The first and foremost reason to puppy-proof your home is to ensure that your new dog doesn't hurt herself. The other major reason is to keep you from being chewed out of house and home. You may have heard that if you teach your dog what to chew and what not to chew, and if your provide her with lots of chew toys, your house won't be destroyed. Although this is true, it works well only if you have the time to provide consistent training. Thus puppy-proofing the area she will spend time in, in addition to supplying her with chew toys, is important.

Your goal while you have a new dog is to keep common puppy targets away from the dog instead of trying to keep the dog away from the targets. A dog who never learns to chew forbidden items, especially during the adjustment period and while she's teething, is less likely to chew them later in life. She'll be in the habit of chewing the things you want her to chew because that's all she's ever had to chew. Make it hard for your dog to get herself in trouble. (See the handout "Chewing")

Don't make the mistake most new dog guardians make: they wait until the dog has begun to destroy the house, then take steps to protect each item the dog has chewed from further destruction--one by one. Before they know it, the list of things the dog has ruined is as long as their arm. Be one step ahead of your puppy. Make a systematic search of the dog's space; start at one end and work your way to the other. Item by item, remove or protect each puppy target--meaning anything that doesn't belong to the dog. You should be able to limit puppy-proofing to the confined space in which your puppy spends her time alone--as long as she is securely confined and supervised when out of her space. The exceptions are electrical cords, poisonous plants and any other dangerous items. These should always be inaccessible.