So you just became a puppy parent, yay! Now (or hopefully before you actually got your puppy)... you need to puppy proof everything!

Bringing home your new pooch is full of excitement, for both you and the puppy.

With that excitement comes wanting to explore their new home, learning the smells, the sites, the textures, and the sounds.

And while exploring new environments is great for puppy socialization, it can sometimes lead to a new puppy getting into trouble, or even danger.

Puppy proofing will help keep pups safe so they can explore with less worry.

We’ve put together a list of tips to have a puppy-proof home, to help you make sure you’ve covered all your bases.

Note: Make sure to keep a close eye on your puppy. Although these tips are a good way to help keep your dog safe, they are NOT a replacement for supervision, training, and controlling the environment!

You can use this table of contents to see the areas you'll need to puppy proof that we'll be talking about in this article:

So let’s get into the top 21 tips for a puppy proof house!

Since your home is where you and your pup spend most of your time, it’s no surprise that the bulk of our tips are for inside your house.

Later on, I'll cover general house puppy-proofing tips. But for now, let’s take this room by room.

Here's what you should do to puppy proof your kitchen:

Your dog will probably get familiar with your kitchen pretty quickly.

Just open that snack draw and see how quickly those little paws come running. But the kitchen can also pose a number of dangers to your puppy, so here are some puppy proofing tips for your kitchen!

You may want to keep your kitchen/household cleaners on hand for convenience, but they can be dangerous to your dog.

Keep them in locked areas or on high shelves that aren’t accessible.

Your kitchen garbage can is home to so many smells that will make your dog curious. It’s also filled with things that dogs shouldn’t eat.

Not to mention, your dog getting into your garbage is just a big smelly mess.

So keep it tightly covered and/or put it in a place your dog can’t get to.

Just trust us, you'll avoid lots of headaches and other problems by doing so!

You’ve all seen the memes -- the family is upset about a missing roast chicken only to see the 'guilt' in their dog’s eyes.

Dogs are food motivated by nature, so they will usually go for food that’s left on tables or counters within their reach.

This can be a big problem if the food in question is dangerous to your dog. But even if it’s not dangerous food, having your dog eat an entire chicken and veggie dinner isn’t the best idea.

Curious about what fruits and veggies are safe for dogs? Check out this article.

The best way to avoid counter surfing is to make an effort to clear your counters daily.

This will also prevent your pup from getting to any other dangerous countertop items. Which brings us to our next two tips ?

Plastic bags are a suffocation risk for dogs. However, the noise they make certainly piques your pup’s attention.

Plus, if you’ve just come home from the grocery store and had food in the bags, the smells will be tempting.

Make sure to put plastic bags out of reach as soon as you are done using them to avoid a dangerous situation.

Knives and other kitchen tools with sharp edges should never be left out when your dog is home. They can easily cut their paws if they jump up to the counter or injure their mouths if they try to chew or lick it.

If you have cabinets below your sink or anywhere within your dog’s reach, secure them with childproof locks -- especially if your cabinet has cleaners or pantry items that are dangerous for dogs.

Don't think your dog can figure out how to open doors and cabinets? Think again...

Here is how you should puppy proof your living room:

The living room is where your family probably spends a lot of time, so these next few tips will keep your newest family member safe there!

You don’t want your dog to get tangled up in electrical cords or chew on them, so hide them away or secure them so your puppy doesn’t end up with an electric shock.

You see windows and doors, but your dog sees ways to escape to the outdoors and explore! Remember, your puppy is learning the lay of the land and doesn’t yet understand household boundaries -- to them, the other side of the door is just more room to play!

Make sure windows and doors are closed and locked so your pup can’t escape.

Also, be sure to tuck away the cords on your blinds to avoid strangulation.

Any furniture that can possibly fall when your dog knocks into it (and let’s be honest, puppies aren’t always graceful) should be secured or have their access restricted.

Small furniture pieces like end tables or lamps should be anchored down or fenced off with a baby gate.

And if you have a fireplace, be sure to restrict access either to the whole room or the fireplace area using a gate.

If your dog is welcome to join you on your couch, consider adding a cover at least for the first few months.

This will protect your couch from any messes your dog makes or tracks onto the couch.

Just make sure the couch cover you select doesn’t have many fringes, as that can be enticing for a puppy to chew.

Your bathroom is bound to spark some curiosity from your puppy since they typically can’t see you when you go in there.

So make sure to puppy proof in some of the following ways! ?

Make sure any prescription or over the counter medicine is not only out of reach but is tightly secured in its bottle. That way, if it falls off a counter or out of the cabinet, your dog can’t reach what’s inside.

Here are some action steps to take if you think your dog has eaten human medication.

Puppies may be drawn to the toilet bowl and the tub because of the water, but this can be a drowning risk.

Make sure the lid to the toilet is always closed when not in use. Also, limit access to the bathroom when the tub has water in it.

It might be helpful to restrict access to your bathroom altogether, either with a baby gate or by keeping the door closed.

Here are more puppy proofing tips that can apply to any room in your house 

It’s really important to not give puppies too much freedom until they are fully trained. This can stop them from getting into trouble and will allow them to gradually become more comfortable with their surroundings without being overwhelmed.

21 Puppy Proofing Tips for Your Home, Yard and Car