Puppy-proof Your Home

Puppies - Miniature Godzillas with huge eyes

We all know the horror. Torn apart, trashed, ripped into pieces, eviscerated, demolished and absolutely destroyed...a wasteland in the wake of the most disruptive monster known to mankind: the new puppy. Whilst these creatures try to sooth us with their deep gazes right into the childhood part of our soul, whilst they distract and mislead us with their huge eyes full of love and adoration, they are the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. Vicious, vile and vonderful. Loosing a sock is a minor inconvenience but having your dog eat the entire box of rat poison you bought and completely forgot you had, just because your mother said, she thinks she saw a mouse once, is a completely different thing!

We were lucky - Bea's toy not so much

Bea somehow never really was one to destroy a whole lot of things. Plants are thriving, cables deliver their juice to all appliances, upholstery is up and holstery and believe it or not...not a single slipper has fallen. Our washing machine has to answer for more missing socks than Bea. 703 to 0. Lately, however, Bea loves to go to town on her toys, especially her stuffed animals. She has the best time disemboweling them and spreading the stuffing all over the apartment. If your puppy does the same with your home, this list on how to puppy-proof your home is for you. You might also want to check out my lists on how to address common (mis)behaviors of our dogs for further information. Here and here.

Notice the blue cloth in the background: That was her best friend octopus up until that time.

The List

As a rule of thumb just think "A baby is on the way" and act accordingly. Just kidding. No, I'm not. List is sorted by causes of death.

1. Poison:

   - Install childproof latches on cabinets containing cleaning supplies, chemicals, or food items and forgotten rat poison. Or put them somewhere higher up.

   - Keep trash cans in cabinets with secure lids.

2. Toxin:

   - Identify and remove any toxic plants from your home or relocate them to areas inaccessible to your puppy.

   - Avoid using toxic cleaning products and opt for pet-safe alternatives.

3. Electrocution:

   - Use cord protectors to shield electrical cords from chewing.

   - Bundle and secure cords with cable ties or cord organizers.

   - Place furniture strategically to block access to electrical outlets and cords.

4. Suffocation:

   - Pick up small items such as coins, jewelry, buttons, and toys from the floor.

   - Keep household items like rubber bands, hair ties, and sewing needles stored safely.

   - Be mindful of small objects that may fall on the floor, such as screws or nails.

5. Anger:

   - Take this one with a grain of salt, obviously, but get used to have accidents happen.

   - If you have a favorite couch, you might wanna cover her with a blanket.

   - Learn situational awareness and how to react spontaneously and lightly. Use this video to do so: selective awareness. Or adapt this Fortnite training video to your situation.

I'm sure I missed...

something. What is it? Tell me in the comments!