Make a dog friendly home - 4 Top tips

Experienced pet owners know that before you bring home a new pet you need to prepare your home. Here are our 4 top tips on how to make a dog friendly home to keep your pet safe and sound at home.

4 Ways to make a dog friendly home

If you care about your dog(s), you want them to live in the best environment possible. What may seem good for us may not necessarily be good for them, however. Giving your dog plenty of toys and a nice-looking room is a good start, but safety should be your priority. And, if you want them to be happy and healthy, you have to allow them some level of freedom.

What steps can you take?

These two things can be difficult to reconcile. If you want to make your home as dog friendly as possible, here are some of the dog friendly home ideas you could consider for your property to keep your pet safe.

What is a dog friendly home?

A dog friendly home is one where you have taken precautions to ensure your pet is safe from the accidental consumption of harmful products. You have managed the layout of your home and property to keep them away from chemicals you use to manage hygiene, and foods that may attract them but are harmful to them.

Once you know you have taken all the steps possible to keep your pets safe at home you know that if you have a housesitter living in your home your dog will be cared for in their home environment and safe from accidental access to anything harmful.

Get Proper Decking

dog friendly home — Decking helps you manage how and when your dog has access to the back yard

One of the things you should do right now is build a dog-friendly deck. This will allow your dogs to get some sunshine without them wandering off into the backyard without supervision.

If you happen to live somewhere like St Louis, you should speak with St Louis deck builders experienced in vinyl and composite as they are the best option for dogs hands down. Capped composite is a particularly good option as it will mimic the appearance of wood but will have a protective layer on top of it.

You should then make sure that the fencing around the deck is safe and does not have any huge gaps. This will prevent your dog’s head from being stuck between the rungs, or worse.

Build an Outdoor Play Space

how to raise a dog — Your dog’s state of health and state of mind is clear from their behaviour. Keep them safe to keep them happy

The next step should be to create a designated play and digging area for your dog. Have a space with their toys and some turf. Even if you can’t have real turf synthetic turf is great for dogs because it’s more resistant and modern options are much more realistic, so you can expect your dog to treat it like actual grass. Train them to toilet in a designated sandbox.

Take precautionary steps

You could create a sandbox area and plant a few toys and treats to encourage them to stay there. After a while, you’ll notice that they will continue to come back to this area and won’t wander off and cause destruction.

Dog proof fencing around your property

However large or small your property make sure you have dog proof fencing all around your estate

In a natural garden where the dogs are allowed to run around freely you really need to ensure you have dog proof fencing all around your property. This will ensure you dog can run around for exercise and play all over but they are safe within the borders of your estate.

Allowing your dogs to run around your space on a regular basis enables them to exercise in a way that makes them happy and uses their muscles to keep them healthy and fit.

Invest in a Seat Lock for Your Toilet

It may seem obvious but it is easy to overlook this situation – you should never let your dog drink out of the toilet. Not only can they catch diseases that way and even spread them, but the chemicals in the water can be extremely toxic to dogs.

Take precautions

If that is a recurring issue with your pet, then you will have to either put something heavy on top of the seat when it’s not being used or buy a lockable toilet seat. You could also get yourself a lid lock and install it in seconds. This will help to maintain your dog friendly home.

Choose Your House Plants Wisely

You also have to be careful if you like to have plants inside the house. Choosing your house plants carefully is one of the dog-friendly home ideas. Dogs are very sensitive to certain plants and some of them can cause scary symptoms like tremors and seizures.

If you have plants like the Sago Palm that could be fatal. Your choice of house plants can help to make a dog friendly home.

So, do your research on any plant you are thinking of bringing inside your house and don’t hesitate to ask your veterinarian for recommendations.

How to make a dog friendly home in summary

By making careful choices for what goes in your home and by dog proofing your home you can make it perfect and safe for your pet. It takes time and effort to make a dog friendly home. It is worth the investment in time though to ensure you make a dog friendly home,, especially with a new pet.

After a while, you’ll have a safe space where your dog can flourish and live a long and healthy life.