Preparing For Your Puppy

Puppy-proofing your home
Before bringing your new puppy home for the first time, it's important to ensure that your home is suitably prepared to help him or her get used to their new life in a safe and secure environment.  Your puppy will be naturally inquisitive, keep your puppy's exploration fun and safe by ensuring anything harmful to him or inappropriate to chew on is safely out of reach.

Here are some important tips to help keep your puppy out of harm's way:

  • Store breakable items safely out of the way.
  • Hide or cover electrical cords so your puppy won't chew on them.
  • Store all detergents and chemicals out of your puppy's reach.
  • Restrict access to plants that are dangerous to dogs: poinsettias, azaleas, rhododendrons, dumb cane, Japanese yew, oleander, and English Ivy, to name a few.  Please see my page on dangerous plants, and the links within to know which plants are harmful to dogs.
  • Keep kids' toys off the floor, since some parts may be small enough for your puppy or dog to swallow.
  • Use a cover and/or protective fencing if you have a pool or a hot tub.

Harmful Common Household Items
That Are Harmful To Your Dog:

  • Acetaminophen
  • Antifreeze and other car fluids
  • Bleach and cleaning fluids
  • Boric Acid
  • Deodorants
  • Deodorizers
  • Detergents
  • Deicing salts
  • Disinfectants
  • Drain Cleaners
  • Furniture polish
  • Gasoline
  • Hair colorings 
  • Weed killers
  • Insecticides
  • Kerosene
  • Matches
  • Mothballs
  • Nail polish and remover
  • Paint
  • Prescription and non-prescription medicine
  • Rat poison
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Shoe polish
  • Sleeping pills
  • Snail or slug bait
  • Turpentine
  • Windshield-wiper fluid
Symptoms of possible poisoning are: vomiting, diarrhea, difficult breathing, abnormal urine (color, aroma or odor, frequency, etc.), salivation and weakness.  If your dog should ingest harmful chemicals, contact a veterinarian or poison control center immediately.
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