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There’s a good chance you’re reading this because you live in one of the over 63 million households in the United States that have at least one dog. If your four-legged companion is anything like other dogs, you’ve probably caught them sniffing around the kitchen before. If you’re worried about them sneaking into cabinets and creating a huge mess or injuring themselves, here are some tips to puppy-proof your kitchen!
1. Install child locks or latches. To prevent your dog from snooping through your cabinets, you can install locks. There are plenty of affordable (and renter-friendly!) options that can give you peace of mind for when you’re not in the kitchen to watch what your dog is up to.
2. Store toxic chemicals and cleaners out of reach. Just in case your dog does crack the code and finds out how to open a child-proofed cabinet, keep toxic solutions in upper cabinets.
3. Store trash behind closed doors or invest in a pet-proof trash can. A dog with access to your trash can be a danger to themselves and your kitchen! Secure your trash can to the wall or hide it behind a cabinet. If it’s available to you, install a pull-out cabinet organizer to conceal your trash can.
4. Feed your dog in a different room. The less they associate your kitchen with rewarding food, the less time they’ll want to spend there putting themselves in danger. You can keep your puppy’s food bowl in the laundry room or hallway. Which brings us to the next point…
5. Don’t feed your dog human food. It can be tempting to feed table scraps to your puppy but besides rewarding bad behavior, you risk putting your dog in danger. Lots of food that’s healthy for humans can actually poison your furry friend, like nuts, onions or grapes.
6. Keep your puppy out of the kitchen when you’re cooking or baking. The last thing you want to worry about when preparing food is watching out for a dog between your legs while you handle sharp knives or carry pots full of boiling water. Give your pup a chew or practical toy to keep them busy.
7. And finally: Have a pet-friendly first aid kit ready in case something does happen. Include the number to your closest vet or pet hospital so you know who to call should something happen to your dog.
If you found these tips helpful and are wondering how to keep other pets like cats, fish or birds safe in the kitchen, check out the cute visual on pet safety below.
About the Author: Mona Freund grew up in Germany and now enjoys her life in sunny San Diego. When she’s not creating content, you can find her baking cookies, surfing or playing with her puppy Pesto.
