Humans and pets can co-exist without chaos. You simply need to know the golden rules of pet-proofing your home to keep it orderly and clean.
A lot of pet owners have suffered the consequences of not placing preventive measures to ensure that their pets and their entire household would not have problems living together. As a result, you will either you lose your pet, lose your possessions, or lose your sanity altogether.
If you do not want to suffer the same fate as others, you should sort things out even before you bring home a pet. Ideally, you must start planning how you can address common hazards while you are still on the planning phase. This is a much wiser move since it would be difficult to work things out when you already have your little furry friend wrecking havoc in your home.
You may also choose to start working on your pet-proofing project so you can measure accurately what kind of adjustments you must make. You can place your non-human companion in a cage while your project is in progress.
Get the Job Done, Fast
Since cats and dogs are the most common pets, we will focus on keeping homes safe and sound with them around. To keep your pets safe while ensuring that your valuables remain intact, you will need to set up measures that will control their movements without restricting their freedom. Here are some bright ideas that you can consider:
Baby-safe devices can work well in keeping your pets out of trouble.
Cats and dogs may not be humans but they can be as difficult to handle as babies and toddlers. You can get much inspiration about devices that you can install by peeking into what parents use for their little kids. The best new of all is, most of which require little to no cost at all.
For one, you can have baby gates that will keep your dogs out of certain areas where they might create troubles that are even pose threats to their own health and safety. That includes your home office, the kitchen, and the bathrooms. For another, you can have power strip covers, safety locks, and electrical outlet caps installed.
Keep doors closed.
To contain your pets within a space where their presence can be allowed, make sure to keep the doors closed everywhere else or at least, let the baby gates perform their purpose. You will not love the sight of the aftermath when your fluffy companion chews on your couch or beddings or even your table surfaces.
De-clutter.
Putting away everything that you do not like your pet tinkering with can instantly solve your problem. You would not have to worry that your naughty pup would feed on your LV bag if it is stashed in your closet. Keep your things out of reach/sight so your pets would not be tempted checking them out and possibly cause costly damages in the process.
Invest in garbage bins with firm lids.
Garbage bins are favorite digging places for both cats and dogs for treats that they are not supposed to have. If you let them do that, you may risk causing them intestinal problems and your home in a messy state.
As simple as choosing the right trashcan can resolve this problem. For those with sufficient under-counter space and funds, pullout units are most ideal. Otherwise, you may settle for sturdy metal bins with step-on lids.
Enroll your pets on training classes to keep their behavior in check.
Various institutions like Camp Bow Wow are intended to help dog owners comfortably manage living with one. You can take your pet to training sessions that will develop a more livable behavior.
When nothing works, turn to a handy crate.
If you have done everything you know and tried everything that might work but the problem remains, your best bet is an enclosure. You can use one for long periods or when no one is around to keep watch of your pet. If you cannot stand seeing your dog contained in a kennel or your cat in a cage, you may crate train them only for instances when you are not at home.
Pet-proofing your home is beneficial both for you and your pets. Although it may seem daunting, you will eventually be glad that you made the decision to do so. Sealing off any loopholes that could get you in trouble is equivalent to saving unnecessary costs. When the former is much cheaper than the latter, nothing should keep you from starting this project as soon as you decide to have a pet.
