If you’re getting a new Puppy, you’ll want to know how to puppy proof your backyard.

Letting your puppy out in the back yard is not only important to give them some exercise and to explore the world, but also to teach them important things like house training and where to go potty.

If your puppy is exploring around your yard, you’ll not only want to supervise them closely in the first few weeks, but you’ll want to puppy proof the backyard to keep your little ball of fluff safe and out of harms way.

Here’s a useful backyard puppy proofing checklist with things you might consider…

How To Puppy Proof Your Backyard: 16 Helpful Tips

1) Walk around the boundary of your yard, and make a list of all the things your puppy can access within 1 to 2 metres high

This is a good thing to do first. Walk around the perimeter of your yard, and within your yard, and make a list of all the things your puppy can access within 1 to 2 meters high.

2) Put away anything sharp, cover it up, or remove it

Sharp objects might include gardening tools, the edges of metal lying around or things like exposed steel sticking out of walls or other objects.

Put them away, cover them up or blunt off the edges of sharp objects.

3) Put away anything toxic

Usually all the toxic chemicals are stored in your shed, but you might have things like cleaning products, fertilisers, pool chlorine and gardening chemicals lying around that your pup can get access to.

Put them away in a cupboard or lock them inside a shed.

4) Make neat and put away anything your pup can get tangled in

We are talking things like ropes, cords and any lines that might be hanging down on the ground.

Put them out of reach of your puppy, or organise them into a neat pile and put them away.

5) Pick up and put away any choking hazards

Any small little objects like broken pieces of plastic, broken toys, or break offs of bones that your dog can pick up and swallow.

6) Put away chewing hazards

Puppies go through teething up until about 6 months of age, so they do lots of chewing.

Anything and everything your puppy might like to pick up or lath onto and chew it’s safer to put away out of their reach.

Outdoor power cords especially are something that you want to make sure your puppy doesn’t get chewing on.

7) Turn off outside power points, and heaters when not in use 

Whether it’s been raining or not, and whether there are cords connected to the power points, it’s a safe idea to turn off outdoor power supplies or outdoor heaters when not in use

8) Do you spray the lawn or treat the garden with anything that can harm your pup?

Do you spray the lawn with anything, or treat the garden with any sprays or mixes that might cause harm to your pup? Things like pesticides and limestone can be toxic for or burn your puppy, so watch out.

You may want to discontinue use.

9) Do you have any poisonous or nasty plants in the backyard

Things like stinging plants, rose bushes or things like toxic mushrooms that might grow after heavy rain.

Either get rid of them or keep your pup well isolated from them.

10) Block off escape routes in fences, and lock gates

Definitely lock the gates around your yard and don’t leave them open at any point.

Block off or fix any holes in fences, or holes going under fences that your pup might be able to squeeze through or escape through.

If you’ve got a small fence, it may be time to replace or upgrade it.

11) Put away anything that could fall on your pup

Objects that might be top heavy like outdoor heaters, and materials that could fall on your pup like bundles of bricks or other heavy materials should be organised safely.

12) Pick up poop regularly

Even healthy dogs can have poop containing pathogens/viruses.

Pick up your puppy’s poop regularly to avoid them sniffing around it, licking it or rolling in it.

13) Lock sheds

Lock any main sheds or garden sheds. The last thing you want is your puppy getting into the shed and sniffing around all those harmful chemicals.

14) Make sure there is fresh water

More a preventative than an out and out danger, but make sure your puppy has fresh water in the back yard at all times so they don’t resort to drinking out of puddles or your pool

15) Watch the weather

An underrated one, but if it’s very cold or very hot outside, you probably wan’t to keep a young puppy inside.

Also, if you get a lot of direct sun where you are and you have a dog with light fur, be careful of letting them out in direct sun too long because puppies can get sunburnt, and even skin cancer.

16) Don’t let puppy near the pool

If you have a pool in your backyard, don’t let your puppy near it – even if it has a pool cover.

Puppies can very easily fall into a pool without making much of a sound because of their light bodyweight.

Having a gate around your pool helps or keeping your puppy inside until you know they are bigger and know how to swim and get out safely by themselves.

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