Nothing worse than a dog that can’t have fun with you in Halloween, because he/she is terrified. Skip the stress and keep your dog safe by applying those 10 tips! Let’s face it, it can be terrifying even for humans sometimes. Right!
If your dog is terrified, anxious, or even not comfortable in Halloween you need to calm your dog down, know what your dog can and can’t eat from Halloween treats, don’t leave your dog alone, spot his/her biggest fear and avoid it, don’t dress your dog any customs if you felt that he/she didn’t like it, or is not comfortable wearing it, and, of course, make sure he/she is wearing his/her ID.
Halloween is the scariest day of the year. Everyone wears scary customs, pretending to be his/her favorite scary movie character, everything in that day makes a lot of noise; starting from parties, loud music in cars, and people who wear customs themselves when they start acting like the character they are wearing.
Since our beloved four-legged friends have no idea what are we doing, and why we are doing it. Can you imagine how he/she feels when the celebration starts, and Dracula, Annabelle, Saw, Chucky and IT starts to show up at his/her door? Exactly!
Let the celebration begin!
Table of Contents
1- Take the scare out of the scary nights!
The point and the reason why your dog gets scared in Halloween is how surprising, loud and fast everything is. So, what you need to do in that part is slowing everything down, and prepare your dog to what is going to happen in the upcoming days.
Therefore, you need to throw a mini-Halloween party at your house with your dogs and your friend’s dogs before the actual Halloween party. Bring your friends and their dogs -wearing customs-, play some loud music, crazy lights, and bring some colorful food with different smells, and see how your dog reacts.
If you are lucky, your dog will be excited and have fun with his/her friends, grab the customs and play around. However, not every dog owner is that lucky so, you need to observe your dog carefully and pay attention to every single body language of his/her. ( If you want to learn more about dog’s body languages you can read about dog’s zoomies from here, and why do dogs wink from here, also dog’s lip quivering is a very important dog’s body language that you need to know about, so check this link, too).
If you are not so lucky, and you found that your dog started to freak out; your dog is not ready for Halloween, yet. Therefore, you need to check the upcoming 9 tips to keep your dog safe on Halloween.
2- Try watching scary movies with your dog.
Yes, you heard me. Just before you do this I need to clear out that I don’t mean to force your dog to watch a scary movie with you! We are not here to terrify our dogs, we are making this to prepare our beloved dogs for the Halloween by making him/her familiar with noises and scary face; however, if you felt that your dog is scared, or even not comfortable please turn off the movie, and watch something nice with your dog instead.
On the other hand, if you found that your dog is fine with watching a scary movie, then set the whole thing up; bring food, turn off the lights, turn up the volume and enjoy watching your favorite scary movie with your beloved four-legged friend.
3- Dress your dog his/her Halloween Custom.
If you found that your dog is comfortable for the Halloween theme, you need to make sure that he/she is comfortable with his/her custom, too. Therefore, you need to make sure that the custom is not dangerous, not pulling his/her hair, not annoying, breathable, not restricting your dog’s movement, and of course, not made of any materials that can cause him/her any allergy.
Also, make sure that you can see your dog all the time, because who knows when your dog decides to remove the custom, or the custom gets stuck in anything.
Moreover, if you want to know more about how to choose the right costumes for your dog, you need to read this article, it is all about choosing the dog’s Halloween costumes, why you need to be patient till your dog is completely comfortable with his/her new costume, and how to train your dog to wear the Halloween c
4- Keep your dog safe on Halloween and don’t give him/her treat.
Halloween treats is the most dangerous thing for a dog in such a scary day. One of the things that you should pay extra attention to keep your dog safe on
A lot of Halloween treats can cause your poisoning, diarrhea, increased heart rate, and also difficulty in breathing. Why? Because, most of Halloween treats are made of artificial sweetener, xylitol, chocolate, milk, caffeine, or some fruits – that are also poisonous to dogs-, so yeah no treats for dogs on Halloween.
