Puppy-Proofing: Seeing Your Home Through a Land-Shark's Eyes

Get on their level

Literally crawl a lap of each room: dangling cables, reachable remotes, shoes, kids' toys, gaps behind couches, trailing tablecloths. If it's below knee height and interesting, it's already in the puppy's mouth in their imagination.

The danger list

Electrical cords (bitter spray or cable covers), medications and vitamins, cleaning products, toxic plants, batteries, coins, socks and underwear (the classic surgical-obstruction items), trash cans, and anything xylitol-sweetened. Small enough to swallow is the test.

Garden audit

Walk the fence line for gaps (puppies compress impressively), secure gates, check for toxic plants, cover pools and ponds, and lock away fertilizers, rodent bait and slug pellets. Supervised-only garden access until the escape-testing phase passes.

Management over vigilance

You cannot watch a puppy every second — pens, gates and crates can. 'Puppy-proofed zone plus supervision elsewhere' is the formula that protects your belongings, your sanity, and most importantly the puppy's gut from the sock buffet.