Before you bring home a new, beautiful dog into your home and life make sure you are prepared. Don’t risk getting your dog ill or your belongings or home ruined.
When you are bringing a dog home for the first time regardless of the age of the dog, breed, shape or size it is a stressful environment for them. It is a new environment that they will need to acclimate to at their own pace. You can help them by setting the stage.
First Steps to Dog Proofing
You want to make your home as comfortable and stress free as possible before you bring your dog home. If you don’t live a minimalist life and you like to collect things and have lots of stuff all around your home, try and clean up as best you can. Put small objects out of reach of your new dog, keep them off expensive rugs, carpets, furniture, couches and chairs. It would be best to make your dog a sanctuary that they can call home. For example a small quiet room or penned in area with a crate, a bed, water bowl, various toys (especially stuffable chew toys such as Kong’s), perhaps away from all of the excitement and noise of your household. This would be a utopian doggy den.
This is only a temporary measure and their freedom to roam the house will increase with time. It is best to start small and work your way up to complete freedom after your dog feels safe secure and after you have successfully potty trained them if they aren’t already.
Go over your home with a fine tooth comb and look for things at your dog’s eye level that you may not notice. Do you have computer wires hanging down, phone cords, any low lying food or plants? Household plants are very important to analyze. Many are toxic to dogs and if ingested could kill them or make them very sick.
How do you clean your floors and home? What chemicals do you use? Does the exterminator use toxic chemicals, do you have insect or rodent traps around you may have forgotten about? All of these chemicals could make your dog sick or kill them if ingested.
A little common sense and preparation will make your home safe and both you and your new dog happy and healthy.
Fun Paw Care is Miami’s premiere dog training, dog walking, and pet sitting service. Owner and operator Russ Hartstein has over 25 years experience in the business and is a APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) Professional Member. To view more helpful tips and tricks, visit our dog training miami blog today!
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