Dog Proofing (Room Wise Guideline)

Got yourself a new furry member in your family? Firstly, congratulations!

And the second thing is it’s time to get on with Dog Proofing your home.

Just a heads up, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. But we’re here for you!

The initial days of getting a pet dog are usually filled with cute little things like getting the right dog collar or that beautiful dog house for your dog.

But the serious business of dog proofing the house is a necessary step before welcoming a new part of your lives.

Puppy proofing is an utmost necessity as the potential of your daily used stuff becoming hazardous to your canine is immense.

Here, we have divided this big task of puppy proofing the house into a number of smaller tasks.

All this will give your four-legged companion, a happy and a safe place to grow.

Keep scrolling, you new dog parent!

Let’s take each space of the home at a time.

Dogisworld’s Advice: Before beginning, try seeing things in terms of your pet. That means what is easily reachable, what is toxic and potentially hazardous to him.

The Bedroom

Checklist For Bedroom:

1. Hide The Wires And Cords

Poorly handled wires and cords could lead to electrocution in dogs and if swallowed, could cause damage to the intestines.

Make sure such cords are made dog proof by placing them well out of reach for your dog.

2. Place Plants At Safe Places

Plants do make the ambiance of a place better but many plants are poisonous to dogs when swallowed.

Also, many times dogs could try to reach hanging plants in the room, getting injured in the process.

Placing these plantations at a height which is not reachable for the canine by any chance is a necessary puppy proofing step.

3. Make Clothes Unreachable

Clothes may seem like a harmless thing but depending on how long do puppy teeth it can be perceived as a chewing substance.

Indeed if chewed, the clothes could lead to blockage in the internal organ system.

You can keep the clothes safe by hanging them at a height or by storing them in a cupboard.

4. Get Those Shoes Away

Shoes, like clothes, are seen as what dogs can chew on.

It’s a common sight to see puppies gnawing their teeth into someone’s shoes.

What would happen in such a case is that some minimal part of the shoe could get chewed and swallowed by your dog?

This could lead to internal infections in dogs which in some extreme cases could be fatal.

5. Keep The Bedroom Clean

 There is a lot of small stuff which can go undetected and could be hazardous to your dog.

There are strings, small buttons which could still be hazardous to a dog.

One way of getting rid of them is to keep the bedroom clean.

Usually, vacuum cleaning the bedroom, once a week will do this job.

Dogisworld’s Advice: Whether it's a dog home, dog crate or something else, it’s imperative that your dog needs a safe space to retreat back to the house.

The Bathroom

Checklist For Bathroom:

1. Be There When Bathing Him

A dog shouldn’t be all by himself when in and around water.

Adult supervision is necessary while doing water related tasks such as bathing, swim.

This practice also trains the dog to behave for future exercises such as going to the vet.

2. Close That Lid Always

The Toilet Lid should always be kept closed to make dog proof toilet.

As a dog usually takes it as a drinking water source, if there’s toilet bowl cleaner that still lingers, things could get even more dangerous.

If closing the lid isn’t working, you can always start using lid lock which is easily available at retail sources.

You can also make the smaller pipes puppy proof.

There are chew proof PVC tube in the market which can come in handy.

3. Get The Grooming Tools Secure

Grooming tools such as razors, trimmers could pose a potential threat to the canine if not made dog proof.

Dogs could simply chew the cords, and cause electrocution in some cases.

There’s always the threat of getting cuts by sharp ends of these objects.

For safety, you should store such products in a closed cabinet at height, making it puppy proof.

4. Keep The Bathing Products Out Of Reach

Bathing products such as shampoo, face wash, soap, toilet cleaner, etc. contain chemicals in them.

These chemicals may not cause humans any harm to us but in the case of dogs, some of them could be life-threatening.

The general advice is like grooming products, these should be kept in cabinets as a dog proofing method.

While bathing, excessive chemicals in shampoo can also cause harm. DIY shampoos at home could be the answer.

5. Better Handling Of Dirty Clothes

Dirty clothes are a thing of nuisance when there’s a dog around.

Hence, there’s a need to make them dog proof also.

The smell of dirty clothes attracts the dog taking them as some kind of a dog chew toy.

And if he gets on that thing, you’ll lose that dress of yours that you like so much.

Also, the chewing could lead to swallowing which may lead to serious dog health conditions later.

Dogisworld’s Advice: Batteries are one of the most dangerous objects for your dog. Keep their access restricted to the dog as when swallowed, they could be life-threatening.

The Living Room

Checklist For Living Room:

1. Get The Right Flooring

When there’s a canine coming in the house, there is an urgent need to make flooring dog proof.

