How to puppy-proof your home: a guide for new dog owners

A big part of welcoming your new puppy home is preparing for them. From getting ready for routine vet visits to creating a detailed puppy checklist, there are lots of things to do in the early days.

But one of the most important parts is puppy-proofing your home. Puppy-proofing keeps your home safe and comfortable, and it helps reduce your stress in the early days, too.

Here, we discuss how to puppy-proof your home, share puppy-proofing tips and explore how early preparation is key to a healthy, happy life for your pet.

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How to puppy-proof your house: general tips

We'll break down how to puppy-proof room-by-room, but here's some practical advice to follow generally:

• Assume your puppy will try to chew or eat anything - it's how they explore the world around them.

• Remember it's not just about preparation, it's about ongoing habits too, like always storing toxic items out of reach of your puppy or adult dog.

• Remove and secure all small objects, wires, cords, poisonous plants and sharp edges.

• Try to see things from a puppy's view and literally get down to their level - see the world through their eyes.

• Use baby gates and playpens to keep your puppy in set areas.

Puppy-proofing the living room

The living room is a hub of loose wires and cables that need cleaning up before your puppy comes home.

Generally, you should:

• Avoid candles and low-hanging decor.

• Secure furniture so there aren't any tipping hazards.

• Store batteries, remotes and any other toxic choking hazards away.

• Tidy up loose cables and wires.

Puppy-proofing your living room means prioritising safety and removing potential hazards. Hazards can include:

• Cables and wires.

• Curtains and blind strings.

• Heavy, unsecured furniture.

• Small objects.

• Toxic plants.

Here's how to organise each hazard:

Cords and wires

Hide any risky cables or wires away. Use cord protectors, cable wraps and tuck wires out of reach.

Curtains and blinds

Choose cordless blinds and curtains, and make sure curtains are at the sill or short enough for the puppy to avoid entanglement.

Heavy furniture

You can use things like anti-tipping kits to secure hazardous furniture like bookshelves and TV stands. Otherwise, it's about training your puppy to keep off perilous furniture with positive reinforcement training.

Small objects

Get in good habits: regularly clean away small objects and safely secure them out of reach.

Toxic plants

Remove or relocate any plants that could hurt your puppy. It's worth checking with your vet and researching this yourself.

Remember: even non-toxic plants can cause irritation and problems for your puppy if they accidentally consume large quantities.

Puppy-proofing the kitchen

Some owners prefer to keep their dogs in the kitchen area when they're young as it provides easier clean-up when housetraining. But kitchens do hold a lot of hazards, so prepare accordingly.

Potential hazards include:

• Bins

• Choking hazards

• Cleaning products

• Food

Here's how to deal with each of these hazards.

Bins

Puppies follow their nose, and your bin is a hub of nice-smelling food. Keeping your bin secure is important, especially if you have a food-motivated breed like a Labrador Retriever.

We recommend keeping your bin very secure and, if possible, keeping it outside or under the sink so it's really out of reach.

Choking hazards

Put away small things that could become choking hazards, like plastic tubs or any odds and ends you have.

Cleaning products

Put cleaning products well away out of a puppy's reach. Child-proof caps mean nothing to them, especially when they're teething - trust us!

Food

It helps to know what food is toxic to dogs and what isn't. You can view our pet food safety pages to see what’s toxic and what’s not, but generally, watch out for common foods like:

• Alcohol

• Avocado

• Chocolate

• Garlic

• Grapes

• Leeks

• Most nuts

• Mouldy food

• Onions

• Raisins

• Sugar-free products that contain xylitol including peanut butter and chewing gum

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Always store food in secure, out-of-reach cupboards and clear items off counters and floors well. We recommend using childproof locks on cabinets, securing bins and keeping your puppy away from the kitchen when you're cooking - they might be small, but they can certainly move fast if you drop something on the floor!

Puppies can and will find crumbs, so take some extra care to keep things clean.

If you suspect your dog has eaten something toxic then call your vet for advice immediately, don’t wait for symptoms to develop.

Bathroom & laundry room hazards

Your puppy probably won't spend a lot of time here, but it's full of hazards like cleaning supplies, toilets and potential hazards left in clothes pockets.

Potential bathroom and laundry room hazards for puppies include:

• Cleaning products

• Electrical hazards

• Hygiene products

• Laundry

• Medications

• Toilet water

Here's how to secure them.

Cleaning products

Put things like bleach and laundry detergent well away in secure cupboards. Puppies can and will bite through the child-proof bottles.

Electrical hazards

Put away any loose cables from electrical appliances, and use cable organisers to keep them out of reach.

Hygiene products

Ingested tampons and sanitary towels are common foreign bodies, so keep these well out of reach from your puppy.

Laundry

Puppies can swallow small socks and will find anything you've left in your pockets. Put laundry in a secure basket or out of reach to avoid possible gut blockages.

Medications

Put any medications away in a cabinet and make sure they're cleared away from the sink and anywhere in reach.

