Bringing a new dog into the house? Read this to understand why dog-proofing your house first is so important.
Adopting a dog is almost the same as adopting a baby. The only difference is that a dog’s stages of development are much faster than a human being’s. Dog-proofing signals to your dog that the house is hospitable for it to thrive and grow up in.
People, when considering adoption, often worry about the changes and compromises they will have to make with their home decor and furnishings. The truth is, compromise is not even required. You can have a gorgeous house and a beautiful dog. And with more people raising dogs in their homes, there are so many options for dog-friendly furniture, upholstery, and carpeting online on retail websites.
Why is dog-proofing so important?
It is also imperative for you to make your home as safe as possible for a new doggo arrival. Why take unnecessary risks that might potentially cause damage to dog and family? Your dog is safest with you, and it deserves the highest level of care and protection. Dog-proofing the home can also give you, as the owner, some peace of mind regarding objects in the house. It makes it easier to leave the dog alone in the house in case you are heading outside for a while.
Start with the basics
Let’s keep it simple. Go from the outside in. Begin with your doorway and the corridor that leads to your house. You might want to attach a small gate outside the front door in case your dog tries to bolt out and escape. If you have a young child, this will be useful for him or her as well!
The basics to keep away from a dog or baby would be plug points, long wires, copper wires, and small, sharp objects. Start with a thorough check of all of these things in every room of your house.
Living room
Next, go into your living room. Re-upholster or cover furniture with easily-washable fabrics. Avoid furnishings that are white or black. Fur and other debris are par-for-the-course when adopting a dog, but your house can still look cute if you wanted it to! Try and avoid sharp edges in your furniture (especially if your dog is blind or has bad vision). Keep glass objects away from reach, especially glass bottles that could break easily and potentially get into your dog’s paws.
If you have many books, try and keep them in storage for a while, or in shelves that dogs can’t reach. Puppies, especially when teething, love to borrow a good book from the library, only to eat it as a snack!
Bathroom
The bathroom is the next space you might want to check before bringing in a dog. See that cleaning detergents, shampoos, bleach, medications, and so on are kept in neat storage spaces. Remember that most chemicals used for either cleaning or to keep away pests are extremely dangerous for dogs.
Kitchen
We can guarantee that your dog’s favourite room will be the kitchen! Dogs love to sniff around and try and see what you’re busy cooking for your meals (and theirs). Keep onions, garlic, avocadoes and other vegetables that you don’t generally keep in the refrigerator on a higher shelf that the dog can’t jump and reach. Coffee grounds are also poisonous. You can read more about why certain foods are dangerous for dogs here. All the small knives, peelers, graters, and other sharp objects that could hurt your dog should also be kept in enclosed spaces.
Wardrobes and dressers
If you want to keep your nice clothes safe, make sure you can lock your cupboards. Dogs might want to go in and cosy up with your favourite sweater, before slowly turning that same sweater into their favourite chew toy. To maintain peaceful relations with your pet, keep your expensive sarees and other pretty clothes away from its reach!
Other rooms
In other spaces and rooms like a garage or a study, keep small objects like pins, staples, screws, etc in boxes that are shut tight. Rubber bands, hair clips and jewelry in the dressing area can also pose a threat.
Dog-proofing also includes toys for your dog!
Now that you have successfully dog-proofed your home for safety purposes, it’s time for the treats. Keep a supply of chew toys, bones, and other fun items that are dog-friendly in the house at all times. You can get environment-friendly, long-lasting chew toys from a number of online retailers.
Dogs are a great addition to any family, and you will find that doing these little things to your house prior to adopting one will allow you to have so much joy and bonding time with the dog without any of the collateral damage!