If it’s a tile or marble floor then you’re safe as they are hard to stain and even harder to scratch.

If you’re going for a wood-like surface then test the surface against the nails of the dog.

In the case of carpet-like surface, you should opt for something which is stain-proof and could be easily cleaned.

2. Lookout For Toys

Small stuff especially toys, puzzle pieces can be incredibly dangerous to have near your dog.

Like anything else, a dog sees these things as chewing substance. That chewing could later lead to swallowing.

If you have a kid in the house, you’re bound to have these things in the living room.

What you can do is keep the toys of the kid and the dog apart and also keep count of the number of toys.

3. Hide The Cables

Like we discussed earlier, cables and wires are also a serious No-No here.

A dog will always see them as an interesting thing to chew on and get tangled with while playing.

In that case, there is always a chance of swallowing the cables and electrocution from the cables.

4. Hide The Small Things

When we talk about small things, we talk about things like T.V remote which get easily out of attention.

These remotes are particularly dangerous because they contain batteries.

These batteries are extremely dangerous to your dog.

They could get punctured by the teeth of your dog or by swallowing which could result in life-threatening conditions.

5. Protect The Furniture

Furniture is susceptible to wear and tear and with a pet in the house, the damage gets doubled.

This damage can always be reduced by using a thick cover to make a dog proof sofa.

Using a dog pillow to simply put limit to the damage can also help.

The material, of which furniture is made holds a lot of importance.

What we’ll advice is getting a textured one as they are hard to get stained and hides dog hair as the dog-proof sofa.

Dogisworld’s Advice: Houseplants have to be chosen very diligently when there's a canine around. Usually, it leads to swallowing them which in the case of thorny plants could lead to damage to intestines.

The Yard

Checklist For Yard:

1. Check The Flowers Of The Garden

Flowers can be poisonous substance for a dog if swallowed.

Tulips, Daffodils, Azaleas, and Amaryllis are some of the common toxic flowers to a canine.

Taking an advice from your vet about which flowers to plant is needed.

2. Keep Trash Out Of Reach

Trash cans and garage waste should be kept out of reach from your dog at all circumstances.

Such garage trash may contain fuel, liquid waste or something like antifreeze.

All these can prove to be fatal to your dog.

3. Examine Fence For Weak Spots

A fence can always be breached by the dog some outside animal.

There are always some corner or the other which your dog can easily find out.

You need to properly dog mend the fence regularly to make sure it is secure before letting your dog out.

4. Mow The Grass Regularly

A badly kept grass can be a medium for parasites to reach your dog.

Small parasites like tick, lice can come onto your dog through the grass.

To prevent this, regular mowing is necessary with removal of the debris present there.

5. Place Essentials In The Yard

Dogs are susceptible to dehydration and heat strokes as we humans are.

Let your dog enjoy his playing time as much as he wants but keep the essentials nearby.

These are water, shade from the sun and the access to go inside the home when he needs it.

Dogisworld’s Advice: We all love chocolates, right? Also, dogs do, but it can be toxic for them. Keep that in mind when next time you're having that chocolate don’t feast near him or let him have it.

The Kitchen

Checklist For Kitchen:

1. Keep The Food Out Of Reach

Some foods for human consumption can be dangerous when a canine eats it.

There’s always the danger of eating the packaging with the food which can prove fatal for the dog.

You should keep the food covered most of the times and at a height not possible to be reached easily.

2. Secure The Kitchen Supplies

Kitchen supplies are made up of chemicals which can be toxic to your dog.

Detergents, washing soaps can easily be swallowed and hence there’s an inherent danger.

You can keep these items in closed containers which are dog proof and place them at height.

3. Close The Trash Lid

A trash lid has the potential to be extremely harmful to the dog.

It’s like a hidden box of surprises for him as he gets instantly attracted from by smell.

You can solve this problem by closing the lid every time or putting a lock to make a dog proof trash. 

4. Make The Cabinets Dog Proof

A cabinet in its normal form can be opened by a curious dog.

That makes all things that are hazardous in the cabinet, in reach of your dog.

You can use ‘child-locks‘ with cabinets to make them dog proof.

5. Deny Access To Kitchen Appliances

Kitchen appliances like dishwasher, dryers can be a troublesome place for your dog.

Your dog will always be interested in resting inside the dryer without telling you.

Always be extra careful when operating such appliances when there’s a dog moving around.

This was all about How To Dog Proof Your Home from our side.

Wait a moment, we would really love to hear back from you in the comment section.

Do tell us how you made your home more suitable for your four-legged little companion.

And, what were the difficulties that you faced in doing so?

As always you can reach to us in the comment section for anything and everything related to dogs.

Happy Petting To You Guys!