Puppy-proof your garden – 7 practical tips that really work – and 3 to avoid!
If you’re going to puppy-proof your garden, there’s lots of advice out there. Not all of it works.
As a journalist, I start every project with the assumption that I know nothing and must question everything.
I talk to experts, read books and look up scientific research on the internet.
And not everything I found about how to puppy-proof your garden made sense. And some of it focused on the less important issues rather than the main risks to your puppy.
So now that our new puppy has tested the tips, I can tell you which worked and which didn’t. Some of the tips that don’t work for me may work for you, however.
And we’ve also discovered aspects of puppy-proofing a garden that seem barely mentioned – so we’ll go over those too.
How to puppy-proof your gardenCheck your boundaries – puppies can wriggle through very small gapsStore garden, garage and swimming pool chemicals safely out of reachTidy away broken or breakable items, such as crocksKnow which plants are poisonous – you won’t be able to keep your garden free of poisonous plants so supervise your puppy in the gardenChocolate is the most common cause of dog poisoning so avoid using cocoa mulchPrevent unsupervised access to ponds and mini-pondsProtect the bird feeder – don’t let your puppy eat fallen bird seedPuppies may eat slugs & snails so include lungworm prevention in worming treatmentsPuppy-proof your garden No 1 – check your boundaries!When a young puppy first arrives in a new home, he or she will follow his new family around everywhere. It takes a few weeks before they’re brave enough to explore.
But when they do explore, they can get through some very small holes in the fence or hedge. Even a gap cut for a hedgehog is an open gate for a small puppy.
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