After a long search you’ve finally found the perfect furry friend to bring home. Your world is about to change in the best way as flapping ears, a wagging tail, and a droopy tongue become your new normal. Before bringing home your new puppy or dog, there are important changes to make to ensure your pet is safe and happy in its new space, and that your home doesn’t get completely destroyed!

Flooring

When it comes to floors and dogs, hardwood and carpet both have their pros and cons. Hardwood is good because it’s easy to clean paw marks, accidents, and shedding fur. The downside to hardwood is it can be easily scratched by long nails. Waxing floors often, clipping pet nails, and taking long walks with your puppy can help extend the life of your hardwood. 

Of course, it’s not practical to completely redo your flooring from hardwood to carpet once you get a dog. However, opting for area rugs or carpet runners in high-activity areas could be a nice compromise.

With any carpet, whether it’s wall-to-wall or area rugs, be prepared to quickly clean any accidents with special cleaning solutions and odour eliminators. Accidents are going to happen, but cleaning a mess properly can make or break a repeat performance. Dogs will revisit spots where they smell their own urine, so be sure to clean the fibres well with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda and, if you can help it, don’t let the mess sit!

Plants

Understanding your dog’s habits is important when it comes to managing your plants. If they’re the curious type who often stick their noses in places they shouldn’t, you’ll want to put your plants on a shelf or hang them in a basket. In addition to just making a mess, your dog getting into your houseplants could be dangerous. There are common houseplants that can be toxic to pets, including:

• aloe vera;
• jade;
• lilies; and 
• the popular Philodendron (a Monstera look-alike).

For those who don’t want to skip the houseplants, but still keep things safe, pet-friendly plants include: 

• Boston ferns;
• succulents; 
• inch; and 
• spider plants. 

If you’re an animal and plant lover, these are some changes worth making to help your little paw-tner be protected and safe.

Garbage area

To any pup, the smell of a garbage bin can be fascinating—not to mention an open invitation for rummaging. Whether in the kitchen or bathroom, your bin likely contains harmful contents such as spoiled food, plastics, hygiene products, and tons of choking hazards. Keep your dog out with a covered trash can that lives in a cabinet or is elevated. 

Moreover, take precaution and bring harmful trash, compost, and recycling immediately outside to the bin or down the garbage chute. In addition to chocolate, there are many foods that can be harmful to your dog if ingested, such as: 

• Macadamia nuts;
• onions and chives;
• avocado; 
• corn on the cob;
• grapes and raisins; and
• nutmeg.