Making Your House Dog Friendly: Puppy Proofing Your Home

Getting a puppy was something we discussed for a while before deciding the time was right to get our Cavachon Lilly. We have had Lilly for just under 18 months now and I can’t believe how much of a dog person I have become. We never had a dog growing up but Lee has always had dogs and the children loved it when they saw their nan’s dog. Therefore we decided that they could have a dog and I did lots of research on the breed that would suit us and how easy it was puppy proofing your home.

Lilly is a cross between King Charles Cavalier and a Bichon, she is long haired and doesn’t molt which was good. We also understood this breed to be hypoallergenic which was important as Erin has asthma.

The first few months with a puppy is just like having a baby, you need to do the whole getting up with them in the night and also toilet training them! But once that is done the real fun really starts and Lilly has changed our family life for sure. The children adore her and she is good company for me at home during the day.

We have been lucky that apart from the nippy teething stage Lilly isn’t a dog that chews much. She did chew through our tree lights last year, my iron cable and a little bit of furniture in Chloe’s bedroom but it seems that was to be expected and we actually have been lucky. Oh and she did chew a gorgeous pair of expensive shoes but I’ve tried to erase that from my memory as I am still a bit gutted about that!

The chewing aside though there have been a number of things that we have learnt about puppy proofing your home.

• We have wooden flooring from Nexus Flooring in the hallway which is very pet-friendly as you can easily maintain it no matter how mucky the dog gets! It is also ideal for children and husbands alike, who need to be reminded to take off their shoes, especially in the winter months!
• Adding a stair gate to the utility room means that when Lilly comes in from the garden on wet days that she is contained and we can dry her paws before she comes running into the living room!
• In the winter months, we have a throw on the chair that she sits on in the living room. This protects it from her grubby paws and the throw can easily be washed and freshened up. If they tend to scratch up the furniture you could also try trimming your pup’s nails.
• Lilly sleeps in our bedroom and is often sleeping on our bed. We keep her out of the children’s bedrooms though and she has learnt this.
• When we are out on the days we shut all the bedroom and living room doors just to be on the safe side but she has the run of the utility, kitchen and dining room. However, she seems to spend the time sitting on the stairs as she can see out of the front door then!
• More recently Lilly has taken to eating the post! I have no idea why she started doing this but came home to find a delivery card in bits! Thankfully we found the parcel hidden in our safe place! I then discovered puppy proofing your home involved buying a white Letter cage For uPVC Doors (no screws required) as I didn’t want to have to screw anything. This has saved a fair few pieces of post this last week!

Getting Lilly has been the best thing, she is so loved by us but you do need to think clever and be smart when puppy proofing your home.

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