If there’s a silver — or should we say, “furry” — lining to the current quarantine and stay-at-home orders, it’s the increased interest across the country in adopting or fostering a pet. According to SEMrush, a data analytics company, there was a 335% increase in Google searches around “adopt a pet” in March.

With everyone practicing social distancing to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of COVID-19, many people have come to the realization that now is the perfect time to bring a pet into their homes and lives.

Having a new puppy is a lot like having a baby, and some of the apartment preparation tips are the same. If you’re bringing a new bundle of puppy joy into your home, it’s important to prepare your apartment. Puppy proofing your apartment serves two important purposes. First, it ensures your puppy stays safe, and second, that the puppy doesn’t damage your furniture or the apartment itself. Check out these tips for how to puppy-proof your apartment.

Protect Your Apartment From Your Puppy

  • Clean and declutter. Living with a new puppy means lots of expected—and unexpected—cleaning. Have a lint roller ready and cover your couches and chairs with washable blankets and throws. Before your puppy enters your home, put away anything you don’t want to be chewed, including shoes, remotes, chargers, baskets, decorative items — anything, really!
  • Give your puppy its own space. Create a safe and comfortable space for your puppy’s crate (if you are crate training), bed, and toys. Preferably the puppy space is located in a low-traffic, out-of-the-way area that has easy to clean floors in case of accidents. You can also purchase a large heavy-duty plastic sheet or tray to place under the bed or crate.
  • Consider crate training. Not only does a crate give a puppy a safe place to retreat to when they’re scared or anxious, but it can also make future travel, including visits to the vet or groomers a lot easier.
  • Ease in. Bringing your puppy into their new space and around new people is going to be exciting and overwhelming for Fido or Fifi. Taking it slow will help you avoid accidents and anxiety with your new fur baby. Let the puppy get used to your place one room at a time, and use baby gates to block areas you don’t want the puppy in just yet.
  • Get your puppy plenty of exercise. Take your puppy for lots of long walks and spend plenty of time outside to tire them out. This will ensure that they’ll just want to cuddle during your downtime instead of search for mischief to get into.
  • Spoil your puppy. A bored pet is a destructive pet. Provide lots of toys, especially rubber toys they can chew and squeaky toys they can pounce on. Brush them every day and keep their nails clipped. If you start good daily grooming habits while they’re in the puppy stage, you’ll get them used to the attention and build trust.

Protect Y0ur Puppy From Getting Hurt In The Apartment

Not only should you use puppy-proofing apartment tips to keep your home in good shape when you bring your new addition into it, but you’ll also want to follow these dog apartment tips to keep your puppy safe.

  • Put away toxic items. Some human foods including chocolate, as well as medicines and supplements, cleaning products, detergents, and even certain plants are dangerous for puppies to ingest. These items should be put behind locked doors or high and out of reach to avoid a visit to the emergency vet. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control has a list of poisonous plants and flowers which you can use as a guide.
  • Invest in a tall trash can with a lid. The smell of garbage can be irresistible to curious puppies. So much to root through, especially when they’re left alone. Yet trash cans are full of objects that could harm your puppy, including bones, leftover onion or garlic skins from your latest cooking adventure, empty cleaning product containers – even the trash bag represents a suffocation danger. And consider putting childproof locks on lower cabinets, doors, and drawers.
  • Use cord protectors to cover household electric cords, cables, and wires. Teething puppies have a hankering to chew and they might see your power cable and charger cords as a chew toy. Protect your puppy from an electrical shock, burn to the mouth, and a visit to the vet by covering and securing those cords.

 Fall in Puppy Love with Southern Management Communities

If you’re searching for pet-friendly apartments to rent, start with the communities at Southern Management. The Apartments at Charles Plaza, The Atrium, and Laurel Park all feature open patio spaces, grassy areas, and plenty of dog parks and trails nearby — so you can follow our dog apartment tips to ensure you furry friend is happy and healthy. Whether you’re adding a Great Dane or a Chihuahua to the family, our pet-friendly apartment communities throughout Virginia and Maryland are the perfect places to live and grow with your puppy.

Contact us to set up a tour of any of our apartment communities.