While Halloween is a thrilling time for humans, it’s not necessarily well received among dogs, and can even be a potentially dangerous season for them. With spooky costumes, eerie decorations, and tempting treats filling our homes and streets, it’s up to us to create a dog-friendly Halloween experience that keeps your pup safe and happy. After all, a dog-friendly Halloween means fun for everyone, and we all want to enjoy fright night, right?
Here’s the big question: Why worry about Halloween and dogs? Well, just imagine the situation: your dog encounters people in bizarre outfits, faces covered in gory makeup, jumping out and scaring them. Lots can go wrong. Not to mention the risk of your dog sneaking some of that candy lying around – especially dangerous chocolate!
In this article, we’ll share the Zigzag training team’s top tips for a truly dog-friendly Halloween. We’ll guide you through keeping your dog safe, encouraging positive experiences, and ensuring both you and your furry friend – whether an adult dog or a curious puppy – can enjoy the spooky festivities. From dog-friendly Halloween treats to managing puppies during Halloween, we’ve got you covered for a howl-oween to remember!
If you’ve arrived here looking for a training programme that’s specialised to your dog’s age and breed, look no further than the Zigzag dog training app! We have it all. Puppy training can be terrifying in all kinds of ways, so you’ll be relieved to know our professional dog trainers are available 24/7 to help you out the whole way. From Thanksgiving, Halloween or Christmas safety tips, to just all-around training advice.
Zigzag’s Top Tips for Keeping Your Dog Safe at Halloween
Ensure Mental and Physical Stimulation
During the excitement of Halloween, it’s important to give your dog things to do. We have to prevent them from getting bored by keeping them busy so they stay out of mischief!
Zigzag Puppy Coach Susan Gammage suggests the following:
Take your pup for a long walk or play session earlier in the day, before the nighttime festivities begin. This will help tire them out and reduce anxiety later.
Incorporate puzzle toys, interactive games, and calming activities like scent work to keep your dog occupied throughout the evening. Consider preparing some food-based enrichment activities using a portion of their regular meal to keep them engaged and relaxed.
Ask people not to knock!
Susan also suggests:
Pop a notice on the door asking people not to knock if you have a dog that will react negatively. It’s OK to tell people ‘no trick or treaters, scared dog inside.
Keep Unsafe Foods Out of Reach
Puppies and Halloween treats can be a bit of a disaster. Store all candy, especially chocolate and xylitol-containing sweets, in secure, high places out of your dog’s reach. Be particularly vigilant about chocolate, as it’s toxic to dogs and can cause serious health issues. If you suspect your dog has ingested any harmful substances, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Desensitise Them to Door Sounds in Advance
The constant ringing of doorbells and knocking can be stressful for dogs. In the days leading up to Halloween, practise desensitising your pup to these sounds. Ring the doorbell or knock, and then reward them for calm behaviour. This can do wonders to reduce anxiety on the big night. You can also teach your dog to “wait” at doorways which decreases the chance of them running out or jumping up at trick-or-treaters…and giving them a fright instead.
Now that we’re at the end of the year, you might want to read up on our fireworks article. Bonfires and New Year’s celebrations aren’t so far away, so it’s a good time to start preparing your pop for your neighbour’s pyro hobbies.
Create a Safe Space
With the influx of strangely dressed visitors, it’s important to provide your dog with a quiet, secure area away from the front door. Set up a comfortable room with their favourite toys, bedding, and perhaps some soothing music to mask outside noises. This safe space should be a familiar place where your dog can retreat if they feel overwhelmed.
Zigzag Puppy Coach Heddie Wittlin-Leger suggests the following:
Halloween does not make dogs feel safe. Set up a cosy dog friendly safe space with new chews or other toys and treats for your pup so they can relax away from the ghosts and ghouls!
Be Mindful of Safety around Decorations
While festive decorations add to the Halloween spirit, they can be risky to curious pups. Keep lit pumpkins, electrical cords, and small decorative items out of your dog’s reach.
