A dog is a man’s (or woman’s) best friend. Those four-legged, fluffy creatures with wagging tails and endless loyalty are hard to resist, especially as puppies. For as cute as puppies are, they can also be a lot of work and cause a lot of damage to an apartment.
If you’re thinking about getting a puppy, you also need to think through puppy-proofing your apartment. That way, when you bring Rover home, your home is now a puppy apartment.
Here are 13 ways for puppy-proofing your apartment that’ll keep your doggie safe and help ensure you get your security deposit back at the end of your lease.
Creating the perfect puppy apartment
You’ve found the perfect pup to bring home to your apartment. Now, it’s time to turn your place into a puppy apartment. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on puppy-proofing products to create a safe and secure place. With a little puppy feng-shui and a few simple hacks, your puppy apartment will be ready to go.
1. Troubleshoot potential problems
The first step when puppy-proofing your apartment is to walk through it and scan for potential problem areas.
Remember, puppies are small and can maneuver their way into small spaces like the area under the couch or behind a dresser. Notice all the areas where your new friend could hide, assess if it’s a hazardous area and if so, find ways to block it off.
Once you’ve made a list of all the areas in your apartment that could cause problems for you and your puppy, you can start to solve them.
2. Tidy up daily
Like babies, puppies like to chew anything they can get their paws on. So, you’ll want to tidy up your apartment and get any small objects off the floor so your puppy doesn’t chew and choke on them.
You’ll want to make sure you tidy up frequently. A puppy is a lot of work, but at least you’ll have a clean apartment free from clutter.
3. Hide cords and chargers
TV cords and phone chargers are tempting to chew for puppies. Not only is it annoying if your puppy chews through your laptop charger but it’s also dangerous.
When puppy proofing your apartment, make sure you hide or remove all cords that are at eye level for your dog. You could bundle the cords together and place them out of reach, tape them to the back of the TV or piece of furniture, or buy protective casings to wrap them in.
No matter which option you take, you need to make sure cords are not a temptation for puppies.
4. Spray your furniture with bitter spray
Dogs love sticks. It’s a cute trick at the park, but it’s not so cute when your dog starts to chew your wooden kitchen table or the legs of the chairs.
To prevent furniture from being damaged by an eager puppy, buy a spray that you can use to deter chewing. Simply spray it on the furniture and it’ll taste bitter to the puppy and they’ll learn not to chew that item.
5. Remove rugs
When you first bring a puppy home, you may want to remove rugs so they don’t go to the bathroom on them or drag them around the house.
You can re-introduce rugs to your home once your puppy is a little older, but it can save time and stress if you put your expensive rugs away to start with.
6. Get puppy pads for potty training
Like children, puppies need potty training. While you’ll probably have a few accidents at first, there are ways to keep your apartment clean and minimize accidents around the house.
First, buy puppy pads and place them throughout the house so when your dog needs to do his business, he knows where to go. Second, you can buy a pet deodorizer to remove the smell off the carpet if he has an accident.
Having the right equipment for potty training from the beginning will save you time.
7. Buy the right toys
Puppies love to chew and play. If you want to train them to chew the right things—and avoid the walls, baseboards and furniture — buy the right toys upfront.
Get toys specifically made for puppies. These include toys that squeak or that are fun to chew. You can positively reinforce what toys make great toys for your pup to avoid them from going after less than desirable objects.
8. Create a dog-friendly zone
When puppy-proofing your apartment, you need to decide which areas are dog-friendly and which areas are off-limits.
Once you’ve created your boundaries, you can create your dog-friendly zones. Simple things like closing doors to off-limit areas or installing baby gates to block off certain rooms will teach your puppy that she can play in some rooms but cannot enter others.
Your puppy will soon learn that she has her own safe space if you teach her which areas are on and off-limits.
9. Get a kennel or crate
Speaking of safe spaces, dogs like to have their own area where they can relax.
When your dog is a puppy, they need to have a kennel or crate. This is a great space for your puppy to hang out when you’re leaving the house, when they need a nap or when they need a time out.
A kennel or crate can become your dog’s designated bedroom and it enables you to leave them without worrying that they’ll destroy the apartment.
10. Close the toilet seat
You’ll likely have a water bowl set out for your dog, but a toilet bowl is often oh so tempting to a thirsty puppy. Remember to always shut the toilet seat so they can’t get water that way and will learn to go to their water bowl only.
11. Remove toxic materials from easy reach
There are obvious items that are toxic to pets, for example, cleaning materials and medications. But, there are other things like essential oils, plants and certain food items that are also deadly to pets.
Before you bring a curious puppy home, walk through your apartment and remove all toxic materials from places that your puppy could get to.
Remember, puppies are curious and want to get into everything. So, if it’s not at human eye level, it’s fair game for your pooch.
12. Have your vet’s number on hand
Accidents happen. So, it’s important to have your vet’s number easily accessible so you can quickly call if your puppy gets into something he wasn’t supposed to reach.
Post your vet’s number or the pet poison control number on your fridge or in your contact list. This will make puppy training easier and keep your dog safe.
13. Consider hiring a trainer
These hacks are all DIY. But, you may want to consider hiring a dog trainer to come and teach you ways to train your dog, too.
Dog trainers can teach you tools that’ll make raising a puppy easier and make you feel more comfortable with your new friend more quickly.
Welcome home puppy
Now that you’ve gone through every nook and cranny of your apartment and created a safe puppy apartment, it’s time to bring that bundle of joy home!
Puppies are great and if you’ve done all the steps for puppy-proofing your apartment, you’ll be able to enjoy your new friend so much more. These hacks make it easy to create a safe space for your dog without having to worry that he or she will ruin your place. Woof woof!
Source: rent.com