Who does not love to live in a beautiful and stylish home? While most of us can easily design and maintain such homes, the scenario is entirely different if you have a dog at home. I recently got my first dog from Trending Breeds, and within the first few weeks, I realized how tough it gets to maintain a stylish house with a pet around. Apart from dealing with the increased cleaning cycles, I also find myself constantly picking up things my puppy drops while playing around the house. I had to remove all the glassware from her reach to ensure her safety.
Well, I did find a few tricks that helped me spruce up my while owing a dog, and you can do it too by following these tips.
- De-clutter:
Pets love a lot of free space to play in, and if your room is overcrowded, you will only find your dog hitting things with its tail as he walks by, creating a mess. When you know you have a goofy animal that does not really know where its tail is going, it may end up breaking showpieces if it is kept very low. Do not add many elements to the house when you have a dog at home. Instead, keep it simple, so the pet has enough space to freely move around without knocking over anything.
- Choose the Right Upholstery:
If you let your dog on the couch, you must choose the upholstery accordingly. Avoid materials like velvet that easily attract hair. Instead, opt for faux leather or leather upholstery that is easy to clean and durable. If you want a fabric sofa, you better go for slipcovers that can be easily removed and washed when it gets dirty. Avoid delicate materials like chenille and silk, which claws could easily damage.
- Avoid Carpeting the Entire Home:
Carpets are magnets to fur, and as your dog scoots and rolls on it most of the day, you will end up with filthy carpets. When you have too many carpets in the house, it will accumulate fur, dander, and dust. Avoid carpeting your entire home and stick to surfaces that can be cleaned easily.
- Use Hard Floors for Easy Cleaning:
It is common for dogs to drag along mud as they return from walks. They can easily make your home muddy and dirty. We suggest you go with a hardwood flooring laminate or tiles, which can be easily mopped to remove muddy footprints afterward. You have to always choose the flooring that is easy to clean if you have a dog at home.
- Define an Indoor Play Area:
Dogs love their playtime, be it outside or inside the home. You definitely take your dog for walks or the park, but they still need some playtime inside as you cannot always take them out. This means you need an area in the house that can also be used as a play area. It could be the entryway or a long corridor. It’s so important to have a home with enough space for you and your pets such as these apartments for rent in Berkeley, CA. You can play tug of war or fetch with the dog at home. Your dog may also want to play with toys, so always keep a toy box reachable for the dog to access its toys. If you play fetch inside the home, carpet that part of the house as you do not want the dog to slip and injure itself on slippery tiles. If you have a long balcony, you can add artificial grass to make it a play zone for the dog.
- Define a Feeding Area:
Feeding a dog is messy, and you would not want food over your carpet. You must decide on a corner where you feed the dog and place its water bowl. If you have multiple floors, then you need to put a water bowl on each floor. You can get a food bowl stand that lifts the bowls from the ground, helping create a mess-free area. Also, use a feeding mat below the bowls to ensure the excess water that falls outside the bowl does not mess up the floor.
Remember, hiding this feeding area and setting it up in a far corner of the home is unimportant. It needs to be in a central location that is easy for the dog to access. Your dog needs to quickly reach this area, or it will reduce its water intake, which may affect its overall health. There is no need to hide the feeding area; just take a few steps to make it look neat.
- Deep Clean the Home Often:
A messy home can never look stylish; hence you have to increase the cleaning frequency of the house. You must vacuum at least twice a week to ensure dog fur does not mess up the house. Investing in a robot vacuum is an excellent idea in such a scenario. The ones you get nowadays are so smart that you can set the timings once every day. It will automatically clean the home and dump the dust in the dustbin. It also self-charges by parking next to the charging dock; hence, you need not intervene. Keep a handheld vacuum readily available to clean the sofa, bed, and other furniture pieces where your pet rests.
- Take Safety Measures:
You need to keep toxic items out of your pet’s reach, such as medicines, wires, garbage, and breakable items. Some plants can be poisonous to pets which you have to learn. If you keep indoor plants, you need to keep them out of the pet’s reach if you spray medicine or put fertilizer on the plant. If you have an open balcony in your home, ensure the railing is high enough, so the dog does not jump off the balcony. If you have a backyard where the pet plays, the fence must be strong and high, so the pet does not escape.
The Bottom Line:
While it can be a bit challenging to maintain a stylish home if you live with a Maltipoo Breeders, it is not impossible if you have learned these tricks. You just need to style it right, which can be easily maintained even while you have a naughty pet at home.