Monday, April 25, 2011

Puppy Dog Proofing The Great Outdoors

By Wendon Lee


Should you be lucky sufficient to possess a yard, your puppy can also appreciate your excellent fortune. When the weather is very good, she can play outdoors for hours on end. But just as you puppy-proof the inside of your house to create it secure for your puppy to roam around, you need to do the same for your yard or the portion of it you'll share along with your puppy.

The first step is to put up fences around your puppy's designated area. A puppy running free can endanger itself and irritate your neighbors. Hence the fence should be tall enough to ensure that your puppy (and also the dog she becomes) cannot jump over it, strong enough so that your puppy cannot knock it over, and buried deep sufficient so that your puppy cannot dig under it. A nicely anchored chain link fence is often a great selection.

Now look at the area you might have enclosed, and evaluate it for any prospective puppy hazards. The contents of your backyard garbage cans generate a tremendously tempting target for your puppy's attention, so either eliminate them or block them off somehow. Put locks on the gate and any tool shed or other enclosure you do not want your puppy to explore. Fence off vegetable gardens or hedges or anything else you do not want your puppy digging about.

Be conscious of which plants you have outside that are potentially toxic to your puppy (like daffodils) and remove them entirely. Now you'll be able to add things to your puppy's portion of the yard. A sandy region may be your puppy's bathroom. Teach her to usually use this one location when she has to pee or poop, and if it's the latter, clean up following her right away. If there's room, it is possible to construct your puppy a doghouse or a shallow pool for those hot summer days.

But as a lot as your puppy might take pleasure in this personalized amusement park, never let the yard be your puppy's babysitter. You are still responsible for her well-being and happiness. Do not leave her unmonitored for long stretches of time. Check up on her regularly and be sure she is secure from passing wild animals, inquisitive children who might be tempted to let her out, and sudden modifications in the weather. In brief, give her the very same attention you give her when she is indoors. In the end, there is no substitute for your love.




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