If you are looking for a place to keep your precious puppy safe while you are away for work, your garage may be the perfect option. Many pet parents leave their dogs in the garage and have reported that it really helps if their dog is suffering from anxiety issues.
However, before you can keep your furry friend in the garage, you must ensure that it’s safe. And in this article, we will provide a few dog friendly garage tips and tricks that will help you get it all together.
Is your garage in proper shape?
Before you put your dog in the garage, ask yourself, will you be able to spend a lot of time in it? Is your garage comfortable enough? If you are not comfortable in your garage, your fur baby won’t be either.
Things like insufficient ventilation and extreme temperatures can cause discomfort in your garage. So, once you sort these issues out by keeping your garage cool in summer and insulated in winter, your garage will become more habitable for your precious dog.
Does your garage have sufficient storage? (lockable garage cabinets)
The storage facility in your garage is crucial, especially if you want to keep your pet there for some time. Since many things are mostly stored in the garage, many of which are toxic, it’s essential to store them away in a safe place. The cabinet and bins must be locked so that your dog cannot access them.
Once you have these above two things sorted, let’s check the various ways to make the garage safe for your dog.
Dog Friendly Garage Tips and Tricks
💁Storing toxins
Ideally, you should eliminate all toxins from your garage, and if you can’t, you need to store them safely and out of reach from your dogs. Most often, pets eat or inhale toxins in the garage, which can be detrimental to their health.
However, you may not know that you have toxins stored in your garage; thus, a thorough checking is recommended.
Some of the common toxins in a garage are:
- Antifreeze: This is a standard garage toxin and is used as a car coolant. This has a sweet smell that attracts cats and dogs and undoubtedly impacts them.
- Brake fluid: Like antifreeze, brake fluids too impact cats and dogs. If your pet ingests this, it might cause kidney failure.
- Windshield fluid: This is poisonous for your dog. Like antifreeze, this too has a sweet smell. If your dog ingests, it can cause disorientation, and your dog might start throwing up.
Besides these, petroleum products, glue, and fertilizers stored in your garage are also dangerous for your pets.
💁Put away sharp objects
Obviously, sharp objects can hurt your pets. Thus, you need to keep your lawn mower or grass cutter away from your pet’s play area. This applies to any tools that might have sharp corners. It’s advisable to use tool covers when you are storing away tools. Not only will these protect your tools but also keep your pets safe.
💁Temperature
You should never compromise on your dog’s comfort; thus, controlling your garage’s temperature is crucial. You need to keep your dog cool during summer day, and thus proper ventilation is the need of the hour. Also keeping enough bowl of water is important too.
One way to keep your garage cool is by installing windows and keeping them open for cross ventilation during the summer months. Using a ceiling fan is also another inexpensive option that you can try to keep your garage cool.
In the winter months, however, heating the garage is equally important. It’s not advisable to keep your pet in an uninsulated garage. The temperature should be at least 10 degrees Celcius to keep your garage pet friendly.
💁Comfort
It’s crucial to ensure your dog’s comfort in the garage if you plan to leave them there for long. Besides, they should also not get bored in the garage. Thus, it’s recommended to have some toys and blankets around to keep your pup entertained.
Most often, dogs chew on things when bored, and if that is the case, they are likely to damage many items in your garage. However, you can avoid that by having some of their toys or chewable strewn around.
In addition to toys, have your dog bed and blankets in the garage too. This will make your dog feel comfortable and at home. You can also go for artificial grass, soft floor options, animal mats etc.
Finally, do not forget about sufficient food and put water bowl to keep your dog safe in the garage.
💁Screen door
Circling back to ventilation (since it’s of utmost importance), have a screen door in place if you plan to keep your dog in the garage for long hours. A screen door will provide sufficient ventilation and allow a view of the outside, which will keep your dog busy for a while.
If you have a screen door in your garage, you need not worry about installing additional windows, which is beneficial. Buying a screen door is also easy, and you need to worry about drilling on the wall to install these. A screen door will surely keep your garage pet friendly, comfortable and not cramp the space.
💁Other room access
It’s a bad idea to keep your dog locked in the garage. They should have access to other rooms in the house; the garage can only be used as a play area.
Even though you might have all that your dog needs stuffed in the garages, they must be allowed to go to the toilet if required.
While they must be allowed to go to other rooms, the entrance to the garage must be shut. Under no circumstance should your dog be outdoors without your vigilance.
Allowing the dog to go to other rooms will reduce the garage’s damage level, which is a plus.
💁Go eco-friendly
Locking out your tools and toxins is the first step to making a garage safe for your dogs. However, that is not all.
To ensure that your dog is safe in the garage, you need to make sure everything there is eco-friendly, and to do that, you need to inspect your garage closely.
You can clean your garage using eco-friendly detergents. Many detergents leave a toxic residue on the floor, so stay away from those. Many pet owners opt for greenwashing detergent to avoid strong smells or toxins.
The paint on your garage must also be eco-friendly. Thus opt for such options while painting the floor and the walls of your garage. This primarily applies if you have puppies at home. Since they tend to lick floors and walls, having eco-friendly paint is crucial.
💁Walk your dog
Even if you keep your dog in the garage, it’s not advisable to keep them there longer period of time. Dogs are by nature social and thus must be allowed to interact with other family members.
Yes, you can use the garage as a private area for your dog, but it cannot be used as a punishment place.
Additionally, take your dog out for a walk or a run on regular basis and stimulate them enough so that they don’t feel bored. off-leash dog park, nature park would be the best option in that case.
💁Use proper storage
Have proper storage in place if you want your garage to be pet friendly. When you have the things stored away properly, your pet will have lots of room to play around. With the dangerous chemicals and tools locked away, it’s a bliss for you and your dog.
Here are a few storage ideas that might come in handy:
Locked cabinets
Garage cabinets can store things properly, especially hazardous items. It’s best to lock away any toxins or petroleum products to keep them away from your pets.
Use height
If you don’t have lockable garage cabinets, use height to your advantage and lock away the dangerous things on a wall cabinet away from your dog’s reach.
Ideally, there should be sufficient space in your garage for your dog to play along without bumping into things.
Wrapping up:
Keeping your dog in the garage will not be difficult with all these tips and hacks. However, as mentioned earlier, it’s essential to stimulate your dog by taking them for regular walks and allowing them to socialize. Use the garage as a play area for your dog and not a place for punishment.
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