To puppy-proof your home, think like a dog

  • Janice Podsada / Herald Writer
  • Saturday, November 3, 2001 9:00pm
  • Business

By Janice Podsada

Herald Writer

Ever hear this one? "The first thing I’m going to do after I buy the house is get a dog."

Good move. But first, get down on your hands and knees.

Pretend you’re a big furry puppy. Imagine that the electrical cord that runs from the computer to the power strip is a wonderful chew toy.

Now you’re thinking like a dog.

Before you bring home a new dog or cat, you might want to consider puppy- or kitten-proofing your home.

There are three schools of thought when it comes to pet-proofing.

One says it can’t be done. The human mind is so limited in scope that it cannot conceive of everything that a dog or cat might find enticing.

Because that’s the case, obedience is more important than covering every electrical socket, says Stacey Neary, a Mukilteo dog trainer.

"You should have a crate and a kennel ready for the dog when you bring it home and an exercise pen — pet stores sell them."

Set them up in the kitchen or an area with wood or linoleum floors, she said. "Generally, there aren’t a lot of cords lying around in the kitchen."

Then start obedience training.

"At some point, you have to allow the dog into the rest of the house. If he’s been encouraged not to chew, then it’s not like he’s going to become brain dead and chew on every electrical cord out there.

"I’ve never bothered to cover electrical cords," Neary said. "If they wrap their lips around something they’re not supposed to, they get told."

The second school of thought among other pet owners is that puppy-proofing is imperative.

Some quick tips: Hide the speaker wire behind the molding and cover electrical cords with vinyl tubing.

"The first step is to crawl around on your hands and knees and look for everything that might be of interest," said Joan Collins, receptionist at the Broadway Animal Clinic in Everett.

Take books off the lower shelves of bookcases, and remove chocolate — it can kill a dog — insecticides, slug bait or other toxins from lower cabinets. "Just like you would do with a child," Collins said. And if you want to confine your pet to a particular portion of the house, don’t forget baby gates — the accordion-type fences.

"They’re awesome," she said.

Collins, who has five cats and two dogs, just added two new kittens to the household. She covers all the electrical outlets and all the cords. "You can get vinyl cord covers at the electrical warehouse," she said.

The next step: Buy a squirt bottle, and fill it with water. When the new dog or cat heads toward something they ought not to, "squirt ‘em," Collins said.

"Christmas is coming up, and all my ornaments are antiques. We’re going to have wet kittens and wet packages, but we’re going to keep them away from that tree."

Finally, cut all the ends off any frayed carpeting.

"If they ever eat anything that is long and coming out their back end, do not pull. Snip carefully," she said. And load up on hairball medicine.

Collins speaks from experience. Bishop, the cat, had a piece of string coming out of his behind.

"I saw it right away. Fortunately, I have an advantage, he’s a Manx." (Manx cats don’t have tails.)

The third school of thought says a combination of obedience training and home modification works best.

Kathy and Doug Weisner of Mukilteo are new dog owners. Once the couple retired, they decided it was time to introduce a dog to their home.

"I haven’t had a dog in 20 years," Kathy Weisner said. "And my husband has never had a dog."

The addition of Bunky, a 5-month-old Pomeranian, has changed things around the Weisner household.

"We never used to shut the doors on our walk-in closet," Kathy said.

Funny, but the couple like wearing shoes without teeth marks.

"Puppies love to chew on shoes, so we give him Nyla-Bones. We shut the closet door."

An avid gardener, Doug Weisner went pesticide-free this fall.

"When crane fly season was here in September, we just suffered," Kathy said. "We didn’t use any pesticides because the dog could nibble on the grass."

Bunky is inclined to have his "accidents" next to the door, so the couple put down wee-wee pads in front of it.

"Having a puppy is just like having a baby," Kathy said. "It’s a good way to take a look at your house and get it cleaned up."

William Shepherd, a veterinarian at the Broadway Clinic, agrees with the Weisners.

"We were kid-proof when we brought our dog home, so that part of the job was mostly done," he said.

You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-3029 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.

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