Puppy proofing the house

The count-down to Dobie's arrival has finally begun.  In the next few weeks, I'll be spending a lot of time reorganizing and cleaning my home.  Puppy-proofing is very similar to baby-proofing. We want to keep dangerous items and our valuables out of reach of the puppy.  Here is my to-do list:

• Put cleaning chemicals in a closet with a door the puppy can’t open.  Safety first. 
• Put away decorations that can be knocked over and broken, such as vases. 
• Roll up and put away your rugs until puppy is house broken.  No point getting mad at the puppy when he has an accident on it.  It was our fault for leaving the rug there. 
• Put all small items away, even if it is on the coffee table.  Remove anything that the puppy can possibly swallow or choke on. 
• Remove any material that the puppy could become tangled in when playing.  Such as nets, string, power cords, or the cables to your gaming console, etc.  Loose cables should be tidied in a cable organizer or wrap. 
• Close the door to all washrooms when the puppy is unsupervised.  We want to avoid the bad habit of drinking out of the toilet.  Yuck! 
• Put away all people food in cupboards.  Don’t leave anything you don’t want the puppy to eat on the counter or kitchen table.  They will find their way to it and there are foods which are toxic to dogs.  I’ll upload a list of toxic foods in another post. 
• Put away your valuables.  The puppy hasn’t learned that these are not chew toys yet. 
• Give the puppy a safe area to play in, fence off the dangerous areas such as the kitchen.  Fill this play area with his toys to help him learn which toys are his and which items belong to you. 
• In addition to cleaning the house, make sure the backyard is puppy proof as well.  Some examples are getting a garbage can with a lid that locks, making sure the lawn is clean of debris that the puppy could potentially ingest and making sure that dangerous weeds have been removed.