5 Ways to Prepare Your Home for a New Dog

Bringing home a new dog is an exciting time for your family. But even the best dogs can cause damage to your home, or even hurt themselves if your home is not prepared for it.

The good news is that preparing your home for a new dog isn’t too complicated. Here are a few big tips to get you started.

Fence in Your Yard

It’s important to fence in your yard if your yard isn’t already fenced in. if you don’t have the money to completely fence in your yard, you can always get an outdoor run so that you can play with your dog outside without having to worry about them running off.

Protect Breakables

When your dog first comes home, they are going to be very excited and likely jump around a lot. So if you have breakable items that are going to be in the line of fire, so to speak, then you want to find them someplace else to be in your house. You can always buy shelving so that they are too far off of the ground rather than on side tables. This is especially true if you’re rescuing a dog since some shelter dogs have behavioral issues that take time and care to curb.

Protect Cords

This is especially important if you are bringing home a puppy because your puppy is going to chew. The last thing you want is to have your poor pup get a nasty shock because they chewed a cord. You also don’t want to have to worry about replacing your cords all of the time. Taping the cords can make a big difference and keep everyone safe and healthy.

Use Baby Gates

Using baby gates is a good way to keep your dog from going into areas where you don’t want them to go. If you have a friend whose little one recently got too old for baby gates, you might be able to borrow them. You may not need to have them up all the time, just until your dog learns boundaries. Also, look into crating your dog. It's a humane way to keep your dog safe while you are out of the house. They see it as a safety den quickly.

Keep Cabinets Inaccessible

One thing that dogs are known for is getting into everything. So, you want to make sure your new dog can’t open the cabinets since there are a lot of dangerous things in there that can make him sick or worse. The last thing that you want is for your dog to get into the cleaning products and other things that may be below the sink.

Remember that your new dog isn’t going to know what is safe for them and what isn’t, so you need to protect them just like you would protect your child. Use these tips above to prepare your home for your new friend and you will have a lot happier life with your dog.