Puppies explore with their mouths, which means the hazards in your home are different from the ones you'd childproof against. Here's a practical room-by-room pass to do before your puppy arrives — or urgently, if they're already home.
Kitchen
Secure the bin, since food scraps are one of the most common causes of an emergency vet visit. Move anything containing onion, garlic, grapes, or chocolate out of reach entirely, not just off the counter — puppies can access low cupboards. Tuck away dangling tea towels and appliance cords; a curious pup will pull on both.
Living areas
Loose phone and charger cables are a genuine electrocution and choking risk — use cord clips or route them behind furniture. Small remote control batteries, coins, and anything with small detachable parts should be off low tables entirely. If you have house plants, check whether any are toxic to dogs; several common indoor varieties are.
Bathroom
Keep the toilet lid down, both for hygiene and because puppies have drowned in toilets. Medications, even ones in child-proof containers, aren't puppy-proof — store them in a cabinet, not on a counter. Bathmats and small rugs are a chewing target too.
Bedroom and laundry
Socks and underwear are a leading cause of intestinal blockages in young dogs — keep hampers closed or elevated. Laundry pods and detergent are highly toxic and often smell appealing to puppies, so they need a latched cabinet, not just a high shelf.
Backyard
Check fence lines for gaps a puppy could squeeze through — they're smaller now than they'll ever be again. Remove or fence off any garden chemicals, mulch containing cocoa (toxic to dogs), and check what's growing in garden beds. A water feature or pool should be supervised or fenced separately until your dog is a confident swimmer, if ever.
A general rule
If you wouldn't want a toddler to reach it, assume your puppy can and will try. The good news is that most puppy-proofing is a one-off effort — once the obvious hazards are addressed, ongoing supervision and a few well-placed chew toys to redirect that natural chewing instinct will cover the rest.