You adopted a dog” kudos! Now you surely want to know how to dog-proof a room for him. Making a dog-proof room is not a big deal with some simple tricks you can easily do that: on your own.
Five years back I adopted a 1-year old dog (Tucker)! When I adopted him, I thought I don’t need to dog-proof my home again, as I have eight dogs who are already well trained for everything. So I believed (Tucker) will undoubtedly learn it from them, but I was wrong (Tucker) didn’t learn anything!
A week after adopting him, I saw (Tucker) was chewing up my prescription bottle (medicinal), which made me stunned for a moment, but luckily the bottle was empty that day. Since then, I’m using some simple but effective tricks to keep all my pets away from harmful stuff.
And those exact tips and tricks I’m sharing here so you can also keep your dogs and cats away from such stuff.
And if you want to potty-train your dog, here is the best trick to potty-train your dog in 12 days.
Some must-have products that you might require during the process of How to dog-proof a room
- Safe Medication Storage Box: To keep all your medicines in one place, especially away from the reach of your dog, as it’s better to be safe than sorry!
- Spiral cable wrap Or Cord concealers: To keep all the cables/cords tucked away and out of the reach of your dog, electric shock hazards to them that can cause brain damage and even death in (puppies). So make sure you hide the cable first.
- Dog proof couch cover: To protect the couch from your dog claws, so your dog can lay on the sofa without damaging it until your dog is fully house-trained.
- Dog gate Or Baby gate: To keep them away from the places like the sink, toilet, bathtub, etc.
- No Chew Spray: This spray is actually helpful for your belongings such as furniture, flip-flops, shoes, and others to keep you safe from dogs.
And here are some plants that you shouldn’t have in your home, as these plants are very toxic to your dog.
I only mentioned the most common houseplant that almost every home has, but the list is too big, which means there are more than 300 plants that cause problems to your pets.
- Hydrangeas
- Peace lily
- Pothos
- Amaryllis (Hippeastrum)
- Autumn crocus
- Azaleas
- Tulips
- Asiatic hybrids
- Daylilies
- Oleanders
- Chrysanthemums
- Coleus
- Cyclamens
- Daffodils
- Hellebores
- Sago palm
- Umbrella tree
- Sweet peas
- Yew
- Dahlias
- English ivy
- Foxglove
These plants can cause many health-related issues in your dogs, such as vomiting, diarrhea, irritation, swelling, excess salivation, general weakness, abdominal pain, seizures, depression, cardiac problems, organ damage, and even death.
I know these plants look very beautiful, and I’m sure you also want them to keep in your home, but believe me, if you have any of these plants, try to place them out of the reach of your dog so that you don’t regret it later.
Here, the best tips and tricks on How to dog-proof a room? (Whole House)
How to dog-proof a Living Room in 5 easy steps
- Do not put harmful plants: If you have any of the toxic plants that I already mentioned above, your first line of defense is to remove them or place them somewhere higher out of the reach of your lovely dog.
- Cover your couch and save valuable items: It is better to use dog proof couch cover for protecting your couch, rather than discouraging them off the sofa, as they also love to snuggle up on the couch. Plus, spray a no chew spray <-(like this one) on your furniture to protect it from your dog. On the other hand, keep your valuable/worthy items out of the reach of your dogs and cats so you’ll not scold them later.
- Hide your electric cords: It’s quite hard to keep all the cables inside the wall, but it’s easy to shield them from chewing down by your dog with the help of a cable wrap/concealer. This small thing will protect your dog from electrocution.
- Make a Fireplace a safer place: It can be a danger for pets as its flames, ashes, or flying spark can easily harm your dog. So make sure you always keep a protection screen in front of your fireplace and fire starter logs away from your pet reach.
- Hide all small stuff: It’s really critical if your dog has an excess of tiny things like Legos, toys, game pieces, and others these things are easy to swallow that can end up choking your dog very seriously. So don’t hide them, totally remove them as possible as you can from your entire house.
How to dog-proof a Bedroom in 5 easy steps
- Keep daily use stuff hidden: Stuff like shoes, hairbrushes, watches, hair clips are easily accessible for them to chew down. If you don’t want to see all your belongings in multiple pieces, you better place them somewhere safe.
