How to Set Up a Dog-Friendly Apartment

As a pet owner living in an apartment, major renovations might be out of reach to make it more dog-friendly. But you can change certain parts of your space and focus on what your dog needs. This ensures your pet has a safe place to call home and helps prevent them from causing damage out of boredom.

Here’s how to set up a dog-friendly apartment.

Make Enough Space for Your Dog’s Breed

This is an error many pet owners make. An apartment cannot house certain dog breeds simply because some breeds have way more energy than others and need to let that out. Smaller breeds (such as chihuahuas) or low-energy big dogs (aka Great Danes) are excellent picks for the average apartment.

Reduce Hazards and Risks for Your Dog

There are many hazards your dog can get into. Ensure trash cans are locked. Remove toxic plants. Please don’t leave food on the counter or near where your dog can sneak it. Keep jewellery and other small items locked up so there is no accidental swallowing. If you haven’t had a dog before, it’s a new way of thinking and structuring an apartment to make it dog-friendly.

Set Them Up with a Premium Feeding Station

Set up a feeding station with a raised water bowl and food bowl. Place a mat or two down to catch spills or splashes. Use high-quality dog food that you know your pup will love and give your pet a feed schedule to ensure you control how much they eat. Put the feeding station somewhere they can access it, but that is not the way. Especially if you have multiple pets, you want your dog to have its own space in your apartment to eat.

Use Resilient Flooring

Flooring is going to get beaten up by a dog running around. Pet-friendly flooring is crucial. Hardwood or vinyl flooring is easier to clean, more resistant to scratches and stains, and won’t hold in the smell like carpet can. If you can’t change your flooring for accidents to make it more dog-friendly, lay down a station somewhere with pee pads and clean up quickly after your dog, whether this is a one-time issue or ongoing.

Provide Them Toys to Stimulate Their Minds

They need toys and opportunities to work their brains to keep their dogs happy, content, and stimulated. Take them out for a walk and let them sniff around. Try to tire your dog before leaving for work to prevent scratching furniture. Look for mental enrichment toys, such as Kongs, snuffle mats, ropes, rawhides, and bones. All of these have a place in stimulating your dog.

Create a Cozy Corner With Visibility

Give your dog a designated space. Set them up with a comfortable bed, blankets, and even a décor piece that represents them. This gives them a sense of security and a place to relax. Make sure this cosy corner is where they have visibility on you, such as halfway between the kitchen and the living room in an open-concept space or somewhere you know they can see you. They’ll be more likely to use their cosy corner this way, as most dogs want to know their owner is safe.

Crate Train Your Dog

A crate is not a bad thing. It’s a way for dogs to provide themselves with a room! Crate training your dog means it treats its crate as a safe place to go when something’s wrong. Please put on a warm blanket, fluffy toys, and a Kong to make it engage. Training your dog to feel comfortable in its crate. When you leave the apartment for short periods, you can put your dog inside its crate instead of having it free-roam and risk damaging your unit.

Consider Insurance for Your Rental

Pet liability coverage, alongside a strong rental insurance policy, means if your dog bites someone or if you’re sued over perceived aggression from your dog, you’re covered. Renter’s insurance is equally important as it means you’re reimbursed if electronics, furniture, or other assets are destroyed. Check beforehand the terms to confirm if pet-related disasters are covered.

Use Protective Covers and Blankets

Especially if it’s a furnished apartment, you want to protect your furniture from scratches and dog hair. Use covers, washable throw blankets on the couch, and more. Some even go so far as to get protective covers for their sofas. This all considers what you feel you need to enjoy the presence of a pet with minimal risk of damage.

Keep Your Home Clean and Tidy

Use a vacuum to pick up dog hair and remove allergens from your carpet or furniture. Ensure you get on a schedule to clean up air filters, clear out air vents and A/C, and maintain your HVAC system despite all the hair your dog may shed. Keep some bio-enzyme pet stain and odour eliminators to clean up accidents and protect the evidence!

Images courtesy of unsplash.com, pexels.com

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