How to set your dog up for a safe and spook-free Halloween
Avoid a spooky Halloween by ensuring your dog’s ID tag, microchip details and your information is all up to date and correct. This is to ensure you and your dog can be easily reunited just they get spooked and run away. Your dog’s microchip gives them a permanent identity. You can check online or at your local vet clinic.
On the day itself, be sure to keep your dog away from the open front door and away from trick or treaters. Many dogs react and bark to the doorbell anyway and with the addition of people in scary costumes and noisy bangers taking place outside, dogs can spook and flea easily. Be sure to keep them in a quiet room behind closed doors and stairgates with a food puzzle, lickimat or long lasting chew.
Licking, chewing and sniffing are natural decompression and self soothing activities so any interactive toys or chews that allow your dog to engage in these natural activities allows them to calm and relax. Stock up and provide them with lots of calming enrichment in quiet rooms during trick or treating periods.
Set up a quiet den for your dog in a crate or behind the sofa with a cost bed and blanket over the top to provide a calm, safe space. Reinforce this area ahead of time by ‘feeding the bed’ dropping treats on it to reinforce the idea to your dog that this is a really fun and rewarding place to be. Encourage relaxed positions like ‘sit’ and ‘lie down’ on the bed and provide enrichment here with long lasting chews, lickimats and stuffed food puzzles. We encourage the skill of settling in the desired area when we don’t need them to do so it’s already a learned and reinforced skill for when we do need them to.
Avoid dressing your dog up in costumes. These can be downright terrifying for your dog and restrict their natural movement and create a truly scary experience especially if there is trailing or loose parts they can’t escape from. Perhaps, try a festive bandana or bow on their collar instead. If they are the type of dog that does not mind costumes, be sure they are fitted correctly and there are no dangly parts or restrictive parts that could get caught or cause injury to your pet. Be sure your dogs are kept away from lit candles or lanterns as waggy tails can be hazardous to a lit Jack O’Lantern. Remember to keep an eye out for animals in need at this time of year as many animals are found lost or straying or end up in dangerous situations at Halloween, if you see an animal in discomfort be sure to ring An Garda Siochana or the ISPCA cruelty helpline at 1890 515515 . These tips can all contribute to keeping your dog safe, happy and healthy at Halloween and keep it more fun and less spooky for everyone!