Pets are our best friends. They bring us joy and happiness and a lot of memories. If you wish to buy or adopt a pet, you need to think about their living space. Some pets are best only for those living in a house with easy access to the outside, but some are fine to be in an apartment. However, don’t forget to consider who else lives in the home: elderly people, small children or you might even be considering taking in a lodger at some point. Consider their wishes and views about having a pet too.

But today we want to talk about the most efficient tips for designing a pet-friendly house. Here is how to turn your home into a pleasant environment for your furry little friends!

Create a door for your pet

If you have watched at least one movie about dogs or cats, you know that the front door needs to have a pet entrance. Those cute flappy doors that your pet uses to go outside or come inside are the first change you want to make.

Besides being cute, this improvement is also very efficient. If the pet feels the need to go outside to the front yard, that does not require your action.

You also need a pet-friendly front yard and backyard

While doing stylish renovations in your backyard is an exciting process, you also need to think about making it pet-friendly. Both the backyard and front yard are your pet’s playground.

Your priority should be to keep your yard toxin-free. So, plant pet-friendly herbs:

• wormwood;
• rosemary;
• fleawort;
• tansy;
• sweet bay.

None of these plants are dangerous for pets. Furthermore, they are natural flea repellants.

Also, it would be best if you had a nice patch of shade in your yard. For example, dogs do not sweat. They need a shady corner to cool off during hot days. You can also add a dipping pool or install a sprinkler system to help them cool down.

Be specific when picking furniture

Choosing the right sofa for your home takes some time. First, you need to consider the color, size, and shape. Also, the style needs to match the rest of the room.

If you own a pet, you need to add another factor. That is the chewability or scratchability of the furniture. We all know that pets like to chew and scratch furniture whenever they get a chance. Have this in mind when buying furniture for any room where your pet will have access. Furniture is like a treat to them, so don’t be angry at your pet if it destroys your beautiful sofa. Just move it somewhere else, out of their reach.

Create a room for your pet

When the cold days come, it is best to have a dedicated area for your pet inside the house. This is not a problem if you have a cat. However, if you have a dog, it is best to free up some storage space.

If you are moving in and planning to remodel the home, think about making this change immediately.

This area should have a clear way to the door, enough air, a place to sleep, and bowls for food and water. You can also throw in an old, warm blanket inside.

Make jumping easier

When your pet gets older, climbing on the bed will be more difficult. Dogs, especially small ones, cannot climb that well when they get older. If you allow your pets on the bed or a sofa, consider placing lower ottomans next to it, so they can easily climb.

Be ready to deal with pet hair

Pet hair is probably the most significant issue around the house. Both cats and dogs can leave insane amounts of hair on your furniture and your carpet. You can buy those handy rollers with sticky tape on top to pick up the hair.

Also, we already spoke about choosing pet-friendly furniture. Some materials are easier to clean than others. An additional option is to use covers. Instead of washing the sofa, you can remove the cover, wash it, and put it back. Remember to buy a few covers, so you always have one on the sofa while the other is washing.

You will need to vacuum regularly

When living with a pet, be ready to vacuum every day. This is simply a must because of all the hair and dust bunnies. If you make it a part of your daily routine, you will get used to it over time.

How to deal with the smell

While cats don’t have an unpleasant smell, this is not the case for dogs. Anyone who has lived with a dog at least once in their lifetime knows how dogs can smell sometimes.

Besides regularly washing your dog, it is a good idea to place air fresheners all around the house. This way, your home can always smell fresh.

Moving with your pet

If you are moving into a new house, moving with a pet can cause additional stress. To avoid complications, you want to organize a pet-friendly relocation.

To prepare your pet for relocation, do a little tour of the house before the moving day. Let them see the house, wander around, and familiarize themselves with it. Pets don’t like sudden changes, and this is the best way to handle the problem.

It would be best to have a pet bag packed with pet toys, food, and a pet blanket.

After the relocation, give your pet a tour of the house and the neighborhood. Do this slowly, and let them explore. If you want to make any parts of the place inaccessible for your pet, this is the time to do it.

Designing a pet-friendly house requires time and patience

Take your time when designing a pet-friendly house. As you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider. Follow these steps, and you should be ready to deal with any situation that arises. Pets require extra care, and they need a place for themselves. You need to provide it, so their quality of life is the same as yours.