Organizing for a New Puppy!

If you've ever brought home a new pet - big or small - you may have wondered how to keep all their things organized and your home cleaned up and clutter free {to keep them from chewing on things}. Once again, Professional Organizer, Jill from Simply Organized, is here to give some GREAT advice for having a new puppy and keeping things organized around your house.

Almost 2 years ago we brought this adorable Labrador puppy, Scout, home from a breeder. 

 

Scout has added a mixture of hilarity, frustration, and irresistible cuteness to each day.  Since we haven’t had a puppy for 8 years, I forgot how labor intensive these little creatures are.   It helped that we were organized and ready for Scout the day she came home. Before you bring your first puppy home, here are some organizing tips and a few items I recommend purchasing to help you stay sane amid the puppy chaos.

Organizing your home for a puppy:

• Put anything you do not want destroyed or chewed behind closed doors or out of reach from the puppy.  Remember, they can stand on their back legs to reach something they really want.  I know it’s a pain but the consequences can be costly.

At 18 months old, she is still in the puppy “stage.” In the last 6 months she has destroyed/chewed: a pair of eyeglasses, a library DVD (cha-ching), two bars of soap, a baseball hat, and the newspaper, none of which was her fault.  We left her unsupervised and did not put those items out of her reach.

Use a basket or other container to corral the dog toys and chew toys.

• Find a spot for treats either in a cabinet, closet or container. If needed, you may want a spot for dog medicines and flea/tick protection.
• Decide where you will keep the bag or container of dog food.  If you have a Labrador that loves to eat as much as ours does, secure their food in a container or behind a closed door.
• Hang leashes on a hook or nail as close to the door as possible.  You may also want to old towels near the door to wipe muddy or wet paws.
• Label a file with your pet’s name to use for their vet records and other dog related paperwork.

Items to purchase:

• Babygates: will keep your pup confined into a small area.  

Puppies get into a LOT of mischief and have accidents.  Some of the mischief can be very destructive. Gating off an area, like the kitchen, will help you keep tabs on the little guy. If you don’t own baby gates, check out www.craigslist.org, borrow from friends, or look at yard sales.

• Dog crate: safely confine your puppy when you aren’t able to supervise her 100% of the time or when you need to leave her alone in the house. We also used the crate as a place to settle down (a puppy time out) when she started biting us with her sharp puppy teeth.  Your puppy may not like it at first but will soon learn it’s a safe and cozy spot.

• A leash, collar and a strong cable to safely tie your pup up outside will be needed, especially if you don’t have a fenced yard.  It would be sad to lose your dog or have her accidently hit by a car.  It’s amazing how fast a puppy can run...faster than me!

• Food and water bowls as well as puppy food.  Special treats aren’t always needed. We used her puppy chow as her training rewards.

• Plastic grocery bags, newspaper bags, or produce bags:  you will need LOTS of these bags to clean up their little deposits in your yard, at the park or on a walk.  Start saving bags, without holes, as soon as you know you are getting a puppy.

• Chew toys: to prevent teeth marks or other damage to your furniture and body.  A good variety of textures and sizes will prevent boredom.   Scout has hand-me-down toys from our last dog as well as stuffed toys purchased from thrift stores.

Have you had a puppy in your past or presently that you've been trying to keep things around your home more organized since the chaos of him/her coming in?

 

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