Dogs are curious by nature, and lacking hands with opposable thumbs, they test anything and everything with their mouths, biting or chewing objects to see how they taste or feel and whether they might be good to eat or fun to gnaw on. Your pug puppy might be small, but he can do a lot of damage if left to entertain himself. Pug mischief includes ripping the cover off the end of a mattress, ripping the carpet away from the wall, chewing up eyeglass frames, shredding bathmats, tearing up throw rugs, and ransacking the bathroom wastebasket in search of used tissues. Prepare your home accordingly before he arrives.

Pug-proofing your home involves getting down on your hands and knees and looking at things from a pug-level perspective. This will help you spot all the hazards a puppy might think to investigate. Anything below eighteen inches will catch your pug's eye. Things that will attract a puppy's attention include shoes, shoelaces, electrical cords, and chair legs, especially if they have interesting shapes. Conduct this search in each room of your house and take steps to protect your home by putting things you value — or that would be dangerous to a dog — well out of reach. Let's take a look and see what potential hazards you might find in each room.

Living Room, Family Room, and Home Office

Check for dangling cords from lamps, televisions, stereos, computers, and any other electrical appliances. Wrap cords with tough plastic cable ties and place them out of reach if possible. Otherwise, coat them with Bitter Apple, a bad-tasting liquid that encourages your pug to chew elsewhere. You may also want to place something solid in front of an outlet with a plugged-in cord, such as a chair or a small but heavy chest.

Other items to keep out of reach include toys, knickknacks, glass frames, photo albums, sewing materials, pens and pencils, books, eyeglasses, and cameras. Don't leave anything down low that you don't want tooth marks on or that you don't want to disappear down your pug's gullet. Wrap furniture legs in aluminum foil or coat them with Bitter Apple. Remind your kids not to leave their homework lying in reach.

A number of common houseplants can cause toxic reactions if they're eaten, ranging from mouth irritation or upset stomach to respiratory problems or even death. Among the plants that are known to be toxic are the following:

• Asparagus fern

• Boston ivy

• Caladium

• Calla lily

• Dieffenbachia (dumb cane)

• Elephant's ear

• Mother-in-law plant

• Philodendron

• Pothos

Check with your veterinarian or a local poison control center for a more complete list. Most dogs love nibbling on green things and digging in dirt, so put plants out of reach, even if they're not toxic — unless you don't mind finding piles of dirt on the floor or having your pug throw up the leaves he's eaten.

Bedrooms

Your pug will seek out anything that smells like you. Shoes and dirty clothes on the floor are an open invitation for a puppy to chew on or drag into the living room while your mother-in-law is visiting. Your pug will think it's a fine idea to run through the living room with your underwear on his head while you have company. Keep laundry and shoes behind closed doors or otherwise out of reach. Do you have things stored under the bed? Your puppy will crawl under there to go exploring. Put storage boxes and any breakables or valuables up high.

Kitchen and Bathrooms

Keep cleansers and medications up high or behind cabinets with child locks. Child locks on kitchen and bathroom cabinets will prevent your pug from getting into such items as stored food, cosmetics, paper towels, and toilet paper. Don't leave toilet paper dangling. Your pug is not above grabbing the end of it and running with it through the house or rolling himself up in it like a mummy.

Make sure trashcans are securely covered or located in areas where they can't be tipped over or climbed into. You don't want your puppy eating twist ties, rubber bands, cellophane wrappers, poultry skin, fat trimmings from meat, or bones. Unplug and put away blow dryers and curling irons after use so your pug doesn't pull them down on his head or electrocute himself by chewing on them.

Garages, Basements, and Attics

Garages contain chemical hazards such as antifreeze, cleansers, fertilizer, glue, paint, pesticides, strippers, and turpentine. Put tools away, especially those with a sharp edge, and close or seal boxes tightly so they can't be climbed into. Store chemicals up high or behind closed doors, and clean up any oil spots or antifreeze drips. Antifreeze, which is highly toxic, has a sweet taste that dogs find appealing. It takes less than a tablespoon of antifreeze to kill a pug if he's not treated in time. Suspect antifreeze poisoning if your pug appears disoriented, drunk or wobbly, and vomits or seems depressed. Any time you suspect antifreeze poisoning, rush your dog to the veterinarian. The antidote, if given in time, can save his life.

Automatic garage doors can be dangerous. Before you flick the button to close the door, be sure you know where your puppy is. Dogs can be crushed beneath the door if they don't make it out of the way in time.

Many dogs enjoy snacking out of the cat's litter box. If your cat's litter box is in the garage, consider getting a cover for it or placing the box in an area that's accessible to the cat but not the dog, such as behind a baby gate with a small hole cut in the bottom. Your cat will be able to slip through, but the dog won't fit.

All kinds of things are stored in basements and attics, from old clothes and toys to poisons and traps for pests. It's best to deny your pug access to these areas. If that's not possible, place dangerous or special items out of reach.

Yard

Search your yard for such hazards as poisonous plants, holes in fences, sharp or pointed edges along fencing, poisonous bait laid out for pests, or tools lying around. Repair or board up any holes in fencing that a puppy could wriggle through, and sand down sharp edges. Fix broken locks so gates close securely. Remove or repair loose wire that could entangle a pup or poke him in the eye. Take up bait and put away fertilizers and pesticides. Return hoses, tools, and any toys the kids have left lying around to their proper places.

The bulbs, leaves, and berries of a number of plants commonly found in yards can cause gastrointestinal upset, irritation, respiratory problems, skin reactions, and even death if they're eaten. Remove them or make sure your pug can't get to them. Toxic plants include the following:

• Azalea

• Buttercup/daffodil

• Chrysanthemum

• Delphinium

• Jasmine

• Monkey pod

• Oleander

• Tomato vine

• Wisteria

• Yew tree

Check with your veterinarian or a local poison control center for a more complete list.

Some pugs are diggers. To prevent them from digging beneath chain link fence, buy a roll of chicken wire or wire garden fencing with square holes. Cut it into long strips about two inches wide and use wire to fasten them to the bottom of the chain link. Aluminum wire is relatively inexpensive and won't rust. Be sure to clip any rough ends of the wire so your pug doesn't cut himself. Cover the pieces of fence that lie on the ground with several inches of dirt, or use stone for a border. If you use dirt, you can plant grass over the area so it looks nice.

Pugs are garden connoisseurs and will happily nibble on your strawberries or tomatoes. To prevent this, place picket fencing, chicken wire, or some other barrier around them. If that's not practical, confine your pug to a wire exercise pen or build a dog run. A good-size yard pen for a pug that will be supervised consists of four-foot-high chain link with a strip of eighteen-inch chicken wire around the outside bottom so he can't dig out. A run where your pug can play without supervision should be long enough to give him plenty of sniffing area and at least six feet high or covered to keep him from escaping. Remember that pugs are sensitive to heat, so place a pen or run in an area that always has shade, and provide a source of water that can't be tipped over. Never leave your pug outdoors for long periods in hot weather. He's just not built for it.