9 Tips to Pet Proof your Home Office so your Pets are safe
Working from home can present dangers to your pet if you don’t take some time to pet proof your home office.
The same items that cause danger to children, can cause harm to your cat or dog as well.
After getting a new puppy, I discovered pretty quickly what she was getting into and wanted to share some pet safety tips to help you.
9 home office safety tips for pets
1) Protect your pet from power cords. Tuck electrical cords out of site when possible. You should block power strips so that your pet can’t access them. Put outlet covers on any unused outlets to prevent electrical shock.
Here are some products to protect your pet from power cords.
-
A clear cord protector that goes over power cords to prevent your pet from chewing on it and getting shocked.
- 1.2 inch flexible plastic tubing - You can pick this up at Menards or Home Depot. Just take scissors and cut the tubing open. Use the opening to insert the cord. That way when your pet bites the cord, they bite the protective tubing instead and won’t get hurt.
- Bitter Apply spray - You can get this at any pet supply store. Spray it to stop dogs from biting furniture, cords, and other items. It has a bitter flavor and will discourage them from biting again.
2) Remove small items from the floor.
If you have any paper clips, binder clips, loose change, staples, push pins or other small items your pet could choke on, remove it from the floor.
3) Secure any bookshelves to the wall.
If there is something tempting on your bookshelf that your pet my want to climb to get, make sure your bookshelf if secured to the wall so that it won’t tip over on them.
4) Set ground rules. Tell your pet what behavior is a “no no” in your home office. If they chew on something, climb, or do something you don’t want, say no. It may take some reinforcing, but they’ll get the rules if you are consistent.
See IAMS free dog training videos to teach your dog to behave in the office and the whole house
5) Keep messy items out of reach. Store ink cartridges, white out, pens, markers, highlighters, stamps up on shelves where pets can reach.
6) Keep computers and equipment up high where pets can’t reach.
7) Contain pets if you can’t supervise them. If you are working intensely on a project and can’t keep an eye on your pet, you may consider putting them in a kennel, play yard, or fenced in area where they will be safe.
7) Store office cleaning supplies up and away. If you have special cleaning solutions for your laptop screen, your desk, and other areas of your office, keep it out of pets reach. These items can be toxic and possibly deadly to your pet.
Shredders. Keep shredders unplugged and put away so pets can accidentally access them.
9) Sharp Stuff. Take extra care to put scissors, letter openers, and other sharp items where pets can’t reach them.
Have you found any other pet safety items or tips that you use to keep your pet safe in your home office? Any tips on how to keep pets happy (and not jealous) when you are spending time working on the computer? Share your tips for keeping pets happy when working from home here.
Technorati Tags: Working from home, pet, pet proof your home office, cat, dog, puppy, pet safety tips, home office safety tips for pets, power cords, plastic tubing, Bitter Apply spray, stop dogs from biting furniture, tips for keeping pets happy when working from home