How To Make Your Dog Feel At Home

January 5, 2022

Photo credit: blue_heeler 

To make your dog feel safe and secure and part of the family, it’s important to create a pet friendly zone where they can hang out when you’re not at home. 

Dogs feel more comfortable in small, cozy spaces as it taps into their wild instinct of living in a den with the rest of the pack. A safe place where they can’t get into trouble and is quiet enough to get some shut-eye is what they need most. 

Whether you live in an apartment or a house, there are many stylish and creative ways to incorporate your dog’s lifestyle into your decor. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Create a Mudroom

A laundry room or kitchen with a door leading out to the garden makes an ideal mudroom and space for Fido to come and go. You can outfit the room with shelves and hooks for leashes, towels, doggie coats, poop bags and somewhere to sit down. Everything you need for walking your dog and wiping them down in bad weather. 

Not only does a mudroom keep Rover from tracking dirt into your house, it makes an ideal sanctuary for your dog when you have to go out for a few hours. 

A Dog’s Living Space 

Wherever you hang out, your dog will want to hang out. So let’s make it comfortable for him and easy for you to keep clean and uncluttered. Here are a few design tips:

- Use colourful, stain-resistant throws and fabrics to protect your upholstery from dog hair and dirt. Better yet, get a doggie couch designed especially for your pooch.   

- Buy end tables that double as a dog house. If you provide a safe, quiet place for your dog to rest their head, you’ll have a better chance of keeping them off the couch. 

- Include your dog’s toy box as a design element in your living space. For example, keep their toys in the ottoman, search antique shops for vintage crates or use handmade pots or baskets to keep their toys. Whatever works with your decor.

Match your Dog to your Colour Scheme

This is quite simple, really. If you have a golden retriever, known for shedding a lot, buy carpets and furnishings to match the colour of their fur. The same is true for all breeds. Blonde fur is going to be more noticeable on dark-coloured flooring. Not to say that you want to hide the dirt, but you don’t want to draw attention to it either.

There are lots of stylish things you can do to include your dog in your living space. So get creative and have fun with it. Designing a space especially for your dog is as exciting as decorating the baby’s nursery and equally as important!