With the rental laws regarding pet ownership in Queensland changing as of October 1st, statistically about 31.7% of you might’ve found yourself thinking: “Hmm, I’ve always wanted a puppy, but I own way too many awesome, cool gadgets and technology that they might destroy in the process of them growing up. How on Earth could I stop such a thing?”

Well, you probably didn’t think it in so many words, but puppy-proofing your home office, console corner or gaming rig isn’t really difficult if you know some handy tricks. Let’s explore a couple of options to make sure your pooch doesn’t go eating a live 240V cable and tripping the safety switch.

CABLES

Speaking of cables, get those things up off the ground. Realistically, they should all be off the ground if it’s cable managed correctly, but puppies will find their way up to have a quick snack of electricity pretty quickly. So hide them all away if possible; furniture like bookcases, carpet runners and filing cabinets work wonders, as do zip ties and commercial cable sheaths (pets are more likely to chew loose cables).

If you can’t HIDE them, you can coat your copious cables with lemon juice, hot sauce or pepper mixed with some water. One lick and they should learn their lesson. Or just don’t let them under your desk.

COMPUTERS

So you’ve brought a furbaby into your home, and everything’s working wonders. They love being with you, you love them to absolute bits, life is how it should be. But you’ve noticed your computer is struggling in games it never did before, might even be super slow to open the Start Menu and it seems to be running hotter than usual too.

The moment you bring a pet into a home, maintenance of your devices becomes paramount. Animals shed hair, and a lot of it depending on the breed and species, so routine maintenance should be effectively doubled. That is, if you usually clean out your computer of dust every 6 months, consider doing it every three months, as hair mixed with dust isn’t the most pleasant thing to be breathing in (remember the filters!). Same thing for laptops, give the vents a good spray with a can of compressed air and you should be good to go.

TRAINING

If you work from home, chances are you’re probably the tiredest you’ve ever been after bringing home a bundle of joy that slowly turned into the hardest project you’ve ever had to manage. Juggling that WITH work just seems like a stretch, right?

This is where good training comes into play. If you’re currently struggling with the classic “dog-won’t-get-off-my-feet” thing, they’re only looking for a place that’s comfy and close. Give them an alternative in the form of a comfy bed and constantly surround it with treats, pets and toys. Make sure to give them lots of love and positive reinforcement when they’re on it instead of at your feet. They’ll very quickly associate you working and the bed as relaxing and positive and in time will chill with you while you work instead of going for that half-eaten sandwich in the trash you forgot about. Just don’t get so absorbed in your work that you forget about toilet breaks.

OTHER TECH

So we’ve gone over what we can do with computers, but what about that brand new 60” 4K TV? The same kind of stuff as above applies. Get cables up and hidden (connect your smart TVs with WiFi if possible), elevate as many things as possible (wall mount the TV if your landlord approves) and always keep your wireless controllers charged (invest in a controller dock for your preferred console controllers). 

If you’re using an old PC as a media centre, nice. Also consider investing in a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo. There’s a bunch of different options out there, but keep whichever one you choose up high, too.

Hopefully these tips help some of you first-time pet parents navigate through the magical world of puppyhood and ensure they don’t hurt themselves around your RGB-powered monster of a computer. And if you’re wondering why I cared to write this blog post?

I need a nap.