[ezoic id=”1″]
Collies are inquisitive creatures and keeping your home safe for your four legged family member is essential for their health and well-being.
There are a few practical things you can do to make your home safe for collies. These include keeping hazardous items out of reach, containing your collie to certain rooms in the house and ensuring your home has suitable flooring for your collie to grip.
[ezoic id=”2″]
This article will explore how to collie proof your home in more detail and what steps you can take to make sure your collie is safe and happy in your house when unsupervised.
[ezoic id=”3″]
How to make your home safe for your collie:
[ezoic id=”4″]
A top tip to immediately spot potential dangers is to get down on all fours, crawl about and this allows you to see your home as a collie would.
If anything looks interesting, dangerous or tasty, remove it before your collie has the same idea and injures themselves.
[ezoic id=”5″]
Check out these top tips for keeping your collie safe and happy in your home:
1: Use childproof latches
Collies are smart… too smart. They can figure out how to open doors, cupboards and even fridges.
[ezoic id=”6″]
Using childproof latches will prevent your collie from getting into areas that you would rather your furry friend stayed out of.
2: place medications on high shelves
[ezoic id=”7″]
Just like children, collies are often interested in things they shouldn’t be and will use their mouth to investigate items further.
Keeping medicines that would be toxic to your collie on high shelves and out of reach will ensure your collie stays safe.
3: keep trash cans covered
[ezoic id=”8″]
Collies are total grubbers. They love their food so will often raid through trash in hope of discovering some tasty scraps.
The best way to stop your collie eating trash is to invest in a durable sensor bin with a lid.
Having a sensor to open the bin will prevent your collie from learning to use the pedal to open the lid or just sticking their head through the swing opening. A sensor controlled bin will stop your collie from raiding the trash and turning your kitchen into their own personal trash buffet.
[ezoic id=”9″]
4: keep foods and packaging out of reach
Collies love nothing more than tucking into some tasty human food. They love cakes, sweets and biscuits just as much as we do.
Keeping food out of reach of your collie is important as they may choke on packaging or indulge in some sweet treats such as chocolate which is not safe for our canine companions.
[ezoic id=”10″]
Keeping any treats in a cookie jar will stop your pup from slyly stealing any confectionery and munching their way through both the product and its packaging.
[ezoic id=”11″]
5: ensure your toilet is secure
Collies are no strangers to drinking water from the toilet.
It’s not the water that’s the problem, but the products we use to clean the toilet. Many of them are unsafe for your pup. A simple solution is to keep the toilet lid down and the toilet door securely shut.
[ezoic id=”12″]
[ezoic id=”13″]
6: tie back any hanging wires
Collies love to run about at a million miles an hour outside and sadly for their owners also inside. They can be reckless and one track minded, especially if they are playing with their favorite toy.
[ezoic id=”14″]
They will charge through the house with no regard often resulting in lamps clattering to the floor as they trip over wires thinking nothing of it. This can be especially dangerous if your collie is home alone. Investing in some cable tidies will stop an accident waiting to happen.
7: place grippers on slippery stairs
[ezoic id=”15″]
Collies see themselves as part of your pack and may become emotional and upset if they are not allowed upstairs with their human pack members.
However, if your stairs are made of wood there is a high chance that your collie may slip as they sprint up and down.
The great news is this is an easy problem to fix, without having to lay a carpet.
Stair grips are an affordable way to prevent any slips, trips and unnecessary vet visits from potential injuries on slippery stairs.
[ezoic id=”16″]
[ezoic id=”17″]
8: put away kids toys
Collies love to play and it doesn’t matter to them if its with their own toys or someone else’s.
If you have children, make sure you have a toy box or trunk with a heavy lid so your kids’ toys can be stored safely away from your mouthy collie.
[ezoic id=”18″]
This will keep your children happy too as their toys wont get chewed to oblivion, and also protect your collie from chewing or swallowing anything that might not be good for them.
