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So you have decided upon the perfect dog to bring home. Your world is about to change and get a lot busier. Before you welcome home your little friend, ensure that your home is safe and secure with these five prepping for new puppy tips!
Flooring
There’s no need to change the entire flooring in your house because you are getting a puppy, but there are a few tips to protect your hardwood flooring and/or carpets. Hardwood or laminate flooring is great for cleaning up accidents, paw marks and shedding fur. However, the downside is that dogs’ nails easily scratch it—to extend the life of your flooring, clip the nails frequently, wax the floors often and take long walks with your dog. Cover up main play and high-traffic areas with area rugs or hallway runners.
Carpets are less likely to be damaged by a new puppy playing, but their accidents will need to be cleaned quickly to prevent more accidents in the same spot. There are many products on the market to spray on carpets to clean up the mess, remove the smells and prevent the dog from repeating the same accident.
Plants
Your house plants can be easily managed with a new puppy. Either keep them high on shelves or watch their behaviour towards your floor pots. Dogs that enjoy digging might make a huge mess or chew on them—certain plants can be poisonous to dogs. Look up a comprehension list of toxic plants online to be safe. In the meantime, here are a few common plants that you should keep away from your puppy.
- Aloe vera
- Jade
- Lilies
- Philodendron
For those of you that want to keep potted plants on your floor, here are some non-toxic ones:
- Boston Fern
- Succulents
- Spider plants
If you want to be 100% safe and avoid the headache of plants plus your new puppy, I recommend removing all house plants or moving them up high where they can’t reach them.
Garbage Area
The smell of garbage can entice any dog, especially with your puppy’s curious nature about its new surroundings. If you cannot keep the garage in a cabinet, ensure you have a secure garbage can that can be closed tightly and unable to be knocked over. We throw away several items that can be poisonous to dogs or choking hazards, such as bones, plastics, spoiled food, hygiene products, etc.
Take extra care to change your garbage frequently, and take especially harmful items out of the home as soon as possible. Here are a few foods that you should never feed to a dog as they are poisonous:
- Chocolate
- Macadamia nuts
- Onions, chives
- Avocado
- Corn on the cob
- Grapes, raisins
- nutmeg
Create a Quiet Zone
When getting a new puppy, create a quiet zone where it can be comfortable and safe—set up a pen or a baby gate to contain the dog in one room. A space like this is an excellent way to supervise your dog. Leave your dog in when you go to work or do errands and all around nice space for your new addition. Consider adding pee pads, toys, beds and blankets to this designated quiet area.
As your dog gets used to your home, is potty trained, and you trust them around your belongings, feel free to make the space larger so they can roam around or open your whole house to them. Some people will crate-train their dogs or put them in a pen while at work.
Yard
Your dog is bound to spend most of its time in your yard, other than in your home. Check over your yard to ensure that the fence is in good condition and that your new puppy won’t be able to wiggle through any of the boards—also, check to make sure they can’t dig their way out easily either.
Much like your indoor plants, some outdoor plants pose a threat to your furry friend as well. Check over the yard to make sure there are no harmful plants. When ingested, plants such as tulips, lilies, and rhododendrons can be toxic to dogs. Watch your dog’s behaviour outside for the first few weeks to ensure that they won’t touch these plants—if they do, seek a vet and dig up the plants, or better yet, remove the harmful plants and don’t deal with the headache.
Saskatchewan cities seldom have fleas or ticks, but keep your lawn cut short and check your dog’s hair regularly as a preventative measure. If your dog is going in the brush, woods or taller grass, tick prevention medicine can be purchased at a vet clinic.
A new puppy friend can bring much joy to your life and home. Protecting your home and your new pet will go a long way to alleviate stress on both parties.
If you are looking for a new home to bring a pet home to, contact your Local REALTOR® today!
