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Before he gets into everything

How do I puppy-proof my house?

By Dr. Steve Pelton, DVM

The short answer

  • Get down on the floor at puppy height. Anything that fits in his mouth or dangles within reach goes up high or behind a door.
  • Most of the work is closed doors, baby gates, lidded trash cans and bags on hooks.
  • The big poisons: chocolate, grapes and raisins, rat and mouse bait, xylitol (sugar-free gum), onions and garlic, and human pain pills.
  • Socks, string, hair ties and corn cobs are the classic swallowed objects. If one went down, call your vet now.
  • For the first few weeks, one puppy-proofed room with a gate is easier than a whole house.

The game

Find it before Meatball does

Found 0 of 27

Each room has hidden puppy hazards. Tap the ones you spot. Tap empty floor and Meatball sniffs a step closer. Three wrong taps and he gets to one first.

Living room: 0 of 6 found

Meatball

Swipe sideways to see the whole room.

Watercolor living room: a sofa, a coffee table with a TV remote, a handbag on the rug, socks, a knitting basket and a big potted palm
Just show me the list

Living room

  • Phone charger cord. Unplug chargers when you're not using them, and tuck or cover cords behind furniture.
  • Socks on the floor. Socks, underwear and hair ties go in a closed hamper. If you saw one go down, call your vet now, even if he seems fine.
  • Sugar-free gum in a handbag. Hang bags on a hook or keep them in a closet, and ask guests to do the same. Gum, mints and pills stay up high.
  • Loose button batteries. Keep remotes, key fobs and anything with a coin battery up high, and tape loose battery covers shut.
  • Yarn trailing from a basket. Keep yarn, ribbon and sewing things in a closed box. If you see string hanging from his mouth or his rear end, don't pull it. Call your vet.
  • Sago palm in a floor pot. Move plants you can't name up high or out of reach until you've checked them. A chewed plant you can't identify is a call to a poison line.

Kitchen

  • Trash can with no lid. Use a can with a locking lid, or keep it behind a closed door or under the sink.
  • Grapes on a chair. Keep grapes, raisins, trail mix and raisin bagels up high, and pick up any that roll onto the floor.
  • Chocolate at the counter's edge. Push food to the back of the counter, and don't do the math on how much is too much. That's a call.
  • Onions and garlic on the floor. Store them up high or in a closed cupboard, and keep him out of the kitchen while you cook.
  • Spilled pills on the counter. Keep medicines in a closed cabinet, never loose on a counter or nightstand. Take your pills where he can't see you drop one.

Bathroom

  • Toilet lid up. Lid down, every time. A sticky note on the lid helps the whole family remember.
  • Floss, swabs and a razor in an open wastebasket. Use a bathroom trash can with a lid, or keep it under the sink behind a closed door.
  • Pill organizer on the counter. Keep every pill, vitamin and supplement in a closed cabinet. Vitamin D supplements are on the top 10 toxin list too.
  • Cleaners under the sink. Put a child lock on the under-sink cabinet, or move cleaners up high.
  • Hair ties on the bath mat. Keep hair ties in a drawer or a lidded jar, not on the floor or the edge of the tub.

Garage

  • Antifreeze puddle. Store car fluids on a high shelf, clean drips right away, and don't wait for signs if you think he licked some.
  • Rat and mouse bait box. Ask your pest company for options that are safe around pets, and keep bait where he can never get to it. If he chewed one, call now and bring the package.
  • Torn fertilizer bag. Keep garden products sealed and on a shelf. Sweep up spills before he's in the garage.
  • Open paint can. Lids on, cans on a shelf. If he gets paint on his fur, don't use thinner to clean it. Call your vet.
  • Pool chemicals with the lid off. Lids on tight, on a high shelf, away from where he roams.

Backyard

  • Pool with no fence. Fence the pool or keep him away from it unless you're right there. Show him where the steps are, over and over.
  • Wild mushrooms. Walk the yard before he does and pull up mushrooms. If he ate one, call and bring a piece or a photo.
  • Cocoa-shell mulch. Use a different mulch, or fence off beds that have it.
  • Gap in the fence. Walk the fence line at puppy height and fix gaps, loose boards and spots he could dig under.
  • Bones and a corn cob under the grill. Clean under the grill after every cookout, and keep him inside while people are eating outside.
  • Pond with green scum. When in doubt, stay out. Keep him away from scummy ponds, and rinse him off with clean water if he goes in.

If he already got into something

Don't wait for signs. With some poisons a puppy looks completely normal for hours while the damage is happening, and treatment is easier, safer and cheaper early. Tell them what it was, roughly how much and when. "Half a pack, about 20 minutes ago" is a great answer.

Ate it, or might have? Call now.

Your vet, an emergency clinic, or a poison line. Grab the package. Don't make him throw up unless a professional tells you to. Shaking, vomiting, wobbly or struggling to breathe means go now.

Both are open 24/7. Fees apply.

Questions I get every day

Where do I start puppy-proofing?

Get down on the floor at his height and look around. Anything that fits in his mouth or dangles within reach goes up high or behind a door. Most puppy-proofing is closed doors, baby gates, lidded trash cans and putting things on higher shelves.

Can I just puppy-proof one room?

Yes, and for the first few weeks that's often the smartest move. A kitchen or laundry room with a gate, his crate, water and a few toys is a lot easier to make safe than a whole house. Give him more space as he earns it.

My puppy ate something he shouldn't have. What do I do?

Call your vet, an emergency clinic or a poison line right away: ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. Fees apply. Grab the package and guess how much and when. Don't make him throw up unless a professional tells you to. If he's shaking, vomiting, wobbly or struggling to breathe, go now.

He swallowed a sock but seems fine. Can I wait for it to come out?

Call your vet now, even if he seems fine. Some objects pass and some get stuck, and early is easier. Vomiting, not eating, a sore belly or straining to poop after he might have swallowed something means go now. If you see string hanging from his mouth or rear end, don't pull it.

What are the most common things that poison dogs?

Pet Poison Helpline's 2025 top 10 for dogs, in order: chocolate, grapes and raisins, bromethalin rat poison, xylitol, onions and garlic, ibuprofen, vitamin D3, marijuana, anticoagulant rat poison, and acetaminophen. There's no safe amount to work out at home. That's a call.

Where this comes from

  • Pet Poison Helpline. Top 10 toxins for dogs, 2025. petpoisonhelpline.com.
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and Pet Poison Helpline contact pages, checked October 2026.
  • ASPCA. Summer garden safety tips (cocoa bean mulch and theobromine).
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Harmful algal bloom toolkit ("When in doubt, stay out").
  • American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). 2019 Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats (chews no harder than teeth).

General education, not veterinary advice. Your vet's plan for your puppy comes first.