would better for your new dog not to enter at all. You can close off certain areas with baby gates. With most baby gates, you will need to either step over them or take them down in order to get into the room. You can purchase higher end models that have a swinging door in the middle of the gate, making entry much more convenient. You should also make sure that you remove all poisonous plants from the house. Although you might close some rooms off with baby gates or special dog gates, having poisonous plants in the house is not worth the risk. It only takes a moment for your dog to eat enough of the plant to become seriously ill.

To keep your dogs in your backyard, you are going to need a fence. Make sure that the fence is high enough that your dog cannot jump over it. If you do not like the look of a wood or chain link fence, you should consider installing an invisible fence. An invisible fence is an electric barrier that surrounds your yard. Your dog will wear a special collar. If your dog goes past the barrier, the dog will receive a small shock. Although this shock is unpleasant, it does not cause the dog too much discomfort. It usually only takes a few shocks for the dog to learn his boundaries. You can use your invisible fence or traditional fence to section off areas where you do not want your dog to go.

When guests come over, you might want to have a place to keep your pooch for a while. Some of your friends might be afraid of dogs or severely allergic. Buy a cage or enclosure to put your dog in while guests are visiting. If you do not like the idea of buying a large metal cage, you could buy one of the new dog house end tables. These hold your dog but look just like a piece of furniture.