Puppy Proofing Your House
Before your puppy comes home it a great idea to puppy-proof your house, garage and yard. Your puppy will be curious like a toddler and want to explore everything. It is your job to keep him or her safe. Keeping him or her on a leash next to you when you are home will prevent them from getting into harmful things.
When you can not supervise your puppy it is best to secure them in a crate or secure area such as a playpen. You will gradually introduce your puppy to new parts of your home when you can watch him and he earns trust normally when the teething period is over.
You will also need to puppy proof your yard to make sure that your puppy can not get out or under your fence. If you live in an apartment and have a balcony you will need to puppy proof that area to make sure that your puppy can not escape under or through railing. Puppy pens like the ones we show on Amazon can easily be attached to the railing with cable ties to secure the area.
Dangerous items to remove or secure in your home
- To see what the world looks like from your puppy’s viewpoint, get down on your hands and knees and look around. Look for dangerous things that a puppy could get into.
Electrical Cords
- Puppies are like small children. They investigate their surroundings by placing things in their mouth. If your puppy bites an electrical cord that is plugged in it may cause electrocution or cause electrical burns. Get down on the ground at the level of your puppy and look for electrical cords that they can chew on. Secure cords where the puppy can not reach them.
Human Food
- Puppies will find human food that is accessible to them and eat it. It might be something that missed the garbage can, a crumb or something in the garbage can. Corgis are very food driven and if they can get to it they will eat it. The problem is that certain human foods can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and even death.
- Bones can be dangerous! Chicken and pork bones can choke dogs. Cooked bones can splinter leading to major surgeries.
- Dogs can be very resourceful and knock over trash cans or climb on furniture to reach tables and counters. Make sure that you put all food in cabinets or containers that they can not open and secure kitchen trash cans so they can not knock them over.
- Some human foods that are dangerous to dogs include:
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Nuts
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Rhubarb & spinach
- Moldy foods
- Yeast Dough
- Avocado (especially the pit)
- Xylitol (Artificial sweetener found in sugar-free products such as gum, toothpaste, diet foods & candy)
- Onions, leeks, chives and garlic
- Coffee, tea and other drinks with caffeine
- Apple seeds
- Peach, apricot, cherry and plum pits
- Tobacco
- Tomato & Potato leaves
Common Household Items
- Many items in our houses are toxic to dogs. Puppies can surprisingly chew through most containers. Make sure to secure these items or place items out of the reach of your puppy.
Household Products
Backyard & Plants
Clothing & more
- Bleach
- Laundry detergent
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- Soaps
- Shampoo
- Insecticides
- Rat Poison
- Paint
- Paint thinner
- Antifreeze
- Pool Chemicals
- Azaleas
- Oleanders
- Lillies
- Sago Palm
- Tulips
- Daffodils
- Amaryllis
- Mums
- Acorns
- Palm nuts
- Sticks
- Rocks
- Mulch
- Fertilizer
- Pesticides
- Buttons
- Fabric strings
- Change (Pennies made after 1983 contain Zinc which is toxic to dogs
- Human medications
- Ibuprofen (Childproof bottles are not puppy proof)
