Puppies are wonderful gifts in our lives. They bring so much joy and adventure to every day.
At the same time, puppies can be quite challenging. Most puppies will make messes, may destroy things, and have a lot of energy.
Preparing for your labradoodle puppy is important to not only essential to keeping your house in one piece but also to keeping your sanity.
Today, we will take a look at some of the best ways to start puppy proofing for your home for your labradoodle.
Remember that every puppy is unique, and you might need to take additional steps once they come into your home.
Create a Checklist
There is a lot to do when you get a new puppy. When it comes to puppy-proofing, it is really easy to forget a step, so to help prepare yourself to get ready for your new labradoodle friend coming home, you should create a checklist of the puppy-proofing steps you need to perform.
Cleaning Your Home
Before you bring your new best friend home, you should make sure to clean your home thoroughly.
This is a great way to make sure that they don’t get their paws on something they shouldn’t; it will help you make sure that there is nothing around that will hurt them.
Some of your household cleaning chemicals can be hazardous to your new puppy, so make sure to look at everything you use and ensure it is puppy safe.
Store Cleaning Supplies and Medication
Remember how we said cleaning supplies can be hazardous to your doggo? Relatively safe ones can be dangerous in larger amounts.
Having a secure and out-of-the-way place to store your cleaning supplies is essential. Make sure to put all of the supplies away before they get home.
Your medication can also be hazardous to your pup. Make sure to store them in your medicine cabinet. Even vitamins should be secured so that your new bestie can’t get ahold of them.
Secure Outlets and Cords
Just like little kids, puppies can become curious when it comes to power cables and outlets.
Ensuring that they can’t get to cords that they might want to chew on is essential to keeping them safe.
You can either put objects in front of power cables or elevate them to keep them away from your pups.
To keep outlets safe, you can get little plugs that prevent your pup from licking them or getting any access to them.
Power cords and other cords (think cords for blinds) can also be a strangulation hazard. Ensure there isn’t any way that a crafty pup can get one of them around their neck.
Use A Laundry Basket
Puppies are known for stealing small pieces of laundry such as socks. To help prevent your puppy from accidentally eating your socks or ruining other clothes, start using a laundry basket.
The basket should have a lid in case they try to find a way into the basket. Try to find a basket that won’t easily knock over, for example, a hamper with a sturdy frame or a hamper made out of sturdy material.
Block The Stairs
Stairs can be a big danger for your puppy. Get a puppy gate and block off the stairs so that they can’t accidentally fall down them. Other high areas such as tall beds and couches should also be monitored when your pup is around them.
Go Over Your Food
Certain foods are dangerous for dogs. Making sure that any of these foods are stored in a location that you are 100% sure your new labradoodle pup can’t get to is essential.
We all know that chocolate is bad for dogs but did you know some of the other foods that can be poisonous?
- Onions
- Garlic
- Grapes
- Raisins
Any food with large amounts of salt should also be avoided. If your dog does eat salty foods, make sure that they have plenty of water available.
Small Objects
Dogs are curious, and a lot of their curiosity is explored with their noses and mouths. Ensure that any small objects that they might be interested in putting in their mouths are moved out of their reach and way.
Batteries, coins, paperclips, and plastic are examples of things that your dog might try to eat.
Keep Glass Safe
Glass is fragile and something that puppies will break quite often if left somewhere that they can get to. Take a look at all of the glass in your house and make a plan to keep it safe from them.
This might mean that you need to keep them out of parts of your home when they are filled with energy or until they learn to control themselves.
Locking Trash Cans Rock
Trash can smell quite interesting to a puppy who hasn’t had the chance to try kitchen scraps. Even later on in life, dogs are interested in the trash.
Sometimes they won’t even want to eat what is in the trash; they want to make a bit of a mess.
One way to protect your pup and the trash is to get locking trash cans. These are simply cans with secure lids, so they can’t be opened by prying paws. Most also won’t open when they fall to the ground.
Check All Plants
Not every plant is safe for your new labradoodle puppy to chew on. Go through your home and yard and look up every plant you have on the internet to make sure they won’t cause any problems for your pup.
Block Any Standing Water
Puppies can swim and have fun with water when supervised. They shouldn’t be allowed near areas with standing water when you aren’t there to watch them.
This means that you should block off any areas with standing water, such as pools, hot tubs, fountains, even toilet bowls can be dangerous when puppies are small.
Assemble Contact Numbers
You should have emergency contact numbers for your puppy assembled and posted in at least one part of your home. Your vet, a vet hospital, and poison control are all good numbers to have.
You can have these lists printed on the internet, so they are laminated and protected. You could also have them printed on magnets so you can put them on your fridge easily.
Expensive Rugs
If you have any expensive rugs around the house, you should get them up and store them before your puppy comes home.
Even a house-trained puppy will have accidents occasionally because they are young and still learning to hold it.
Puppies also often have accidents if they get too excited. You don’t want these rugs to get stained.
You can put expensive rugs back down once your pup has had some time growing up and growing out of accidents.
Labradoodle Puppy Proofing Summary
Before deciding that your home is labradoodle puppy-proofed, it is important to do a double-check.
Get down on your stomach in each room and look around; this will help you get a view of the room from your new friend’s perspective.
Make any last-minute changes before bringing them home based on what you find. Puppy proofing a home isn’t a simple task; there is a lot to think of.
With this guide, you will be able to bring your labradoodle home and keep both your home and new puppy safe.