How to Puppy-Proof Your Home

Survey your home from a “puppy’s eye view.”
Get low to the ground and examine your home from the animal’s perspective.
Secure objects that can be chewed.
Tape electrical cords high enough on the wall so the puppy cannot reach them, or protect them with hard plastic or rubber runners. Remove choking hazards such as buttons, small toys, coins, and jewelry. Place shoes, clothing, books, CDs, children’s toys, and other potential teething targets out of the puppy’s reach.
Stow away objects that can be peed on.
Which is pretty much everything you leave on the floor.
Secure objects that can be scratched. Secure objects that can be broken. Secure objects that can be swallowed. Secure plants.
Restrict access to houseplants and flower arrangements, many of which—including daffodils, hydrangeas, and philodendrons—are dangerous to canines if ingested.
Secure poisons.
Restrict access to household cleaners, antifreeze, and insect/animal repellents. Lock up products containing nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol.
Protect the furniture.
Paint the furniture covering with a bad-tasting product called “bitter apple.”
Restrict access to the rest of your home.
Use child gates to close off rooms containing easily damaged furnishings, or to secure potentially hazardous locations such as bathrooms or basement steps. Prevent access to trash cans, toilets, and fireplaces, which are dangerous when in use and dirty when they are not.

Be Aware

If you would not allow a toddler access to an object, the puppy should not have access to it either.
Puppyhood is the best time to get a dog accustomed to your cat.