Aren't Mastiffs Too Smart For Puppy-Proofing?
Mastiffs are known to be one of the kindest, most intelligent, and protective dog breeds. To maximize these qualities, owners must be able to train their Mastiffs while they’re still puppies; although their intelligence certainly makes them capable of learning to jump through hoops and climb up inclined wooden planks, the first and most important training for Mastiffs is to behave properly and follow day to day commands. Not being able to train a Mastiff to behave properly, especially at home, is regretful as they are capable of many things ranging from professional ones like sniffing firearms and drugs to practical ones like guarding the house.
Like with getting any pets, failing to prepare is preparation for failure. When adopting a puppy Mastiff, their first few days in our homes are going to be crucial. It will be subjected to new smells, sounds, people, and even other pets in a new environment it doesn’t recognize. This unfamilarity makes our homes a battlefield against accidents, anxiety-driven escapes and destruction. Before we adopt a puppy Mastiff into our family, it’s important that we ready our homes to suit the needs of this new family member. We need to transform our homes into safe and practical spaces for our puppy before we even take it home and start its housetraining.
Is Puppy-Proofing Worth It?
Because an untrained puppy Mastiff in unfamiliar environments is prone to accidents, puppy-proofing our homes is an absolute necessity before introducing our new puppy Mastiff to our family. Doing so may be overwhelming and expensive, but most of it is a one time transformation while the rest consists of things we can easily get used to. Puppy-proofing can spare us from constant jolts of panic when we leave our puppies unsupervised; did we rinse the bleached bathroom floor? Did we at least close the bathroom door? We just threw our expired aspirin in the kitchen trash bin; can our puppy Mastiff tumble it open? These distressing thoughts can all be wiped away by puppy-proofing, making it an endeavor that's completely worth the time, work, and money. As long as we take things step by step and really commit to adapting puppy-proof habits, we can take home our new puppy Mastiff in no time.
How To Puppy-Proof
Dogs, especially puppies, can be very curious. This curiosity can often lead to a hurricane of cottons from throw pillows that were chewed open, days-old banana peels from the trash bin, and soiled bed sheets. To avoid injuries on both our family members and new furry one, we will take a look at the common dangers in each room of an average home. This quick guide will discuss how to address these dangers to help in dog-proofing our homes in preparation for our puppy Mastiff.
1. Baby-Proof The Entire House
Since our puppy Mastiff will practically be our baby, it only makes sense to follow steps in baby-proofing, and avail of the products and services that can help us accomplish this. These baby-proofing products and services include covers for power outlets, electrical cable containment services, kitchen and bathroom cabinet locks, and baby gates that can limit our puppy’s access to some rooms. They may not be human babies, but as we can see, the baby-proofing products and services mentioned make sense for puppies too. Baby-proofing our homes for our incoming puppy isn’t extra at all if we consider how electrocution can burn them to death, and if we’re lucky, spend thousands of dollars for its medical bills.
2. Apply The KonMari Method
This method is derived from the Japanese ideals of simplifying and organizing by getting rid of items that do not spark joy. It was created by organizing consultant Marie Kondo, but its essence is this: if you don’t need it, get rid of it. Making a place for everything, and keeping everything in its place has never been more needed than when bringing home a puppy as curious as Mastiffs. To do this, we must commit to tidying up, categorize items we no longer need, and put them up for donation.
As we treated them in the first step, puppies are like babies. They are not capable of complex decision making and can therefore destroy and eat whatever they have access to. Because we know that puppies love to chew, we’d have no one to blame but ourselves if they chew on our prized possessions and get hurt in the process. Putting dangerous and valuable things away in securely locked cabinets when not in use can save us and our puppy from potential problems and accidents. Organizing our homes before the arrival of our puppy is the best time to do it. Once we successfully apply the KonMari method, the possibility of chewed on certificates and eaten medicines will be the least of our worries.
3. Take On The Living Room
Because this is where we spend most of our time bonding as a family and entertaining guests, the living room often consists of the main door, a couch, scented candles, and a TV system. Installing door closers can lessen the chances of our puppy being able to run out to our front yard or down the stairs of our apartment. Securing couch covers with velcro strips can make our couch last for years even if we own a puppy that is yet to be trained. Candles, magazines, and other knick knacks can be put away in corner shelves instead of being displayed in a low-lying center table. Following the first step in baby-proofing should take care of electrical cables for our TV system, but setting up dog gates that we can close and open to create occasional barriers in certain areas of our house can limit the risk of our puppy getting hurt by its own mischief.
Puppies can create quite a mess when left unsupervised. They can scratch rugs, destroy their own dog beds, and claw our couch naked. When our puppy finally arrives, the first thing we should do is to start crate training it. Strong dogs like Mastiffs are easiest to train as puppies; gradually training it to find comfort during crate time can double the security that our puppy-proofing project gives. Using a crate when leaving a puppy unsupervised should be done sparingly because of course, we shouldn’t keep it in the crate for more than an hour, especially if we’re not going to be at home. However, since mishaps may happen even in just a split of a second, we want to minimize the times when our puppy is out and about without us. This is one of the many benefits of successfully crate training our puppy Mastiff.
4. Bedroom, Bathroom And Beyond
Nobody likes stinky surprises on our bathroom floor, or worse, on our beds. Keeping them out of these rooms when we’re not around will keep them from tearing our linens, peeing on our pillows, chewing on our shoes, sipping our perfume, and eating our old photos. The simplest way to protect our valuables and our puppies is to make it a habit to close the doors. Since we cannot risk the safety of our dogs and the serenity of our sleeping quarters on another habit to build after learning to put things away, we can just install door closers in all our doors. In addition to the safety of our dogs and valuables, this will also lessen the chances of intruders getting into our homes because of negligence. Sure, it can be pricey, but availing of a package to have a few installed in all the doors in our home will save us money and worries in the long run. If we cannot afford this yet and also cannot rely on our ability to immediately learn how to close doors, it’s best to clear our bedside tables and bathroom trash bins of cosmetics, medications, and sharp grooming tools. Although puppies cannot reach them yet, it’s advisable to build the habit of closing the toilet lid. Cleaning materials should also be stored in a cool dark place, and this definitely isn’t on the bathroom floor.
5. Secure The Food Factory - Kitchen And Dining Area
We shouldn’t be surprised if we almost always find our puppy Mastiff in the kitchen and dining area a few days after it arrives. We shouldn’t wonder how the ingredients we spill seem to magically disappear, because without a doubt, these are the favorite indoor spots of every dog. Puppies learn very quickly that the kitchen is where all the food comes from and that the dining area is where these are all eaten. Although this is adorable and impressive, these areas should still not exempt from puppy-proofing.
Low-lying cabinets without locks should be cleared out of heavy pots, cooking ingredients, or any cleaning products. Sharp kitchen tools and silverware should be neatly kept in their corresponding dispensers. Unsafe food for dogs like chocolates and grapes should be kept in the refrigerator or overhead shelves because puppies will find a way to get on the kitchen counter by jumping onto a chair if they smell food. Sturdy and tightly-sealed trash bins are a must since these are some of the primary culprits in dog accidents at home. Our puppy wouldn’t be bothered if the food in our trash bins are somewhat spoiled. If they smell the food, they will dig their way in our trash bins and eat whatever they can find including used paper towels and wrappers. Accidents like this can lead to choking or food poisoning to our dogs.
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