Halloween Spooks
Help your dog have a stress-free Halloween by keeping dress up to a minimum!
No tricks, just treats.
Halloween is a fun time of year for the whole family—but your dog may not appreciate the family fun as much as you hope they will.
Halloween marks one of my absolute favorite times of the year. The leaves are changing, we are finally enjoying a chill in the air, and there are lots of fun, and spooky, decorations to be displayed.
Many dogs have a few struggles as we go through the spooky season. To cap it off, Halloween night looks incredibly different than anything else your dog may have ever seen. Ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and the dreaded doorbell—oh my!
As dog guardians, our job is to help keep our dogs’ stress levels low! A main part of this is recognizing what areas may be a struggle and being as proactive as possible to help make our dogs feel more comfortable.
Skip the full-blown costume and opt for a Halloween photo of your dog and some cute props, instead!
Here are six tips to help your dog have a low-stress Halloween!
Don’t force your dog to walk by scary yard decorations.
Your dog has never seen crazy blow-up decorations if this is their first Halloween! Or, your older dog may be more experienced with the decorations and have had a negative encounter with one that detects motion and makes nose and moves, leading to elevated feelings of fear when they encounter the decorations on walks. Whatever the case for your dog may be, respect their need for distance from these decorations on walks. Watch their body language (check out this great handout about canine body language by Lili Chin) and if anything indicates fear, anxiety, or stress, cross the street or go the other way. Do not force your dog to interact with the thing they find scary, no matter how insignificant you think it is!
If you want to dress up your dog, now is the time to practice.
Pair treats with the appearance of your dog’s Halloween costume and once they are comfortable with it coming out of the bag, slowly practice putting the pieces of the costume on, always treating liberally to help create a positive conditioned emotional response to wearing the costume pieces. If your dog is struggling or running away at the sight of the costume, ditch the costume and opt for something simpler like a spooky bandana instead! Remember, the costume is for your enjoyment, not your dogs. Don’t force it!
Leave your dog home from trick-or-treating!
The sights and sounds of Halloween night are incredibly different from any other day of the year and can cause a lot of fear, anxiety, and stress for your dog. Leave your dog at home when you take your kids trick-or-treating. It will reduce the stress for your dog and you’ll only have to manage your sugar-crazed kids!
Set up a safe space for your dog.
Create a safe room or space for your dog so that they can enjoy a relaxing evening away from the door. Use white noise or the television to dull out the noises from outside. Provide your dog with a stuffed KONG or other tasty, long-lasting treat to keep them busy while your family is out trick-or-treating or handing out candy.
Hand out candy from your driveway or porch.
The constant ringing of the doorbell and in and out of strangers in costumes can be quite upsetting to most dogs. Set up a station to hand out candy on your porch or in your driveway to keep trick-or-treaters away from your house and doorbell.
Turn off the porch light and disable your smart doorbell.
If your dog needs extra support during trick-or-treating, consider staying home with them. Turn off your porch lights and disable your smart doorbell. Make it a comfy movie night with your four-legged friends so they don’t know there is a lot of commotion outside. Your dog needs your support more than your neighbor’s kids need candy.
Your dog may be the friendliest dog in the world, but an unknown person in a strange Halloween costume may be enough to send them running in fear. You know your dog best! Now is the time to plan your setup to allow your dog the most stress-free Halloween possible!
Do you need extra help with your fearful dog in northern Virginia?
Contact me to get started training your Wonderdog!