If you are keen to get a new dog, and more especially a puppy read this blog. You need to prepare in more detail for a new puppy. Experienced pet owners know the critical steps that need to be taken to get a home ready. Here is our new puppy checklist.

How To Get Your Home Ready For a New Puppy

Finding ways to eliminate stress from your life should be a top concern. Looking for a new challenge that will provide tons of advantages in the future? Then why not buy or adopt a new puppy. Of course if you love animals and have had pets before you will know a little of what this entails.

Whether you are looking for Beagles or Doodles in Chicago, you are sure to find a dog that you fall in love with.

Once you select the type of dog you want to adopt or buy, you need to get your home ready. Bringing a dog into a home that hasn’t been puppy-proofed can be extremely dangerous. Rather than making this mistake, you need to invest some time and effort into getting your home prepared for a new pet.

Here are some things you need to focus on when trying to get your home ready for a new puppy.  

Put Dangerous Chemicals Under Lock and Key

Over 48 million dogs currently reside in homes across the United States. If you are about to start your journey as a petowner, you need to remove hazardous chemicals from your home. This is critical. Realize now how important this is before a regrettable accident happens.

Puppies are extremely curious and tend to get into areas they don’t belong. If you leave dangerous cleaning chemicals under the cabinets in your home, it is only a matter of time before your new puppy finds them.

Rather than leaving these dangerous chemicals in a dog’s reach, you need to put them under lock and key. Investing in a standalone cabinet to house the chemicals is a must. Once you have this cabinet in place, you need to invest in a high-quality lock. By locking up your chemical cabinet, you can keep your dog safe.

Be Mindful of Electrical Cords

The average puppy loves to chew on most things they come across in the home. While this is perfectly normal, it poses a risk if your home is not puppy-proofed. One of the worst things you can do is leave the cords that power your electrical devices and appliances exposed. Dogs chewing on wires risk electrocution. 

This is why you need to invest in cord organizers. These organizers are designed to hide cords and keep them in order. You also need to work on tucking cords under your area rugs to keep them out of your puppy’s line of sight. Taking these precautions can help you keep your new puppy safe.

Place Human Food In Hard To Reach Areas

Owning a new puppy is one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have. One thing you need to know about your new puppy is that they are extremely hungry creatures, that means they are hungry all the time.

If your new puppy is presented with human food, they are going to eat it. This means that you need to avoid leaving trash cans open or bowls of food in areas that your puppy can easily reach.

Consuming large amounts of human food can lead to a puppy’s stomach getting upset. Some foods like grapes and chocolate are also toxic for dogs. Place all human food in your home beyond your puppy’s reach.

Keep Toilet Lids Closed

There is a running joke about how dogs love to drink from the toilet bowl. If you witness your puppy drinking water from your toilet, they run the risk of ingesting harmful bacteria and chemicals. Stop this. The cleaning chemicals designed to keep toilet water clean and fragrant can be dangerous if consumed by your puppy.

Make sure your toilet lids are closed at all times when not in use. This is critical. Doing this can keep your puppy away from the water contained in your toilet and the hazards that it poses.

Make Sure Your Yard is Puppy-Proofed

Dogs absolutely love spending time outside. If you have a large yard or garden your puppy will spend time running around, investigating their new turf. Making sure it is safe before you bring home a new puppy is really important.

Ideally, you should contain the yard your dog plays in with a fence around it. This will keep the dog contained in one area and can stop them from getting into the road. You also need to make sure there are no chemicals or hazardous plants in your yard. And only once you have done these things can you let your puppy loose to run and play.

By using these tips, you can get your home ready for a new puppy.

Need a dogsitter

One more thing – if you have a new puppy you will need a dogsitter when you go on holiday or work trip. So get registered on a housesitting and petsitting network from now so you can build a profile and good relations with a live in dogsitter who can com to your home.

What is a live in dogsitter?

As soon as you get a new pet dog for your home you realise that actually they need a lot of engagement. This is when most dog owner start asking ‘What is a live in dogsitter’? And can I find a live in dog sitter near me?

The pet minder’s engagement with your pets

The age and state of health of your dog will impact how much engagement they need.  When they are young they need a lot of attention and puppy training. The training ensures they stay safe, and learn behaviour that is suitable to live with humans in the home. House training is also important to make sure they and the house stay clean.

The next phase is one where they are a little older and need more exercise. They need longer walks, they need to run around to build and exercise their muscles.

As they gain in confidence they need socialisation with other dogs to temper their behaviour and to learn dog body language and protocols. Most dogs love human interaction so a live in dogsitter is a great kennel alternative and can keep your dog engaged and happy.

Live in dogsitter working with your pets – Some breeds of dog need more attention and engagement

It should go with out saying that some breeds of dog are very intelligent and need regular play and stimulation.

Dog breeds like Alsatians, Collies and German Shepherds, Labradors, Retrievers and Weimaraner are clever dogs. These are just a few examples of dog breeds that need to engage with humans and other dogs.

Further reading on housesitting, petsitting and puppy sitting

At Housesitmatch.com we like to share useful blogs and practical advice about housesitters, housesitting and pet sitting and caring for your new puppy. We hope you find this small selection of our blogs on house sitters useful.

The Affordable Alternative to Dog Kennels

Dog sitters check list – Why a puppy bites fast

A working dog parent’s guide to puppy ownership

Housesitters keep pets safe at home and save money

What a housesitter does – Top 10 responsibilities

Top dogsitting tips for beginners

What is House Sitting?