You Can Never Be Too Safe: 7 More Ways To Help “Pet-Proof” Your House

One of the best ways to ensure your indoor dog's safety is to pet-proof your house. Like child proofing, pet-proofing is making a clean sweep of every room to which your dog has access and removing or concealing anything that presents a potential danger. Some items may be dangerous to one dog while not to another. For example, electrical cords may be dangerous to the dog that enjoys chewing, but for a dog that isn't into sharpening his teeth on household objects, electrical cords may pose no threat. You may detect other hazards once you've discovered what activities turn your dog on.

1. Dogs, especially puppies, love to put things in their mouths just as small children do. Once swallowed, the object of their curiosity can become lodged anywhere along their digestive tract and cause damage. In some cases, surgery may be the only way to remove the offensive item. Keep items small enough to be swallowed out of reach. Such items include rubber bands, coins, paper clips, staples, nails and screws, pieces of string, yarn, thread, or dental floss, earrings and other small jewelry, bells, small balls, sewing needles, pins, and the eyes pets may pull off pet toys.

2. Chocolate contains the active ingredient theobromine, which can be toxic to dogs if enough is ingested. It is difficult to estimate how much is required to cause death to a dog because the concentration of theobromine varies with the formulation of the chocolate; milk chocolate will have less theobromine than baker's chocolate, for example. To keep your dog completely safe, do not allow him to eat any chocolate.

3. To keep your dog's tags from getting caught in a heating grate when he lies down, place them in a Pet Pocket, which attaches to his collar and lies flat rather than having his tags dangle from a collar.

4. To keep your dog from chewing electrical wires, buy plastic decorator shower rod covers and insert the wires inside the rod covers. Rod covers can be cut to size. An alternative for covering electrical wires is to purchase plastic strips designed to conceal wires running across floors, across baseboards, and up walls. Concealing strips are available in hardware or office supply stores. They come in a variety of colors and can be cut to size.

5. To protect the pet that likes to chew electrical wires, a newer product to come on the market is the "power strip with a brain" that detects insulation aging, damage, and penetration by such things as dogs' teeth. If your dog tries to take a bite out of this type of cord, the cord will shut off and prevent serious shock. Check your local hardware or builder's supply store.

6. If you use an automatic flushing toilet bowl cleaner, put the seat down to keep your dog from drinking the water. Sew a large pom-pom to your toilet seat cover to prevent the lid from staying up in case you forget to lower it.

7. Keep chemical cleaning products out of your dog's reach. When possible, substitute nontoxic cleaners such as vinegar and water mixtures and baking soda.