Your pet’s preferences might be different from your own. That is why it is essential to make sure that your home can accommodate you, your family, and your pets as well. You can send your big dogs to a dog trainer to ensure proper behavior from your dogs at home, but there’s more you can do.
Study shows that most homeowners have ventured on preparing their homes for the comfort and safety of their pets. Whether you’re just about to bring home a furry friend or you’ve been living with one for a couple of years now, simple home renovations that can make your pets’ lives easier and more comfortable will be worth it in the long run.
You may even notice how you, as a pet owner, can benefit from it as well. Having a large dog in the house may also need more maintenance and care. Thus, having home renovations to cater to your dog’s needs can help make your life as a pet owner incredibly easier. Here are some ways to prepare your home to become the perfect pet paradise for your large furry friends.
Make sure they fit through their dog doors
Most built-in dog doors in houses may be too small or too narrow for a dog of their size. Ensuring your dog can fit in through their own doors is a vital renovation project you can undertake. Measuring your dog’s size and incorporating it into your new dog door is essential. This is to avoid finding yourself having to do more renovations when your dog struggles to get in and out of your home. Primarily, you should find out and identify the perfect spot that can conveniently help your dog get in and out of the house.
When looking into dog door installations, it is best to consider the features that it comes with. Other than the size, essential elements are security and insulation. A bigger dog door might allow different animals to get into your home as well. Having security features that can only let your dog get in and out of your house is crucial. For insulation, having a well-insulated dog door can contribute to your home’s energy-efficiency as your place is well-ventilated.
Dog-proof your floors
Your home’s floors are the most affected part of your house when you have a large dog. For homeowners with hardwood flooring, maintenance might be a big concern as their pets leave behind big scratches or stains as they play around or urinate. Homeowners should consider polishing hardwood floors beforehand to avoid permanent stains and scratches. Stains and scratches that are not immediately given attention may leave permanent damage, forcing you to completely get rid of your current flooring for a new one.
For homeowners who could not be bothered to maintain and fix hardwood floors, opting for concrete or tiles may be a better option. You could even install radiant heat flooring for energy-efficiency and comfortability. On the other hand, carpeting your floors may be the worst idea for homeowners with large dogs since it’s challenging and tiring to clean.
Shelves and racks
Large dog breeds, in particular, will need bigger harnesses, leashes, toys, towels, and so much more items for pet care. Having these items sprawled all around the house without a specific storage space can turn your home into a cluttered, suffocating mess. Pet items and toys will surely take up a lot of space, especially when your home or apartment is not that big. To solve this situation, you as a homeowner can easily install storage spaces in the form of shelves or racks so that you can have an area dedicated to your pet essentials.
Feeding areas
Having big dogs will mean a bigger dog bowl since they eat twice as much as a normal-sized dog. Having bigger dog bowls for food and water will take up more space. Moreover, it can cause an even bigger mess when household members accidentally knock them over while moving around the area.
A convenient renovation project to consider is installing feeding areas by finding spots where you can strategically place food bowls out of one’s way. An example of this is the dog bowl nook that Architect Oliver Freundlich created. This feature can ultimately save more space and prevent you from wasting your time mopping up the mess you’ve made by knocking over your dog’s food and water.
Overall, you can say that caring for a large dog breed can be a handful. However, with the convenient home renovation projects mentioned above, you’ll soon be able to provide the best treatment for your furry friend without putting in a large amount of effort. These renovations can effectively lead you to an overall better living experience with your pet dogs at home.
