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Halloween is a frighteningly fun holiday for our families! However, for our furry family members, it can be dreadfully frightening and not so fun. Therefore, following a few Halloween tips for dogs can make the holiday a little less frightening.
If you have an anxiety ridden dog, then you know how Halloween can be downright scary and stressful. One of my dogs suffers from anxiety, so these Halloween tips for dogs are a necessity.
Furthermore, Halloween can be dangerous for dogs, so the safety precautions in these tips is a must. Trick or treat, but keeping your dog safe doesn’t have to be tricky. Plus, these Halloween tips for dogs are a treat for dog parents!
5 Halloween Tips for Dogs to Help With Stress
These first three Halloween tips for dogs will help with stress and anxiety. The last two tips will help you keep your dog safe this holiday.
1- Be Costume Conscious
There are some dogs out there who absolutely love to dress up! For instance, my friend’s dog, Jerry, adores being in hats, scarves, and various garments! And Jerry suffers from traumatic anxiety. Maybe the outfits make him feel more secure. Who knows? But his mom says he prances around in outfits like he is super proud. This makes me laugh!
Maybe you also have a dog who loves dressing up! Therefore, costumes can be super fun. Plus, they make great social media photos. I mean, who doesn’t love looking at all of the adorable dogs in their Halloween costumes?
However, for most anxiety ridden dogs, a costume causes more stress. So it is important to know if your dog enjoys dressing up like Jerry does. If you aren’t sure then have your dog try on the costume before Halloween night.
You will know if he or she seems distressed by noticing any abnormal behavior. Therefore, you can consider letting your dog wear nothing or sport a fun bandana instead.
The ASPCA recommends that you don’t put your dog or cat in a costume unless you know he or she loves it.
On the other hand, if your dog enjoys it then there are some safety precautions to consider.
- Comfy is best
- Doesn’t restrict movement, breathing, hearing or sight
- Check costume for small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces to avoid choking
- Make sure it will not get twisted on your dog or external objects that could lead to injury
- Be wary of costumes that use rubber bands to stay in place to avoid choking or intestinal injury if swallowed
2- Minimize the Noise
If your dog suffers from anxiety, then children in costumes screaming with excitement will be stressful or confusing. Plus, a doorbell ringing can upset or excite an anxiety ridden dog.
Therefore, consider disabling your doorbell for the evening. Or, at least cover it with a friendly note asking little visitors to knock for their treats. In addition, consider setting up a motion detector to know when trick-or-treaters are approaching your door.
My dog goes crazy when he hears a doorbell ring, so our doorbell is on permanent disconnection! Furthermore, we continuously work on this by following these ideas, because even a television doorbell sets him off.
Now This Is Something To Bark About!!
Another noise minimizing idea is to keep your dog in a separate room. For instance, create a safe space away from the front door during peak trick-or-treating hours.
In reality, only the most social dogs should be near all of the commotion at the front door. For instance, your anxiety ridden dog may find the visitors terrifying and dart through the open door.
Furthermore, even if your dog doesn’t suffer from anxiety, he or she may feel the need to protect. And, you don’t want one of your spooky guests to be bitten.
3 – Greet and Treat Outdoors
In addition to a ringing doorbell, knocking on the door can upset your dog. Plus, a door opening and closing continuously to noisy people can be stressful for your dog.
Therefore, consider sitting outside to greet your trick-or-treaters. If the weather permits, you can hand out treats outdoors to avoid the noise at the door.
Have you heard of trunk-or-treat? It involves a community coming together in a parking lot with open, decorated car trunks. Children can trick-or-treat out of the trunks in a safe environment.
So, an idea for greeting your trick-or-treaters outdoors is to revamp your car trunk and driveway. What a treat this could be for your spooky, little visitors!
Safety Halloween Tips for Dogs
Being aware of the dangers this holiday can bring is essential as a dog parent. For instance, the treats you are handing out can pose a few threats to your dog. Plus, your dog is safer indoors from possible pranksters who might cause them harm.
4- Candy and Toys Beware
As pet parents, we know chocolate and any food containing xylitol can cause serious problems for our dogs. Halloween is all about candy and lots of it! Furthermore, extra candy is around the house before and after Halloween.
Therefore, it is imperative to be extra attentive to make sure your dog doesn’t get into it. Both chocolate and other sweets are tempting for your dog. So, keep the candy bowl on a high shelf in between trick-or-treaters.
Furthermore, make sure your kids don’t leave their candy “haul” where your dog can find it. In addition, there will be dropped candy and wrappers on lawns and streets for several days after Halloween. Therefore, be observant while walking your dog.
Candy isn’t the only treat handed out at Halloween. For instance, small toys will come home in your child’s “loot” bag too. These small toys can present a choking hazard for your dog.
Furthermore, the glow sticks that help kids with safety in the dark can be appealing to your dog. If your dog happens to puncture one, it will be a scary moment to witness. Although glow sticks are labeled as non-toxic, they do have an extremely bitter taste.
Therefore, your dog may begin drooling and racing around the house, because the taste is so bitter. Giving her or him a dog treat or sip of milk usually stops the taste reaction.
5 – Keep Your Dog Inside
The safest place for your dog to be on Halloween night is inside your home. Furthermore, if you have an “outdoor” dog, then they should come indoors, too.
The last thing you want is for your dog to fall victim to a vicious prankster. For instance, there are many stories of pranks consisting of teasing, injuring, stealing, and even killing unattended dogs.
In addition to keeping your dog inside, keep them away from the front door. With a front door frequently opening, your dog could sneak out. Many dogs will go missing on Halloween night.
For instance, it is the second most common holiday for pets to go missing, right behind the 4th of July. Therefore, make sure your dog’s ID tags and microchip are up to date. This will increase your chances of reuniting with your dog if he or she goes missing.
In Conclusion
Following these tips will help keep your dog stress-free and safe this holiday. These 5 Halloween tips for dogs are summarized below in a handy infographic you can download and print.
Treat your dog this Halloween by making one of our yummy recipes.
How do you keep your dog safe at Halloween? We would love to read about it in the comments.
You can use one of the following images to pin to Pinterest.
