Dog Owner's Manual › Chapter 2: Bringing Your Dog Home › Preparing the Home for a Dog ›

Preparing the Home for a Dog

Before bringing the dog into your home, it is recommended that you take the following precautions:

  • Make sure all household cleaning products are put away.
  • Secure all medications (drugs such as Motrin and Tylenol can cause fatal liver damage in dogs).
  • Secure all unauthorized foods (chocolate, for instance, can be deadly to canines).
  • Secure all toxic chemicals stowed in your laundry room, basement, and garage—particularly antifreeze, which dogs find attractive because of its sweetness. Even a small amount, if ingested, can be lethal.
  • Secure tight spaces (such as the area behind your refrigerator) where a puppy or small dog might get stuck.
  • Position electrical cords out of reach so puppies cannot chew them.
  • If you own a swimming pool, make sure the dog cannot fall in.
  • Secure (at least for a while) any clothing, heirloom furniture, or family artifacts that should not be chewed and/or urinated upon.
  • Secure houseplants, some of which (such as philodendron) are toxic.

Preparing the Home for Your New Dog

Comments (3)

Chapter 2: Bringing Your Dog Home

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along with chocolate, other foods dogs can't eat include grapes & raisins, baby food, hops, mac nuts, MJ, persimmons, & more.

barked by Russ on Mar 20, 2008 AT 11:47 am PDT
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Onions, garlic, certain types of potatoes (i believe yams) also have been known to cause issues. Dog food high in carbohydrates can be bad. Look for foods with real meat as the number one indredient. many dogs have allergies, so getting a dog food that is known for little allergic reaction is also good (ones without corn or wheat)

barked by Kat Hi on Jun 27, 2008 AT 8:05 pm PDT
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I'm preparing my house for a Boston Terrier and I don't want to crate her all day while I'm at work if she's going to sleep in her crate at night. I am thinking the best place to keep her during the day is in the kitchen, but i'm not sure how to guard the knobs on the gas stove. I know there are baby-proofing knobs, but i'm not sold on them as the solution. Any other thoughts? I'm not sure if she's a jumper or not...but I don't want to risk it!

barked by Julie on Aug 11, 2009 AT 7:36 pm PDT
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Quirk BooksThe Dog Owner's Manual is a basic guide to dog care.
The book was written by a celebrated veterinarian and an acclaimed author. It provides dog owners with well-researched and helpful information presented in a lighthearted manner. The creators chose to write the book in a style similar to what you'd find in "operating instructions" for a car or computer. Of course they--and we--respect the fact that our beloved pets are not products or machines!