9: place houseplants out of reach
Although they look beautiful, many houseplants are unsafe for collies.
If you like to bring nature indoors, it’s probably better to opt for a quality artificial indoor plant.
[ezoic id=”19″]
Artificial plants give you all the joy of a real plant with no maintenance, and more importantly they pose no threat to your collie.
However, if you are insistent on a real plant, make sure they are sitting on a high shelf out of reach of your inquisitive collie.
[ezoic id=”20″]
10: cover any air vent covers
Collies are inquisitive creatures so its best to cover up all air vents in your house in case your pup starts to explore the air vent.
It’s easy for your collies claw to get stuck in the vent so its best to cover them over.
[ezoic id=”21″]
You can use a large piece of furniture to place in front of them to prevent your collie having access to them.
11: use a dog gate at your front door
Collies have strong herding instincts and some may dash out the door to round up any unsuspecting wildlife or people.
Purchasing a durable dog gate and placing them at exit points will allow you to open doors whilst having peace of mind your furry friend can’t escape.
[ezoic id=”22″]
12: put away any sewing materials
Needles and thread pose a real risk to your collie and will result in a trip to the vet if swallowed.
Make sure you leave nothing lying around that your collie might accidentally ingest. Keeping all your kit in a sewing box and out of reach of your nosy collie will prevent any accidents.
[ezoic id=”23″]
13: make sure to store chemicals out of reach (especially antifreeze)
Keeping chemicals in cupboards not accessible to your collie will prevent any accidents.
Be especially careful with any spillages and clean them up straight away before your collie has a chance to investigate.
[ezoic id=”24″]
If you keep your car in a garage and are topping up antifreeze, it’s always best to use a funnel to prevent any spillage. Antifreeze is especially dangerous because it smells sweet to collies and they will go out of their way to get at it.
14: Control any pests which may irritate your dog
Rodents and bugs can be dangerous for your collie. They can carry heartworm, Lyme disease, parvo and rabies and pass this onto your beloved pet.
Cockroaches are especially attracted to dog food so leaving a bowl of food on the floor is basically an invitation to these creepy crawlers.
[ezoic id=”25″]
Purchasing a pet bowl stand helps prevent the roaches having access to the dog food buffet by holding your dogs food up off the ground, and helps stop any transmission of bacteria and disease from any bugs.
Rats, mice, and even raccoons can pose a threat to your pet by transferring disease to your furry friend.
Using a large humane cage trap allows you to capture the pesky pests and release them in a more suitable location far from your home safely.
[ezoic id=”26″]
If you are still having trouble with pests its always best to consult a pest control specialist.
15: put sharp objects away somewhere safe
Some dogs are attracted to shiny objects such as knives and scissors. Obviously these are dangerous for dogs and so should be kept in a drawer or container out of your collies reach.
[ezoic id=”27″]
16: keep laundry out of reach
Ever wondered why collies love to chew on socks so much? Its because they stink! The socks literally stink of you SO much your collie might be chewing them for comfort. This is the same reason your collie may chew other items of clothing, especially items which have been worn close to your body.
[ezoic id=”28″]
Whilst this may be endearing and even comical, chewing on socks and other garments can be dangerous.
Buttons can become lodged in your collies throat or material chewed then swallowed can cause digestion issues. This may result in a trip to the vet but it can be easily prevented by using a laundry basket with a secure lid.
[ezoic id=”29″]
[ezoic id=”30″]
17: place down carpets over slippery surfaces
Collies run fast and zoom about indoors with no regard for their own or others safety.
If you have hardwood, laminate flooring or tiled floors, the surface can be slippy and difficult for your collie to grip.
Collies are not good at regulating their speed, so without a suitable surface to grip, your collie may slide, stumble and slip on your floors and hurt themselves.
[ezoic id=”31″]
A simple solution is to put down some non-slip pet rugs which allow your pet to move freely through your home safely.
