Finally! After a long, cold winter, the sun is shining, the leaves are growing, the baby birds are chirping, and the bunnies are hopping! Longer daylight hours fill the earth with more sunshine. Sometimes that sunshine can shed some light on some not-so-gorgeous areas of your home after getting through the winter with your energetic (and messy) puppy.
Spring is a chance for renewal and starting fresh. Speaking of fresh, why not do some spring cleaning of your own when it comes to keeping your home clean with a puppy?
Likewise, those same growing leaves may cause problems for your puppy (and that precious bunny) if you use toxic lawn treatment chemicals in your yard. Your garage or backyard shed may also be an unsafe place for curious puppies.
This spring, follow our guide for how to spring clean your home with a puppy and lawn, garden & yard safety tips for puppies.
Spring Cleaning the Inside of Your Home with a Puppy
Keeping your puppy safe this spring both inside and outside your house will help allow you to focus on having fun and romping around with your puppy. We’ve written a comprehensive guide to organizing pet supplies, so we’ll highlight a few things to keep in mind during puppy spring cleaning. Here are our spring cleaning tips for pet parents to help get your puppy’s things organized and sparkling clean.
Don’t forget to take lots of puppy playtime breaks while you move through your house!
Organize, refill, and restock pet supplies
As you go to each pet supply area, toss old or expired items you don’t use anymore. You may have items to set aside for donating and always try to donate items in decent condition rather than just throw them away. However, toss anything broken or expired.
Now is the time to note if you’re running low on cleaners, flea, tick & heartworm prevention, waste bags, or food. Be sure to take a moment and go ahead and order replacements or put them on your shopping list right away so you don’t forget.
Toy maintenance
Go through old toys. Throw out broken ones. Consider rotating favorite toys so they do not lose interest. See if they have too many of one type and fill in the gaps by either buying new toys or making some DIY mentally stimulating toys for your puppy.
Clean food areas
Wash your puppy’s food and water bowl, and wash and disinfect the area where you keep the food and water bowls. Wipe down the walls and the floors to remove any water or food residue.
Toss any expired or crusty treats your puppy doesn’t like, or consider donating good treats and food you don’t use anymore to neighbors or rescues. Don’t forget to clear out any expired medicine and order refills!
Update pet paperwork & pictures
You should keep a centrally located puppy notebook with all your important paperwork and contact information for emergencies. Update any phone numbers, addresses, or emergency contact information. Now is a great time to especially update a printed picture of you and your puppy and one with just your puppy alone in case you have to prove ownership if your puppy runs away.
Check leashes and harnesses
See if you have the right leash for your dog. As your puppy grows, he or she may have picked up some bad pulling habits, so you’ll need a stronger leash. Perhaps you are going to start a training course and need a special type of leash.
Likewise, check to make sure you’re using the best harness for your puppy. He or she may have grown quickly, so you can adjust the harness or buy the next size up. If you’ve picked up some outside hobbies, see if your puppy could use a specially designed harness made just for outdoor adventure use.
Look around
Determine if the spaces you use for pet items work for you. For example, you may have your pet supplies spread out and want to consolidate. You may find you’ll want to relocate something to a more practical location, such as keeping a leash, harness & and waste bags near your door rather than in a closet tucked in a corner.
Does your puppy need a glow-up?
Another area to think about is paying attention to how your dog looks. Is he or she looking scruffy? Is your puppy blowing out its coat during the spring heavy shedding season? It may be time to book a grooming appointment and make sure you have the right grooming supplies for DIY dog grooming at home in between groomer visits.
Wash bedding
Does your puppy sleep with you in the bed, use a blanket, or have a washable dog bed? Now is the time to freshen up any dog beds for puppies and other sleeping areas. Washing items where your pet sleeps will help keep odors at bay and reduce any allergens and dust that have accumulated over the winter months. Be sure to use gentle laundry detergent safe for pets. You also may want to use a splash of white vinegar in the laundry to help reduce pet hair sticking to your bedding.
Puppy Proofing Your Lawn, Garden & Yard
A spring garden is truly nature’s perfection. With popping colors, honeybees gathering pollen, and busy bugs everywhere, a stroll through the garden may sound like the perfect evening after a hard day’s work maintaining an impeccable lawn.
Not so fast! Do you know if the chemicals you used in your pristinely kept yard are safe for your puppies, from the fertilizer to the weed killer? Several lawn treatment chemicals are poisonous to puppies, so it’s important to assess what’s going on in your lawn, garden, & yard routine.
Start in your garage or shed
Take inventory of all the chemicals and other substances you keep in your garage or backyard shed. Be sure to read all the labels to see if any have chemicals poisonous to puppies. Here are some items to watch out for:
- Mulch
- Compost
- Fertilizers
- Herbicides
- Insecticides
- Snail & slug bait
In addition, you may have an old car you tinker around with or want to change your own oil now that the weather is nice outside. Keep all auto products such as antifreeze, oil, and gasoline out of reach of puppies.
Puppy Pool Safety
Your pup may love to splash in the water and cool off! However, make sure you follow some puppy safety procedures when around a pool. Can your dog swim? If he or she is having problems, make sure to use a doggy life jacket. Never leave your puppy unsupervised around a pool. Be sure to put up all sunscreens and pool chemicals as well.
Poisonous Plants to Puppies
You’ll definitely want to walk around your house and yard to check for toxic plants for puppies. Here are some plants that can cause serious toxic side effects:
- Lillies
- Hemlock
- Oleander
- Amaryllis
- English Ivy
- Tulip bulbs
- Chrysanthemum
Know the signs of puppy poisoning
According to veterinary experts at WebMD Pet Health Center, there are around 232,000 cases of pet poisoning annually in the U.S. If you are going to keep chemicals around or plants that are toxic to puppies, you need to pay close attention to your puppy’s behavior. Are they lethargic, glassy-eyed, vomiting, or having trouble breathing or walking? Always call your vet if you notice something amiss in your puppy’s behavior due to pet poisoning from lawn products.
Bring New Life into your Home with a Pawrade Puppy
We love springtime at Pawrade! There are so many fluffy puppies that need homes. Won’t you give a puppy a home now that your yard and home are safe and ready for a puppy? Contact us today to make your dreams of becoming a pawrent come true by searching our puppies for sale!
