Preparing Your Apartment for a Dog

Adopting an apartment dog is a great way to get a friend, confidant and jokester to be permanently by your side. Preparing your apartment for that humorous little guy is simple and easy, and it is an important step to ensure that your apartment and your dog are both healthy and unharmed. 

Pet-Proofing Your Apartment

An apartment must be pet-proofed to make sure that there is nothing that will make the dog sick or expose him to harm. Also, it is important to protect your apartment from the dog to guarantee your possessions don’t get damaged by his little teeth. 

Pet-Proofing Tips: 

• Put child-proof locks on the cabinets with food or chemicals in them. Dogs have great senses of smell and with lots of time on their hands they can easily sneak into a cabinet by nosing it open. 
• Take all toxic cleaning products, and either switch to pet-safe ones or put them high out of reach. Some of these products are scented and can smell like food to a curious puppy. 
• Get a covered trash can or keep the trash can in a cabinet. Dogs sometimes try to get the leftover food in the bin, so keep it covered to keep the dog healthy and your floor from being a mess of trash can contents!
• Keep the toilet lid closed. Toilet cleaners contain harsh chemicals that can make dogs sick. 
• Put cosmetics away in a cabinet. Leaving these scented products on the counter is a recipe for disaster with a curious dog around. 
• Get a puppy gate to keep the dog in a certain room if there aren’t doors to contain him. The kitchen, if the floor is linoleum or tile, is a good choice. It is easy to clean up, still a central part of the house, and usually larger than a bathroom. 

Buy a Dog Bed

Get at least one dog bed, and possibly two or three. Depending on the dog, he may like to have a little bed in each main room where you spend time. Having his own bed makes him feel at home, without having to find a spot on the bed or couch. 

Acquire a Crate

Get a crate. Crate training your dog is a great way to control his behavior and minimize any damage to the apartment. It is a humane, gentle training technique that will help your dog be happily in sync with your lifestyle. 

Attach a Bell to the Door Handle

Get a bell on a string to hang the front door handle. If you ring it every time you take the dog out, before long he will ring it in order to be let out. Just make sure you let him out instantly if he rings it, otherwise it won’t work! This is a good way to make sure you prevent any unfortunate puppy accidents in the apartment. 

Preparing your apartment may take a few extra moments of your time, but it is worth it. Bringing a dog into a home that is ready for him ensures the best possible start to a rewarding relationship!