| Keeping your new puppy safe is very important. | | | | anything that might be small enough that could be |
| Bringing a new puppy home to roam around is just | | | | chewed or even swallowed that could pose a hazard |
| like having a little infant child that just learned to walk. | | | | just as if it would for a small child. |
| They like to explore and get into everything. As a | | | | Puppies love to chew. It is in their nature so there |
| result you must do things to make your house puppy | | | | isn't much you can do to stop that. Be sure to |
| safe. Here's what to do to make your house safe for | | | | remove anything they could get to that they should |
| a new puppy. | | | | not be chewing. You should leave them appropriate |
| You should puppy proof your home well before you | | | | chew toys designed for puppies, however. |
| bring your new pet home. By having your home | | | | Keep in mind that puppies love to swallow what they |
| prepared for the new arrival you will insure its safety | | | | chew. Why just the other day, watching television |
| and prevent emergencies that could be life | | | | there was a story about a family that kept losing |
| threatening. | | | | their baby pacifiers. They had a feeling their new |
| First you need to decide where in your house the | | | | puppy might be chewing them-but they didn't think it |
| puppy will be allowed walk about. It is a good idea to | | | | was possible that it could be swallowing them. The |
| put up barriers so certain areas are off limits and | | | | dog was taken to the vet and x-rays showed it had |
| there is no worry of your new best friend going | | | | 15 pacifiers in its stomach! Now of course, if you are |
| where it shouldn't. | | | | like me you may be wondering, new baby....new |
| Now that you have a designated area for the puppy | | | | puppy... hmmmm... what was that family thinking? But |
| you need to inspect it carefully for anything that may | | | | that's a whole different story. |
| cause problems. | | | | There are many house plants that are not good for |
| The best way to do this is to look at your house | | | | puppies. As a good rule of thumb, remove all house |
| from the puppy's perspective. Crawl around and look | | | | plants from the areas where the new puppy will |
| at everything that might seem enticing to the new | | | | roam. |
| pup or pose a hazard. | | | | You should also be careful that all household cleaners |
| Puppies are naturally very curious and will get into | | | | be stored outside of the puppy's reach. Many items |
| just about anything that is on the floor or within their | | | | like: insecticides, mothballs, antifreeze, fertilizers, |
| height. Electrical cords or telephone cables need to be | | | | insect poisons, and rat poisons can be fatally |
| removed or taped higher than the new puppy's | | | | dangerous to dogs. |
| reach. If a puppy chews into an electrical cord it can | | | | If the new puppy will be allowed to roam in the |
| be lethal or they can get very serious burns. They | | | | bathroom, be sure to keep the toilet lid down. Many |
| can easily get tangled in phone cords and possibly | | | | cleaners used to keep the toilet bowl sanitized can |
| strangle. | | | | be dangerous. |
| Take caution to remove any that might be on low | | | | In summary, the best way to puppy proof your |
| areas like coffee tables. Small decorative pieces, | | | | home is to do it crawling around from their |
| books, magazines-- anything of this nature should be | | | | perspective. Look for low hanging objects and keep |
| removed from the table as it might look good to | | | | in mind: anything that could be harmful to a small child |
| chew or could fall of. | | | | could also be bad for your new puppy. |
| As you crawl around looking for objects look for | | | | |