A Safe Home Environment

If you have raised a puppy before, you know how curious and investigative they can be. There are certain items in your household that can be dangerous for the puppy, and in turn, that we prefer the puppy not to come in contact with. Prior to bringing the pup home, we recommend that you do the following:

• Lift and hide any television, phone, or electrical cords within the puppy’s reach.
• Keep the floor clear of items that you don’t want the puppy to have, such as children’s toys, slippers, magazines, or newspapers.
• Consider temporarily picking up small area rugs, especially those with fringed edges.
• Remove house plants from the puppy’s level. Many can be poisonous if ingested. (See the veterinary section on poisons.)
• Take steps to ensure that the puppy doesn’t get into lower kitchen or bathroom cabinets that usually contain cleaning products. You can purchase child safety latches, or tie a rubber band around the knobs to hold the doors together.
• Bitter apple spray is a product we recommend to prevent chewing; it is applied to wood furniture legs to discourage chewing and is available at most pet shops.

Remember, a young puppy (under 6 months) must be crated or supervised at all times

Then there is no way it can get into trouble. When you are unable to supervise the puppy, it should be crated.

Once the puppy establishes good house manners, it is very important that you slowly restore these items to their original locations. At that time, you will teach the puppy to respect these items and Leave it when told to do so. Please speak with your puppy advisor or area coordinator about when it is an appropriate time to slowly restore previously removed items.