Need better behavior on Halloween? Here are some tips for your dogs, plus a reminder on foods that might be toxic. At the end, we’ve got a roundup of more Halloween advice to keep your doggy safe and sound!
BEHAVIOR
For some dogs like..well all of us, hearing the doorbell ring can be a source of both anxiety and excitement and this makes Halloween a time that we can get a little bit out of hand.
Train your dog to behave properly at the door – we all get pretty excited when guests come over and have never been very well-behaved when people enter. We’ve had a lot of door training in our house to de-sensitize us to the doorbell and to ensure we don’t go
running out when it’s opened and people are taking their time coming in. Try doing some training to see if your pup can handle being at the door as people are making their way into your home or as you’re giving out the Halloween candy. One thing to remember is
that often as people when you greet someone out the door, you’re all excited; so can you really expect anything else of us? If you agree, then tip #2 is for you.
Put your dog in a quiet spot – while we do get to see guests that will be staying for a while, on a night like Halloween, we’re happier being in our crates. Being away from the activities like the ringing doorbell that make us anxious and excited can help us remain calmer. Don’t feel like you’re banishing your dog, there are some circumstances we’re happier to be taken away from!
Exercise us – a walk will tire us out each and every time. Get us out for a stroll before the trick or treating begins and we’ll be much better behaved!
Put out a special toy or treat – have something on hand that your dog doesn’t get very often that is sure to keep him or her occupied. Our special distraction treat is a Kong frozen with peanut butter and kibble. We’ll lick at it for hours and then continue to do so even once the food is gone because it still tastes so good. When we have peanut butter in front of us, anything could be happening at home, and we won’t even blink!
Focus on child safety first – the last thing you want is your pooch jumping up on an unsuspecting costumed child even just because it’s being friendly. If you have a dog that isn’t well enough trained to stay back from the door without getting excited, think safety first for the kids and revisit tip #2!
FOOD
There are plenty of treats floating around on Halloween, and they might make you humans like your lips, and while they’ll get us drooling too, they are bad for us dogs! You know and we know we’ll eat anything if you let us so keep us safe, please!
Chocolate – the higher the cocoa content, the more toxic the chocolate is but any and all chocolate is bad! To be toxic fatal, it takes about 100mg/kg of theobromine. This is about 1 ounce for each pound of body weight for milk chocolate since it contains lower levels of cocoa that have this compound. For semisweet chocolate, it’s about 1 ounce for 3 pounds of body weight; and for baker’s chocolate it’s 1 ounce for 9 lbs of body weight. For a 5 pound dog like me, it wouldn’t take much chocolate to cause a severe reaction!
Candy – candy that contains xylitol, an artificial sweetener (as in sugar-free gum) can be toxic to dogs. Ensure that these items are kept far out of reach!
Plants – decorative plants and pumpkins will be out everywhere around Halloween. While typically these items are not lethal, they can still cause problems in dogs. Watch out when walking with us, you know that we’ll be trying to lick at the smashed pumpkins on the street.
Bart
Latest posts by Bart (see all)
- Farewell, Beloved Bart - November 26, 2018
- Goodbye Flies – Subtle Fly Traps that Get the Job Done - August 17, 2018
- Vita Bone® Artisan Inspired® Dog Treat Challenge - July 19, 2018
Thanks for this post, I had a hard time training my dog to sit still like in the picture above. Very cute pictures you got their plus the dogs behave just like the way you wanted. I really had to take care of my little Napster during holidays since he is diabetic. Too much food will make his blood sugar high. Thanks for the precautions you have listed above. Great post!
Happy Halloween first! My dog, really get scared every Halloween, I guess he don’t understand celebrations. It is nearly the same for new years day, scared from fireworks.
I believe that in choosing a pet to adopt, first must be considerate of their behaviors. In adopting an animal it should be with proper care and total time to spend with them. Thanks for the post, addition to my future precaution lists.