Puppy Proofing and My Last Weekend Before the Furkid Arrives
Tomorrow, bank accounts duly fortified by paycheques, we're heading out to pick up a bunch of the supplies we're going to need to bring Ani (Anathema Device!) home. We're also puppy proofing the kitchen and much of the living room area, since the kitchen will be her first space in the house. We've read that while house training a dog, it's a good idea not to introduce them to too much at first, giving them a chance to adjust. This way, they aren't confronted with too many new rules all at once. Then, later, as you expand their allowed territory, you can monitor them in each new area, introducing new things and getting them used to what they can and can't play with. This makes sense to me---rather than telling Ani all at once that no, she may not chew the books, the cords, or gnaw on Mommy's laptop--she'll instead be sequestered in the kitchen and front hall area (where she can still see/hear us) where there are limited temptations. Then as she grows and learns to behave, we'll be acclimating her to the living room/art studio space. We do plan on puppy proofing as much as possible, because we can't guarantee that she'll never escape, but the idea is to limit her options to get into trouble while she's still being trained.
So here's my kitchen checklist: covered garbage can (ours is already under the sink--but needs lid), special caddy or bucket to hold cleaning supplies (to be placed at back of cabinet away from curious corgi), latches for lower cabinets (good thing we only keep pots and pans in them), Lazy Susan latch (available on Amazon), second bucket to hold my covered gesso bucket in the pantry, rearrange pantry (not much, most food items are already up high), bitter apple to apply to corners of cabinets. We have no potted plants to worry about, no low shelves she can climb up on.
Front hall: Move cordless hand vac back into closet. (It's been sitting with its oh-so-chewable cord, recharging next to an outlet.) Acquire outlet covers for available outlets.
Baby gate: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3510033&cli... - looking at this one.
Living room/art studio area. (This used to be our dining room.) This is where things start getting tricky. We have a lot of art supplies. I have a lot of caddies for mine, but we'll probably need even more and more secure ones in some cases. Nobody wants to see a puppy chewing on a tube of titanium white after all.
We also have a lot of books. I mean, a lot. I've seen folks advise about moving all the books from the lower cases up, but pretty much....there is no room. (This is why I got a Nook Color this year--so I could start storing books digitally.) So I'm gonna move the expensive art books up where I can, move replaceable paperbacks down, and probably rim the bottom edges of the paperback shelves with more bitter apple spray.
Husband's art area: He's into Warhammer and we're gonna have to buy a buncha caddies for his WIPs, not to mention the free-standing armies he has on the window sill. I just realised it's only a short hop from the floor to the ottoman to the ledge. Probably hit up the container store for clear plastic tubs with snap lids.
Of course, this is just the stuff that's our own issues....there's the usual round of playing bundle the cords and hide them/tape them down, plug all the outlets, and make sure that nothing is easily toppled or pulled from higher heights.
Anyway....just a brief preview of the weekend to come. Hopefully we'll get the major things secured and taken care of.
Comment
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Comment by Elizabeth Mitchell on May 15, 2011 at 1:24am
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@Michael&Bailey: We're definitely getting a crate. We may introduce a bed later when we introduce her to the living room at the same time--since the book we have recommends introducing them to a new room by giving them a place to be "their place" in the room. (You have them sit on the bed for a certain number of minutes, gradually ramping it up, until they have the idea that when they are in this area, this is one of the things they are allowed to do.)
@Jane: The kitchen and living room are all sorta one big area, but the kitchen has tile and can be gated off. She would be able to see us and we'd be able to see her, but when painting, we might not be as able to keep as close an eye on her, at least not until she's older. We're not planning on confining her only to the kitchen--eventually she have the run of the apartment, barring the master bedroom (allergist insists!) and the computer room will be off-limits when we aren't home. But while she's being house-trained, the kitchen is her initial area. (Our book says introduce new sections of the home gradually so they aren't overwhelmed and given too many options to get into trouble.)
@Melissa and Franklin Yeah, the paper sounds like a good idea. And fortunately since my husband is currently unemployed, there should be a lot of time for him to acclimate Ani to a schedule. :)
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Thanks for all the comments, folks. Every little bit of input helps add a piece to the larger picture. :)
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Comment by Michael & Bailey on May 14, 2011 at 11:58pm
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We got Bailey a bit later (he was 11 weeks old) and it was a surprise (did not expect to leave the breeder with him in tow) so we had no time to puppy proof anything. I am sure that every pup is different but he did very little damage to anything. Like mentioned by Melissa, lots of toys and chew items seem to work fine to curb any curiosity. We found that Bailey liked stray pieces of paper towel or napkins or the like. He went for the computer cord once but a loud "NO!" nipped that in the bud. If you are thinking about it, I would HIGHLY recommend a crate......he loves his crate. However, I do not recommend any type of fluffy pet bed. Bailey though the bed was a gigantic chew toy. He put two holes into the bed, started pulling the stuffing out and eating it. Needless to say, that was $20 wasted. Bailey probably has over 30 different toys (plush, rubber, rope, kong, squeakers) and some stray stuffed animals (webkinz) that he claimed for his own.
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Comment by Jane on May 14, 2011 at 7:47pm
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Personally I would just plan on having her in your living room plus the kitchen area. I don't know your exact setup obviously, but you're going to want to spend a ton of time with her, and I would think having her confined only to the kitchen would get old fast. When my two were puppies I would just babygate them into the area I was currently in so I could watch them, and when I was gone they went in a pen or a crate. As Melissa said most of the naughty stuff happens when you aren't around!
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Comment by Melissa and Franklin! on May 14, 2011 at 5:58pm
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honestly I didn't puppy proof anything when Franklin came home. I just kept my place clean and let him out in our living room and the bedroom when he was heavily supervised and kept him in his crate or in the bathroom (which was puppy proofed) when I was gone. It worked fine. All this puppy proofing is awesome, but I think your books, etc are safe as long as you are there to supervise. The learn quickly and well test their boundaries but most of the destruction is done when you aren't around watching. Also a suggestion, you can get a spare piece of linoleum for your kitchen for potty accidents, or use lots and lots of paper. Both will likely be destroyed by puppy but at least it is some protection for your floors. LOTS OF TOYS seem to work great. I got Franklin at 8 weeks old and he was able and happy to just sleep in his crate for about 2-3 hours in the morning, got out for lunch for a play session and on my breaks (he went to work with me) and then back in the crate until it was time to go home. At home he had free reign because I was there to watch him, and when it was bed time back in the crate he went. This worked well for us, BUT a big thing is the breeder worked on crate training and potty training him from a very young age so by 8 weeks he was pretty reliable already.
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