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Trick-or-Treating With Your Dog

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Trick-or-Treating Safety Tips for Dog

Dog Costume
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As Halloween festivities begin to pick up, it’s time to decide if your dog will be attending these festivities too. Should you bring your dog along on Halloween trick or treating? Should your dog take part in answering the ringing doorbell for monster and goblin trick or treaters? Let’s discuss simple Halloween safety tips for dogs.

It’s best to keep dogs at home. Dogs can react to small children wearing odd costumes and masks or children and adults stumbling around in the darkness. If your dog is fearful and has any type of anxiety, it’s best to leave him at home. If you’re leaving your dog alone at home, I recommend reading this article. If you do decide to bring your dog along, take a few precautions.

Dog wears a collar with a current ID tag

I know you’ve heard this before, but make sure your dog is wearing a flat buckle collar with a current ID tag attached to the collar. You never know what can happen. If your dog is frightened, his ID tag will identify him when found.

Always leashed, and a parent is holding the leash

Keep your dog leashed at all times, and a parent should hold the other end of the leash not a child. This will prevent your dog from bolting if he becomes afraid, such as when children walk up really fast in strange costumes.

Keep a safe distance

When trick or treaters knock on neighbors’ doors, keep a safe distance with your dog. Sometimes, the door will open with several loud people wearing costumes or your neighbor will try to scare the children. Other times, neighbors will open the door and their pets may not be friendly. When in doubt, keep your leashed dog about 6 feet from the front door.

Simple is best for costumes

Dogs have a difficult time walking in many costumes, either store bought or homemade. If you insist on dressing up your dog, keep it simple, such as a festive Halloween bandana with reflective tape (a black dog is hard to see at night). They want to have fun too so keep the lavish Halloween costumes for you and the children. 🙂

Happy Halloween!

Leaving Your Dog Home

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Dog Halloween Tips

Dog Halloween Tips
*Yawn* I’ll stay home. Have fun!

Many of us have plans for Halloween night either trick or treating with children, handing out candy or attending a party so it’s time to make plans for your dog. Learn one of the most important safety dog Halloween tips if you decide to keep your dog home.

Crate Your Dog

While Halloween is fun, some dogs are uncomfortable with the doorbell ringing constantly, knocks on the door, children running around with strange costumes, loud “Trick or treat” being randomly screamed, and even fireworks. Halloween is a big deal!

RELATED: Training Dogs Polite Greeting Behavior

To keep your dog safe from all the Halloween shenanigans, it’s best to crate your dog for Halloween night if you intend to partake in all the Halloween fun. Even if you’re hosting a party, it’s nice for dogs to meet and greet everyone, then give them some relaxing time to themselves in their crates. If you prefer not to crate your dog, then at least confine him to one room far away from all the distractions with doors securely closed.

Before the Halloween festivities begin:

  1.  Walk your dog for 30 minutes before trick or treating begins (usually before dusk).
  2. Give your dog his evening meal and potty him before festivities begin.
  3. Fill a food stuffed toy. See my favorite Halloween Kong stuffing recipe here. Hint: It’s Halloween Pumpkin Spice!
  4. Choose a classical radio station or CD, and turn the volume to 1/3 of the way up. You should easily be able to hear the music without it being too loud. Dogs have very sensitive hearing  so, when in doubt, turn it down a bit 🙂
  5. Turn on a lamp or nightlight so you can peep in and make sure everything is okay without turning on the main lights. This works well too if flashing lights from fireworks frighten your dog.
  6. Give your dog a Halloween food stuffed toy to enjoy inside his securely closed crate. Make sure to crate your dog indoors in a room farthest from the front door so he’s not disturbed by the local trick or treaters ringing the doorbell.
  7. Enjoy Halloween!

When you return home, if Halloween madness is still in full swing, potty your dog on leash. Many pet parents frown at this safety suggestion, as they have an enclosed backyard, but I’ve seen many dogs become spooked by loud fireworks, screams or Halloween toys jumping up and making noises, which has caused numerous dogs to jump over fences or crash through gates.

For Halloween, let’s take a bit more precaution. 🙂

Happy Halloween! Tell me about your Halloween plans. I’d love to hear from you!

You may also like: Halloween Safety Tips for Dogs

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