- Place cosmetics safely: No matter you have natural cosmetics or chemical-based cosmetics, they all are dangerous for pets, whether it’s makeup, face creams, hair oil, lotions, perfume, aftershave, etc. Keep them hidden in dressers drawers, only take them out when needed.
- Store clothing items: Leaving clothes across your bedroom floor and even on beds can be a hazard to your dog, as clothing comes with many different kinds of strings, buttons, and embellishments that look beautiful but can pose a choking in both pets & toddlers. Make sure you always put your clothing items on hangers in closets/dressers and keep them closed at all times.
- Be a good reader: A good reader always keeps their books, magazines, newspaper, letters in proper manners so no one can have an excess of them except genuine readers because dogs and cats love to tear the paper. So, place books, magazines on a tall bookshelf or top shelf to keep them out of the reach of your pets.
- Protect furniture: Chewing on objects like wooden furniture is a natural way for dogs to keep their jaws robust and teeth clean! Chewing also helps them to combat boredom and can relieve mild anxiety or frustration. If you love your furniture, you better spray a no chew spray on them, OR you can also provide your dog with some good quality chewing toys for dog made in the USA.
How to dog-proof a Kitchen in 5 easy steps
- Clean kitchen countertop: Make sure you always keep your kitchen countertop clear of any food source, knives, spice containers, utensils, etc. If a dog home alone, he will definitely jump on your kitchen countertop for food, which can hurt him so badly.
- Closed cabinets: Keep all your kitchen cabinets closed at all times, as some of your cabinets are filled-with toxic stuff like bleach and ammonia, antibacterial products, liquid soap, and more that can be a hazard if chewed by your dog.
- Hide trash can: A trash can maybe a yuck factor for us, but an open trash can is a collection of delicious delicacies for your dogs. So, always keep your trash can covered in closed cabinets, as a dog could be harmed by swallowing something toxic from it.
- Use barricading: Pets usually come closer to you during the preparation of your dinner, lunch, breakfast; for that time, you have to protect your dog from accidents, which you can do by using a dog gate Or baby gate. Such gates are one of the most peaceful ways of keeping your dog and kids out of the kitchen.
- Smooth all corners: Pointed corner countertop, cabinets, and even oven handle that can give so much pain to your dogs if they bump into them, use some corner guards & edge protectors to protect them because when the dogs get excited after having a good treat, they run and jump very quickly without seeing anything.
How to dog-proof a Bathroom, Laundry Room in 5 easy steps
- Watch your medicine: Hide all your medicine/drug far from the reach of your dog, Or you better keep them in a safe dog proof medication storage box because not all our medicines are safe for the dogs.
- Keep laundry in place: Keep the laundry off the floor and put it into the laundry hamper, and store the hamper in a closed closet. Laundry seems not dangerous, but dirty laundry carries many bacteria’s that could harm your dog if chewed down. On the other hand, drawstrings and buttons can cause major problems if swallowed.
- Lock your cleaners: Products known as detergents, bleach, fabric softeners, disinfectant spray, wipes, cleaners are made of harmful chemicals that can cause dangerous health problems even if they swallow a single sip of it. You must keep all your cleaning products in the closed closet (with a lock).
- Close the lid: When the dogs’ water bowl is empty, they use pot water to keep themselves hydrated, which is not suitable for them as we all clean our toilet pot with a harsh chemical that also dissolves in the water, which can cause many health problems in your dog. Make sure you always keep your toilet pot lid down and do keep your dogs’ bowl full of water at all times.
- Keep dryer lock: The dryer is one of the most popular napping spots for your pets, especially if you have a small dog like a chihuahua. It can’t be imaginable if they get stuck in there! Make a habit to keep the dryer close all the time, and always check the dryer before every use!
How to dog-proof a Garage in 5 easy steps
- Unplug machines: Machines like Air compressor, Brake lathe, Air conditioning machine can be a problem if your pets get into them. Keep your heavy-duty machine unplug when not in use, and cover them with durable material.