Here’s a tip from Zigzag Puppy Coach Lisa Milleret:
Pups get into everything, so puppies and Halloween decorations don’t really mix! Make sure you have a dog-friendly Halloween by keeping decorations out of reach, as there can be just so many chew hazards around.
Here’s more on Halloween decorations from Zigzag Puppy Coach Emma Judson:
Desensitise and Counter Condition your dog to Halloween decorations – a lot of them are REALLY terrifying for dogs, which can make your home (if you decorate it) or walks around the neighbourhood scary and stressful.
Dressing Up Your Dog for Halloween
If you choose to dress up your dog for Halloween, make sure the costume fits them properly, doesn’t restrict their ability to move around or see, and that they are supervised at all times. If your dog hasn’t had lots of positive experiences with clothing, then it’s probably best to keep costumes for humans, as unfamiliar items can make dogs feel uncomfortable, which really isn’t the goal for a fun Halloween night.
Offer Dog-Friendly Halloween Treats
Let your pup join in the fun with safe, dog friendly Halloween treats. Look for pumpkin-flavoured dog biscuits or make homemade treats using dog-safe ingredients – let’s see how creative you can get in making safe “spooky snacks” or autumnal treats. Dog-friendly Halloween treats are a great way of letting your dog in on the fun without all the scary risks that can come with them nibbling on sweets for humans.
Some more thoughts on pumpkin from me – Zigzag Puppy Coach Petrina…
Cooked Pumpkin is a great tummy settler, as it’s high in fibre and works as a prebiotic to support your dog’s gut. Pumpkin is also packed with nutrients and has particularly high levels of Vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), which is essential for maintaining good eye health. Additionally, Pumpkin is high in potassium, which aids in metabolism and helps to regulate blood pressure.
Leftover pumpkin can be made into dog friendly Halloween treats, or for something even lower effort you can slice the skin into strips and bake on a low oven, air fryer or dehydrator to make a tasty chew.
Use Halloween as a Training Opportunity
Halloween is an excellent time to reinforce your dog’s training. Practice commands like “stay” and “leave it” to keep them safe from potential hazards, and reward them for calm behaviour when the doorbell rings or when meeting visitors with extravagant costumes. You can also teach your dog to “wait” at doorways – this can serve you a great deal on Halloween night with those mischievous trick-or-treaters.
Maintain Regular Routines
Try to stick to your dog’s regular feeding and walking schedules as much as possible. In unusual times like this, consistency can help a lot to reduce stress and anxiety. Here’s another good tip – feed your dog their main meals before the trick-or-treating begins so they can eat at a relaxed time.
Ensure Proper Identification
With more action happening around the front door, it’s inevitable for there to be higher risk of dogs escaping. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen, but just in case, it’s important to make sure your dog wears a collar with up-to-date ID tags at all times. You may want to consider microchipping if you haven’t already! Of course, be extra careful when opening doors to prevent them running away – they can go in a flash!
Consider Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating
You’ll want to think twice about taking your dog out trick-or-treating. Even dogs who aren’t too worried by people in costumes may not enjoy the excitement as much as you do. They might prefer to be at home in their safe space with their favourite enrichment activities and toys.
There you have it! With these tips, you can be sure that Halloween stays a fun holiday, while being safe for your puppy. Remember that every dog is unique’ some may find witches to be wicked, and others not so bad. It’s important to pay attention to your pup’s individual needs and comfort levels throughout the holiday in order to know how to best support them and help them have a terror-ific time. Happy howl-oween!
Oh, and after Halloween is over, you might want to read up on how to deal with your puppy’s first Christmas; we bet you’ve already got some questions on that as well.
For more tips, advice and help with your dog at Halloween, download the Zigzag app. Our team of qualified trainers like to creep-it real and will help you out with any of your questions 24/7.
