How To Dog Proof Your Home

A dog can bring amazing joy to your life and become your best friend. However, a dog can also destroy everything you own and tear your house apart! Before you bring a new puppy or dog home, it's a good idea to dog proof your home to avoid some of the worst things that can happen. Then you can think about training your dog to teach him good house manners.

Before you bring your new puppy or dog home

If you are bringing home a new puppy, then it's a good bet that your puppy is at the stage when he wants to chew on everything, investigate everything, and he could be a little clumsy, too. If you are bringing home a new dog, of any age, you might not know much about his background. He might or might not have any house manners. In either case, you can't take any chances. You need to protect your home and dog proof it.

Dog proofing

To dog proof your home you need to look at your house from your dog's level, literally. That means paying attention to things that your puppy or dog can reach on the floor, such as electrical cords and shoes. It means putting away items on your coffee table that are in easy reach of a puppy such as remote controls, candy dishes, breakable objects, eye glasses, purses, and magazines. If you have anything valuable sitting around, put it away because either your puppy will try to chew on it or your new adult dog will knock it over and break it.

If you have CDs or DVDs sitting where your puppy can reach them, your puppy will chew on them, so put them in a cabinet

where your he can't get to them. If you have books in a bookshelf at your puppy's level, he might be tempted to chew on them. If your puppy shows interest in them, you can spray them with bitter apple spray or place a section of glass or plywood in front of them until your puppy grows up a little.

If you have anything remotely interesting in your floor, your puppy will investigate it and possibly try to eat it, so beware. If you value something, put it away until your puppy is older. This includes fluffy cushions on your sofa and anything your puppy can play with. Many owners have come home to find their puppy has turned their living room into a romper room.

You can tape electrical cords down so your puppy can't chew on them or buy inexpensive plastic casing for cords to prevent your puppy from chewing on them. Put shoes and anything else in the floor away. Most dog owners learn to do this rather quickly after their new puppy has chewed on a shoe or two.

If your puppy is clever, he might learn to open the cabinets under your sink or other cabinets. You can install child-proof locks on these cabinets to prevent your puppy or new dog from opening them. Some dogs even learn to open the refrigerator. You can install a child-proof lock on the fridge, too. If your puppy or dog starts lifting the toilet lid to drink, you can install a child-proof lock here, too.

If your puppy is interested in chewing on woodwork or wooden furniture, you can buy bitter apple crème or spray at your local pet store or online and apply it. It tastes terrible and it will deter most puppies from chewing on wood. It can also be applied to other objects that puppies try to chew on, such as computer cords.

Puppies are very smart and inventive. They will explore your home from top to bottom and notice anything new so keeping your home dog-proofed is an ongoing process. Keep an eye on your puppy as much as possible and notice what he's doing. Remember that if he's too quiet, he's probably doing something he shouldn't be doing! The good news is that puppies do outgrow this stage and you can gradually relax again.

Training

While your puppy is going through this inquisitive, destructive stage, you can help matters by going to training classes. Teach your puppy basic obedience lessons and set him on a good path for learning. Teach him basic house manners so he will know to "leave it" when you tell him to. Make sure he is thoroughly house trained. Teach him to "go to his place" when someone comes to the door. The more your puppy learns, the better he will behave. These lessons will help him as much as dog proofing your home.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Dog-Proof-Your-Home&id=8161986