Halloween is a time for trick and treating and lots of ‘spooktacular’ fun, but for your dog, it can also be a scary time for your canine friend but with some careful preparation and planning, there is no reason why your dog can’t have a fabulous time too! Here are our expert tips for making Halloween safer for pets with these essential tips.
Keep harmful treats out of reach
All human chocolate is toxic to dogs at some level, whether it’s baking chocolate, dark chocolate, sugar-free chocolate or small amounts of milk chocolate. Chocolate consumption is hazardous for dogs and a real danger during the Halloween festivities. Sugar-free candy should not be fed to your dog either. Instead, choose delicious dog-friendly dog treats that your dog can enjoy safely.
What should I do if my dog eats chocolate on Halloween?
If your dog indulges in chocolate during Halloween, taking immediate action is essential. First, assess the situation by determining how much chocolate your dog has consumed and what type it was. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate are particularly toxic due to their higher theobromine content. Panicking won’t help either you or your dog. Take a deep breath and proceed to assess the situation logically. Check the packaging to determine the chocolate type and how much your dog ingested.
Call your vet immediately and give them details about the type and amount of chocolate ingested, as well as the size and breed of your dog. This will help them assess the risk and recommend the most appropriate action. If your veterinarian instructs, be ready to take your dog to the clinic. Bring along any packaging of the chocolate consumed so the vet can assess its toxicity more accurately.
Choose safe and comfortable costumes for your dog
There are hundreds of crazy costumes available to buy for dogs, but should you dress your dog up for Halloween? This depends on your dog’s temperament and your choice of costume. If you are planning to dress up your dog in pet costumes, make sure you choose a costume that is safe from costume accessories and that they could chew off, digest, or choke on. Unusual costumes that block your dog’s full view can result in a panicking dog, so keep your spooky costumes simple and allow your dog to get used to wearing the strange costume before putting them in the mix of a Halloween party or event. Remember that dogs can overheat, so if you are visiting friends and family, pop the costume on for arrival and remove it once everyone enjoys seeing your dog’s costume.
Prepare your home for Halloween festivities
If you are entertaining at home, ensure your dog cannot reach any food on the table and is supervised, as bowls of candy may prove too tempting for inquisitive noses! Keep candles and tea lights out of reach, especially at lower levels, such as in a carved pumpkin, which your dog might think are toys. Dogs with pumpkins are not a great combination!
Create a designated safe space for your pet
Children in costumes, loud noises and a busy home environment with lots of people can be stressful for your dog so create a safe space for your pet to retreat to in the quiet, without disturbance. Allowing your dog the luxury of a safe zone will ensure they don’t become overstimulated or anxious.
Monitor decorations for potential hazards
Costume accessories and eerie decorations can all be potential hazards for your dog. Battery-operated decorations and creepy decorations can all become too exciting for a playful puppy or dog and present a risk to your dog, so be mindful when decorating your home for Halloween.
Keep your dog on a lead during trick-or-treating
If your dog is happy encountering scary costumes, you may wish to venture out with the family, but keep your dog on a lead during trick or treating. Small children can be easy targets for stealing human treats from their growing stash of candy and tasty treats as you visit houses so be aware! If you don’t want your dog to miss out, carry some doggie sweet treats and reward them for good behaviour.
Ensure your dog has an updated identification tag
Keep your dog’s collar on with an identification tag at all times, even in the house over Halloween. Opening the door to trick-or-treaters may frighten a sensitive dog, and a distracted moment could be all your dog needs to slip out of the house, especially if you have guests over. Ensure your dog has an updated identification tag, especially if you have moved house or changed your number.
Manage your dog’s exposure to loud noises
If your dog is reactive to loud noises, take some time to train a positive association with sudden loud noises by playing them on a speaker at a very low level and rewarding your dog when they show no reaction to them. Over a week or so, slowly increase the volume and keep your sessions short and sweet. Training your dog to associate sudden loud noises with treats and playtime will help curb reactive or undesirable behaviour.
Provide distractions to keep your dog calm
If your dog finds Halloween stressful, keep to their routine and walk them during daylight hours to avoid encountering trick-or-treaters in scary costumes. In the evening, put on soothing music or the television and give them toys and treats with fun activities they enjoy to help distract them and keep them calm.
Consider a calming pet remedy if needed
There are some excellent calming pet remedies on the market, and we have used Pet Remedy on our dogs with much success. If your dog is frightened, you may want to speak to your vet about a medical sedative to help during this period.
Supervise interactions with children and guests
Always supervise your dog with children and guests. You want your guests to have a fabulous time and your dog to have an enjoyable time, too! Teasing the dog with a box of treats could result in a dog bite, so if you can’t keep one eye on your dog for the entire time, it is safer to shut them away with a special treat for a cosy night away from the busy atmosphere.
Respect your dog’s personal space and comfort level
If your dog is generally anxious, Halloween won’t be a fun time for them. Decode your dog’s body language to understand them better. Maintain your dog’s normal routine as much as possible; however, make slight adaptions to suit their personality over Halloween. Walking your dog before the dark nights draw in will help you avoid people in frightening costumes and fireworks. Halloween can be a terrifying time for dogs, so avoid busy times walking your dog and give them some lovely autumnal treats to look forward to, such as extra long walks in the park, playing ball in the autumn leaves and cosying up with you to watch a movie on the sofa.
