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 Top 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 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 or dog door flap (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. So how do you how to dog-proof a room ?

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

Top dog proofing tips for your furniture

One of the key things to consider is how to dog proof your furniture. This is absolutely one of the top dog proofing tips for your home. 

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 usually very physical and often 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. One of our top dog proofing tips is to manage your garden to ensure you limit both damage and access.

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 keeping your garden and yard dog proofed.

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 and one of the top dog proofing trips. 

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. 

Another one of our top dog proofing tips is that you really to dog proof your home if you think you will want to sell it one say. A house that has been protected from damage by dogs will retain its value better when the time comes to selling.

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.

Do you need a dog sitter?

Where to find a dog sitter for pet minding at home?

While you may be tempted to searching online for ‘dog sitters that come to my home’, ‘petsitters’ ‘dog boarding’, ‘find a dog sitter near me‘ and so on, think again.

Today there are new online networks of pet lovers, who will exchange their time and experience in pet care to look after your dog for free accommodation and a good online review. Yes indeed, there are. HousesitMatch.com is a great place to start for pet owners, learning about house and pet sitting.

Online house and petsitting communities

Communities like Housesitmatch.com offer a safe environment to meet like minded members, pet lovers experienced in pet and home care.

Check their pet sitter reviews to find a reliable dog sitter

As a dog owner you might be very busy and you may travel a great deal for work and holidays.  Find a dog sitter for this job. Before booking a dog sitter, ask potential candidates about their experience and references.

With an online network like Housesitmatch you know they are checked, and their reviews are visible. It is a great way to find dog sitting services.

If you have a particular need, ask about it, and if the candidate can provide this service, check what kind of experience they have with the specific task.

Dog minding for multiple pets is costly

Another reason to consider this way to find a dog sitter is if you have multiple pets to care for. Apart from taking your dog away from your home while you are away, consider the cost of dog kennels especially if you have multiple pets. It can be very expensive.

Find a dog sitter for free by joining a house and petsitting platform. But how do you find a reliable dog sitter? Join a network like Housesitmatch. Check the online reviews for your house and petsitting network – check Trustpilot or Google reviews. It’s worth spending the time to do that to see what real users have said.

Join as a home and petowner to find a dog sitter

Joining HouseSit Match as a petowner is a straightforward process:

1. Register as a homeowner pet owner on HouseSit Match.
2. Complete the ID check for added credibility and trustworthiness.
3. Build your profile to showcase your pets, and home.
4. Offer your dog sits by posting a housesit advert and listing and connect with pet sitters.
5. Embark on an exciting journey as a member of this community meeting and working with dog sitters and house sitters.

Further reading on pet sitting, dog minding and housesitters

At Housesitmatch.com we like to share useful blogs, top dog proofing tips and practical advice about housesitters, housesitting and dog minding. We hope you find this small selection of our blogs on house sitters useful.

Top tips for dog training for good behaviour at home

Pet sitting services from Housesit Match

Pet and housesitters keep pets safe at home and save money

What a housesitter does – Top 10 responsibilities

Preparing a home for a house or pet sitter

The Affordable Alternative to Dog Kennels

What is House Sitting?