There is a lot to think about when you decide to get a dog, but even though you’ll need to spend time researching and putting things in place, it’s worth it. Having a dog is like having another member of the family, and the love and support they will give you is like nothing else on earth. 

So of course, you’ll want to ensure you are taking the best care of them. You’ll want to ensure they are safe in your – and their – home. That’s why you need to put dog-proofing measures in place. When you do this, you’ll protect the dog from anything harmful in your home, and you’ll protect your home from any potential issues caused by your dog at the same time. It all makes sense, but it can be a challenge to know where to start. The good news is, it’s not as hard as it might seem. Read on to find out what you can do to dog-proof your home. 

Train The Dog

It’s crucial that you dog-proof your home if you want your dog to be safe and if you want your property to stay looking good. However, something that will make this a lot easier is if your dog is trained well. When a dog is trained, they will know where they can and can’t go in a house, and they will understand commands such as ‘stay’ or ‘no’, which will limit any damage or potential for injury. 

You can train your dog yourself, but this will take a lot of time, so it’s often best to find professionals to help you. Check out braintrainingfordogs.promo to see how much training could benefit your dog and your home. You’ll still need to put dog-proofing measures in place, but having a well-trained dog will also give you peace of mind. 

Check Your Plants 

Having house plants is great; they liven up a home and make it healthier too, because they purify the air. And having a gorgeous backyard full of beautiful blooms is also lovely – it makes you enjoy the outside much more, and it can be a wonderful hobby. However, when it comes to your dog, those plants you love so much could be a problem. The fact is that many household plants are actually poisonous to pets. 

This is why you’ll need to research the plants you have in your home and garden to find out whether or not they could be harmful to your new dog. Dogs are naturally curious, and they like to sniff and chew. Although training will help reduce this, the point is they might accidentally ingest plants that could cause them a lot of discomfort or even kill them. 

If you have any plants in your home that would be dangerous for dogs, you’ll need to remove them if you can. This is the safest option. If you can’t (perhaps because they are too numerous or the roots are too deep if they are outside), you’ll need to put barriers in place to ensure your dog can’t get to them. 

Put Medications And Household Cleaners Away

As we’ve said, dogs like to chew. It keeps them occupied, and it’s how they satisfy a lot of their curiosity about the world. If they find something new, it’s likely they’ll chew or lick it to find out what it is. In most cases, that’s more of an annoyance than anything else (you won’t want your slippers or furniture chewed up, for example), but in some cases, it can be much more serious. 

If you have medication or household cleaners in your home, as most people do, you must ensure you keep them on a high shelf where your dog won’t be able to get to it. Better still, keep them in a locked cabinet. Dogs will usually be able to open standard cupboard doors, so just putting these potentially fatal things in a kitchen cabinet might not be enough. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. 

Hide Electrical Cords

There is sure to be a wide range of different electrical cords in your home. You might not realize quite how many there are, but if you take a moment to count them, you’ll probably be shocked at the number. Speaking of shocks, your new dog will find themselves in a lot of pain and trouble if they were to chew through a cord. This is why you need to dog-proof these in particular to help keep everyone safe. Remember, even if your dog isn’t hurt when they chew wires, the next person to pick that cord up might get a shock due to the exposed wire inside. 

You can buy special tools to help you with this task. These include pipes made of PVC that you can put your cords in as well as spiral cable wrap that makes it hard for a dog to chew the cord but ensures you can still plug items in – or unplug them – when you need to. Some people prefer to just wrap their cords in bubble wrap. As long as you do something to keep your dog safe, the choice will be yours. 

Cover Your Couch

If you want your dog to be able to enjoy the couch as much as you, you will come across some problems. They will leave fur and dirt behind. They might drool on the cushions. They might even eat a treat and put crumbs everywhere. These are some of the reasons why some dog owners prefer their dog to stay on the floor instead. 

However, if you don’t mind your dog being on the couch or perhaps you even enjoy it as it’s a good way to bond together, what can you do to protect your couch and keep it looking good? One option is to cover the couch. You can use a full cover that you put each cushion inside, or you can simply use a throw or blanket instead. That way, you can easily keep your couch clean and quickly wash the throw when it needs to be washed.