Every pet owner and especially dog owner knows the damage some pets can have on a home. Protecting your home is not necessarily the first thought that comes into your head when you happily bring home your puppy or rescue dog for the first time. Here are some top dog proofing tips to help protect your home.

5 Dog Proofing Tips to Keep Your Home Protected

We love our dogs, but sometimes our canine companions can get into trouble in our homes when we aren’t paying attention. 

Top dog proofing tips

These five tips top dog proofing tips will help you take the necessary steps to dog-proof your home so that your beloved furry friend stays safe and sound, even when you aren’t looking.

• Use Child Safety Gates

Make sure your dog can’t run freely through your home by putting up gates and barriers. Even if you don’t have kids, pet safety gates are great because they provide additional outlets for exercising your dog. 

Gates also keep dogs away from stairs, which can be dangerous if any kind of injury or illness makes walking difficult. 

Always make sure that your dog can’t get stuck behind a gate (or anything else), as it may lead to injury or death. 

• Install Pet Doors

Dogs tend to come and go as they please, which can make them easy targets for burglars. 

Make sure you know where your dog is at all times by installing a pet door (make sure it’s on an interior wall). Or better yet, install one outside your house; that way, it can remain shut when not in use. 

A bonus of installing an outdoor pet door? It’s like having another entrance/exit for yourself too. If someone breaks into your home, you’ll know immediately that they’ve gained access because of one of these doors.

• Secure Furniture to the Wall

Dogs love couches and chairs for lounging and hiding.

With all kinds of dogs this can be a problem, and the larger the dog the larger the challenge you have.

Unfortunately, furniture that isn’t anchored to a wall can fall over and hurt you or other members of your family.  So here is a real top dog proofing tip to help you keep your furniture sound. 

You can anchor heavy pieces of furniture using L-brackets or extra-long screws.

This step is critical if you have kids around since even medium-sized dogs can turn a couch into a trampoline. 

Just make sure you don’t accidentally create new hazards by anchoring your couches too tightly.

Instead, give them enough wiggle room to avoid becoming dangerous projectiles in an earthquake or strong wind.

• Secure Your Wires

If you have a dog that likes to chew on things, you’ll want to make sure wires are out of his reach.

If a dog finds a live wire, he can hurt himself and cause a fire. 

Look for places where wires might be exposed and secure them with tape or other materials.

You can also try electronic repellents or anti-chew sprays, which taste awful but won’t harm your pup. 

Consider giving him bones as an alternative to biting down on cords as well—and always keep chew toys around, so he doesn’t bite cables when you aren’t home.

• Trim Bushes If They Are Too Close to Windows

Dogs are natural climbers, and they often enjoy looking outside. But, unfortunately, there’s no telling what kind of wildlife may be lurking just on the other side of that window. 

Trimming bushes and trees will prevent your dog from being able to climb them and look outside. This simple fix can also keep your dog out of harm’s way as well as protect your windows from scratches.

Our top dog proofing tips in summary

Protect your home by watching your dog closely when inside. Crate training can be helpful for new puppies. 

It’s also important to never leave your dog unattended in a room with any items you wouldn’t want them chewing on, including shoes, food bowls, beds, clothing, and wires. A dog-proofed house will also fetch more money when put on sale. 

When you want to find out how to sell a house fast, Kansas City realtors Favor Home Solutions will provide you with more valuable information. Click here to visit Favor Home Solutions.

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