- Keep chemicals away: Chemical-based things like gasoline, coolants, oils, antifreeze, solvents are highly toxic for pets and kids, keep them high as possible or hide them behind locked doors where your dog can never reach.
- Hide tools: Electric, sharp, and hand tools are dangerous if they fall on to your dog, plus small things like nails, screws, nuts, bolts, washers are very dangerous too, as these small pieces can easily choke your dog within seconds. Do not put these things somewhere higher. Try to keep them in a closed drawer as possible.
- Remove poisons: Do not use any rat poison because you don’t know where the rat goes after eating the poisoned food, but your dog can easily find and eat a dead rat, which is extremely hazardous for your dog’s internal organs. You must use live rat traps so you can easily catch rats and release them somewhere safe as all lives deserve to be live (not only humans).
- Let ladder lay down: Never place ladder vertically when not in use, as dogs can go through ladder gaps for no reason. Just because of that, there are 95% chances that the ladder will fall on to your beloved canine. Put the ladder horizontally on the ground until you need it.
How to dog-proof a Backyard in 5 easy steps
- Keep Fencing: Fencing is the best way to keep your dog in the garden, particularly for those dogs who jump and dig a lot. Whenever you install fencing, always keep in mind that it should be 6 feet tall to keep your dog in the yard and 2 feet deep so the dog will not dig a hole under the fence.
- Cover pool: Install a tough pool cover to keep the water inaccessible, especially if your dog is home alone or when no one is swimming. Dogs are good swimmers (no doubt), but they can still drown in the pool if they can’t find a way to get out.
- Keep tools inside: Garden tools like digging spade, fork hoe, garden knife, garden secateurs all come with sharp and pointed edges, which can cause several injuries to your pets. It’s beneficial to keep all your gardening tools in the basement in a higher place out of the dog reach.
- Switch plants: I already mentioned toxic plants above! If you have such plants, remove them, switch with the nontoxic plants, or place fencing around them so your dogs can’t even touch those toxic plants.
- Fertilizers: Fertilizers are reliable for your plants but not for your pets, as they can cause ulceration in the gastrointestinal tract, vomiting, breathing difficulties, and burns on the skin. Don’t let your dog go to such places where you use fertilizers. And keep fertilizers behind closed doors.
Advice
It looks like a lot of work! But making these adjustments early is genuinely helpful and saves you from a lot of headaches, especially if you adopted your first puppy, so your puppy will have a clear idea of where he is allowed to go and what things and places are off limits. Do not take too much stress, as sometimes pets take quite a long time to get used to a new family and a new environment.
And, also be careful during the holiday seasons because house decoration stuff plus constant baking and cooking can also harm your pets in the wrong way, which will make you cry later. That is why appropriately pet-proofing your home/apartment is the best thing you can do.
And if you want to purchase Best leash for German Shepherds, here is the 8 Best leash for German Shepherds Soft & Durable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now, this time to answer the most relevant questions that most people asked during a search of how to dog-proof a room. I have tried my best to give you an appropriate answer.
Q: How to dog-proof balcony railings?
Ans: To keep your railings safe for your dogs, you have to fill all those gaps in the balcony railings with durable material like plexiglass, wire netting! And make sure the gap shouldn’t be big than 4 inches.
Q: How to get your dog to stay out of the garbage?
Ans: Lock the lid or place something heavier on a garbage can. It is the best thing you could do to keep your dog out of the garbage. And you can also spray vinegar or spread some orange peel around the garbage can, as most pets don’t like the smell and will stay away from the area.
Q: How to puppy proof outlets?
Ans: There are dozens of ways to keep the puppy out of the reach of outlets, but one of the best and the cheapest ways is outlet cover, which is effortlessly available anywhere.
Q: How do I stop my dog from chewing the walls?
Ans: There are two methods that you can use for keeping walls safe such as No Chew Spray and Cardinal Gates Wall Shield both the methods are affordable and work pretty well to protect your walls from pet scratching and even chewing.
Q: How do I stop my dog from scratching the carpet?
Ans: Dogs usually scratching the carpet due to Physical Discomfort and Anxiety! To avoid carpet scratching, you have to distract your dog while giving some commands like sit, come, or lay down or you can also place some better protective rugs or mats.