Toilet water

Toilet water presents two hazards for puppies: drowning and toxicity. A puppy that topples into the toilet can risk drowning, and for dogs that like to drink the toilet water, it can make them ill.

Toilet water isn't safe for dogs to drink, and you must make sure your puppy doesn't climb in and get stuck. Always close the toilet lid and keep it secure.

Bedroom safety for puppies

Now, your puppy may not spend a lot of time here, and they should sleep in a crate outside of your bedroom early on, but they may wander in as they get older.

Some notable hazards are:

• Bed space

• Cords and wires

• Jewellery

• Shoes and socks

Bed space

Try to block access under beds if you're storing dangerous items there, and try to limit tight crawl spaces where puppies can get stuck. Falling off a bed, or sofa, is a common cause of broken limbs in small puppies.

Cords and wires

We tend to have a lot of electronics in our bedrooms these days, so keeping cables organised and put away is essential. We also recommend hiding chargers and hair straighteners.

Jewellery

Use a secure jewellery box and keep everything in there. Puppies love to chew and swallow jewellery, especially in the teething phase.

Shoes and socks

Keep shoes and socks off the floor and put them away to discourage chewing habits and prevent the risk of a digestive tract blockage.

Garden and outdoor puppy-proofing

Puppy-proofing your garden revolves around four key areas:

• Cleaning compost and garden debris.

• Putting away chemicals and hazardous equipment.

• Securing fences to stop your puppy from escaping - make sure there are no gaps or dig-outs.

• Removing toxic plants, like azaleas and rhododendrons, onions, garlic, chives, foxgloves, oleander, rhubarb and yew. Bulbs like daffodils and tulips can also cause problems. If your puppy chews or ingests anything potentially toxic then call your vet immediately for advice.

How can I puppy-proof my home if I'm renting?

A lot of this depends on how much your landlord allows you to make modifications to your home; it's worth chatting with them about this.

Assuming you're quite limited, there are temporary solutions you can use, like:

• Making the most of puppy playpens and crates

• Rearranging furniture to block off certain areas.

• Using pressure mounted stair gates to zone off pet-safe areas of the house.

• Using temporary cord covers.

But generally, as a renter, you can action most of the steps above as they don't require major changes or renovations.

Places and hazards people often miss

There's a lot to do, so it's easy to miss some more niche hazards, like:

• Children's toys - put these out of reach or away. When children are playing, observe your puppy closely to make sure they don’t chew or swallow anything.

• Craft and hobby areas - make sure hazardous or poisonous things like needles, thread, paints and glues are put away out of reach.

• Fireplaces - ash, logs, embers and soot all present hazards, so keep your fireplace secure and train your puppy to stay away from it.

• Garages and sheds - these can be full of toxic chemicals, so we recommend keeping your puppy out of your garage and shed.

• Heating/cooling vents - safely pen-off access as puppies can get stuck in them.

• Holiday/birthday decorations - Christmas and birthdays are good fun, but make sure any banners, ornaments, tinsel and seasonal plants are out of your puppy's reach.

What NOT to do when puppy-proofing

Don’t negatively reinforce behaviours. You must follow positive reinforcement training to teach good habits, otherwise you'll end up making your puppy more anxious and less excited to learn.

Generally, you shouldn't:

• Assume your puppy won't go to a specific area.

• Leave your puppy unsupervised.

• Rely on shouting or yelling "no!" Instead, positively reinforce good behaviours like settling calmly on their bed or playing with their own toys rather than household objects.

Is puppy-proofing ever finished?

Eventually, your dog will grow up and learn what's healthy, what isn't and what behaviour you'll accept. But remember: puppy-proofing isn't a one-and-done task.

As your puppy ages, it's important to take stock and check if there are any risks cropping up, whether that's due to your puppy getting bigger, habits slipping or moving to a new home.

You'll need to change what you puppy-proof as your dog ages. As they get older, they'll get smarter and more adventurous. As they grow in size, some dogs will jump over barriers that previously contained them or more easily reach items on counter tops. This is where general advice won't cut it; it relies on your dog's unique personality, size and energy levels.

Throughout all stages of their life, you'll need to adapt to how they change, much like how they'll adapt to you - it's one of the reasons why pet ownership is so special.

If you have trouble fixing a dog's behaviour yourself through positive reinforcement training, you may need specialist advice from a dog behaviourist or vet.

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What to do if something happens to your puppy

Accidents happen, even if you've puppy-proofed your home.

If your puppy has eaten something toxic, see your vet immediately. If you aren't sure whether your puppy has exposed themselves to a poison, but you’ve seen them chewing on something they shouldn’t have, then call the Animal Poison Line for advice (01202 50 9000).

Puppy insurance is there to help you prepare for the unexpected, too. We have up to £20,000 vet fee cover on our Complete Care plan, 24/7 video vet calls for customers and a host of extra benefits with ManyPets Perks.

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