If you’re bringing home a new Staffy puppy, congratulations! Puppies are a lot of fun, and young Staffy puppies are absolutely adorable, but they also require a lot of work. One of the most important things you need to do before bringing your Staffy home is to puppy-proof your home. This means making sure that your home is safe for your Staffy and that there are no hazards that could harm them.
The first step is to do a thorough inspection of your home. Look for any small openings that your puppy could squeeze through, such as gaps under doors or between cabinets. These need to be blocked off so that your Staffy can’t get into trouble.
Next, take a look at all of the electrical cords in your home. Staffies like to chew on things, and electrical cords can be dangerous if chewed on. Either tuck them away out of reach or cover them with cord covers.
Now it’s time to think about the things in your home that could be poisonous to puppies. Many common household plants are toxic to dogs, so it’s important to remove any plants from your home or keep them out of reach. Also, be sure to put away any medications, cleaners, and other chemicals where your puppy can’t get to them.
Once you’ve removed all potential hazards from your home, you need to create a safe space for your puppy. This may be a small room or area with everything they need, such as their bed, food and water bowls, toys, and anything else they may need while you’re gone during the day. This will help prevent them from getting into trouble when you’re not around to supervise them.
There are a couple of additional things to keep in mind when puppy proofing your home:
1. Get down on their level. Puppies are small, so you need to get down on the ground to see things from their perspective. Crawl around your home and look for anything that might be appealing or dangerous to a puppy. Get rid of anything that could be harmful and make sure any potentially dangerous items (like cleaning supplies) are out of reach.
2. Keep an eye on them at all times. Puppies are curious creatures and they love exploring. It’s important to keep a close eye on them whenever they’re out of their crate or pen so that they don’t get into something they shouldn’t.
3. Have plenty of chew toys on hand. Puppies love to chew – it helps relieve the pain of teething and it’s just plain fun for them. To avoid having your pup chew on furniture or other household items, make sure they have plenty of appropriate chew toys available at all times.
4. Housetrain them as soon as possible. The sooner you start potty training your pup, the better off you’ll be in the long run. Puppies have small bladders and need to go frequently, so be prepared for lots of accidents at first (it’s normal). Have patience and be consistent with puppy training – eventually they’ll catch on and start using the bathroom outside like they’re supposed to. Online training programs such as DoGoodDoggy can be very helpful.
