Puppy-Proofing Your House

If anything is in reach, you can guarantee it will be sniffed, tasted, and possibly chewed by a puppy. To protect your puppy in his new environment and to keep your favorite things safe, you’ll need to puppy-proof your house. Puppy-proofing should not replace training or supervised control of a puppies activities. But until they get bigger and learn the house rules, puppy-proofing will keep them safe.

Kitchens and bathrooms:

• Have your parents put in  childproof latches to 
  keep little paws from prying open cabinets.  
• Make sure medications, cleaners, chemicals, 
  and laundry supplies are high on shelves.  
• Keep foods out of reach. It's tempting to feed 
  your puppy table scraps, but some foods, like
  chocolate, can hurt or kill dogs.
• Keep trashcans covered or inside a latched
  cabinet.

Living/family room:

• Bundle dangling wires from VCR's, televisions, 
  and stereos with twist ties or rubber bands.
• Keep toys out of reach.
• Put knick-knacks away until your puppy is 
  bigger and can't put them in his mouth.
• Move houseplants out of reach. (Houseplants 
  cannot only be taken out of the pot, but if your
  puppy chews or eats them, they can be
  poisonous).

Garage

• Make sure your parents have things like 
  fertilizers, pesticides, paints, and thinners on 
  high shelves.
• Be sure rakes and shovels are put away well 
  so they can't be knocked over.
• Have your parents clean up any and all 
  antifreeze their cars may have leaked onto the 
  garage floor. One lick can be lethal to a puppy.

Puppy-Proofing Your House

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