It's essential that you provide a safe environment for your new poodle. You don't want your puppy getting hurt — and you don't want your puppy hurting your things! Having a puppy around is not unlike having a toddler around. You need to take a look at your house, room by room, from a pup's-eye view. Think about the kind of trouble he might get into, and do your best to prevent it.

Living Areas

Start with the rooms where you spend a lot of time, like the living room, family room, and home office. If that's where you'll be, your poodle will want to spend time there too. Remember, until your pup is reliably housetrained, he needs to be supervised unless he's in his crate, exercise pen, or safe area.

Look at electrical cords. If any cords are accessible to a puppy, cover them with cord covers (made for childproofing) to prevent him from chewing on them. Or buy some aquarium tubing and cut it in half lengthwise to cover cords.

Put away all videocassette tapes and CD and DVD cases that a puppy could choose to chew on. The same goes for the remote controls — place them out of reach, and get into the habit of keeping them there. Unplug your paper shredder. As gruesome as it sounds, a dog's tongue can get caught in a shredder that turns on automatically.

Take an inventory of your houseplants, and make sure none of them would be dangerous if ingested by your dog. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center site lists plants that are poisonous to dogs — complete with plant descriptions and photographs. If some of your houseplants are on the list, turn them into hanging plants so they're out of your dog's reach, or give them away.

Bedrooms

Your poodle will want to sleep in the same room with you. All dogs love human companionship — poodles especially love it. You can keep your puppy safe in your bedroom at night by putting him in a crate with the door closed.

But what about when your pup is loose (supervised, of course) in your bedroom? Pups are attracted like magnets to dirty laundry, particularly dirty underwear. They love to carry it around and chew on it. So pick up your laundry, particularly if you don't want to have to replace your entire wardrobe. Shoes are great chew toys in the eyes of a teething puppy. Put them away, or risk having them chewed up.

Again, look for electrical cords that need covering, and keep remotes out of your puppy's reach. You might want to put away any candles as well. Teach your kids to put away the toys in their bedrooms if they don't want to share them with the poodle. Toys that have small parts, like Legos, can be particularly dangerous if eaten by a dog, so make sure those are kept out of reach.

Kitchen and Bathrooms

When puppy-proofing the kitchen and bathroom, make sure cleaning supplies are kept out of reach. If you store them under the sink, put childproof latches on the cupboards to keep your inquisitive puppy from opening the door. Remember, poodles are smart — and some will enjoy the challenge of getting into forbidden places!

Trashcans should not be left out in the open. Kitchen trash is full of delicious-smelling, but dangerous, stuff. Bathroom wastebaskets contain tempting tissues and potentially dangerous items, like disposable razors and used dental floss. Keep your trash in a closet, or use covered cans (tie the lid on with a bungee cord if necessary).

You may find that your puppy likes to unroll the toilet paper. If so, just put it out of reach, if possible, until your pup grows out of that particular hobby.

Garage Safety

A poodle (or any other dog) can get into some real mischief in the garage. One of the most dangerous hazards of the garage is spilled antifreeze. Most antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, which is deadly to dogs — as little as a teaspoon can cause acute kidney failure, and even death, in a Toy Poodle. Unfortunately, it also tends to be very attractive to dogs, due to its sweet smell and taste. Make sure the garage is absolutely free of antifreeze. Remember that it is also contained in some windshield-wiper fluids. Change or add antifreeze away from the garage, and be careful not to spill it. Also clean up any oil leaks. You don't want your poodle walking through oil and then licking his paws.

Fertilizers, lawn chemicals, and lawn equipment can be dangerous to your dog. Don't let your puppy eat any lawn products. And keep him away from the sharp equipment like scythes, shovels, and trowels. If you have a workbench in the garage, be sure to pick up any nails or screws that fall to the floor.

The Great Outdoors

The most important safety feature for your yard is a fence. The fence should be tall enough to keep your poodle in when he's full grown. Electronic (or “invisible”) fences work via an underground cable that transmits a shock to the dog through a special collar he must wear. They are not 100-percent reliable. They allow other animals into your yard. And your smart poodle might soon figure out that once he passes over the barrier, the pain stops. And then he'd be hurt coming back into his yard. It's safer to fence your yard with a regular fence. If you're concerned about looks, you might look into the “virtually invisible” Friendly Fence offered by Benner's Gardens, Inc.

Tying out your poodle on a cable or chain is also not a good idea. Poodles want to be with you when you're home, and when you're not, your poodle is better off inside the house in his safe room or crate. Being tied out is very frustrating for dogs, since they can see other animals or people they want to get to, yet they're not able to reach them. Children can tease your poodle and drive him into a barking frenzy. That's not to say that your poodle shouldn't spend time in your yard. Provided you have a fence, your yard can be a wonderful playground for the two of you.

To keep your yard safe, pull up any mushrooms that you see. Stay on top of this one — your poodle might not be very discriminating about what he eats. Steer clear of lawn chemicals, which have been implicated in cancer — remember, your dog licks his paws — and either eliminate any toxic plants from your garden, or completely block access to those plants.