We are going to look at some of the more obvious hazards, and some of the not so obvious, lying in wait for your new addition. With a few precautions, you can help your puppy grow into a healthy, respectful of his or her surroundings, adult dog. Just about any baby book on the market will advise you to get down on your hands and knees, and crawl around at your child s viewpoint to look for dangers that are out of your line of site. Get down and look from his or her view at anything that might be a hazard if chewed on or swallowed. Electrical cords are at the top of the list.
Puppies love to chew, and a cord can burn, shock, and even kill.
Outlet covers should be used in all open outlets. Plastic bags are a suffocation hazard. Toilets and buckets of water are tempting to puppies, but can be both a drowning hazard and a chemical hazard if you use cleaners in your toilet tank. Basement doors, windows, doors to balconies, etc., should be kept closed and locked. Puppies can dislocate bones, brake bones and die from falls.