If you are wondering what else is poisonous food for your dog, you can check this list we made here, for food that is poisonous to dogs.
So, if dogs can’t eat anything from HALLOWEEN’S treat, what can they eat? Well, you are so welcome to make your dog he/her own special healthy treats on that special day. Here is a list of more than 17 Halloween dog treat that your dog can eat in Halloween, and you can do it yourself.
5- Keep Halloween plants away from your dog.
Do Halloween plants harmful for dogs? In fact, some of them are poisonous, too. Pumpkins and corn stalks and other plants in that list can contain mycotoxins, which is, according to the World Health Organization, a type of toxic compounds that are naturally created by fungi; it may cause illness or death when eaten.
So, yes. Keep your dog safe on Halloween and keep your eyes on him/her. Dogs like digging, discovering, and tasting new and weird stuff, so they won’t hesitate to discover what those plants taste.
Also, since we are talking about pumpkins, if you are using pumpkins in decorations by putting candles in it, please keep those pumpkins away from your dog; dogs are playful, curious and sometimes goofy. Keep your dog safe, and your home, too!
6- Keep your dog safe indoors.
Indoors is, of course, safer for your dog than outdoors on Halloween. Outdoors is full of strangers in unusual costumes. That, certainly, will make your dog uncomfortable and sometimes even scared which can lead to an unusual act of aggression, or even escaping from home.
Therefore, you need to make your dog feel safe and stress-free on Halloween; that can be done if you put your dog in a secure crate, room, or anywhere away from the stress and terror.
Also, you need to comfort your dog and make him/her calm. So, you can close the curtains, distract your dog from the noises outside, ask your dog’s vet if there is any other safe way that can help calm your dog down, or you can also get your dog one of the dog’s anxiety-calming vests.
Why it is important to get your dog an Anxiety-Calming Vest? Well, simply, because it gives your dog that hug he/she needs when things get out of control and you need to calm your dog immediately, and put him/her in his/her safe zone, again.
It comes in all shapes and sizes, and it is very important to your dog’s size to know what fits him/her best.
HELP your Dog feel SAFE, and GET him/her an Anxiety-Calming Vest from HERE with ONLY $39.95
7- Don’t leave your dog alone!
Leaving your dog alone in the backyard is extremely dangerous on Halloween. Not just because it will make your dog uncomfortable, scared, and anxious! Leaving your dog alone in the backyard on Halloween can get your dog killed or harmed by the hands of pranksters who might find that harming, teasing, or even stealing a dog from the backyard is something funny.
And that leads us, again, to mention how important it is to keep your eyes on your dog and keep him/her indoors. Safe your dog from other people cruelty.
8- Keep your home’s decorations out of your dog’s reach.
Home decorating is always fun, no one will dare to say is not. And, it is even better in such crazy days like Halloween or any other festivals that require a
Also, please keep any harmful, easy broken or any other decoration made of glass, candles or any other thing that can cause any harm to your dog out of his/her reach.
9- IDs, IDs, IDs!
Please don’t leave your dog without any ID that day, because come on! You know how crazy things can easily get in that day, wether your dog escaped, kidnapped, lost his/her way, or anything happened that cost you losing your dog; the proper Identification is, literally, the only thing that will increase the chances of you finding your dog.
What kind of ID? Any kind of IDs can help. Collar, tags or even microchips; anything that suits you and your dog.
10- Keep your dog safe on Halloween by loving him/her more that day.
I know that might sound kind of cheesy, however, it is very important to make your dog feel welcomed, safe, loved that day so if he/she got scared he/she won’t run outside, he/she will run to you.
Also, you can give your dog his/her favorite treat and train him/her to stay beside you all day long. Besides, some dog owners prefer to ask their dog’s vet if they can give their dog something to help him/her calm down, as long as it is your dog’s vet description and you are not giving your dog something without asking his/her vet.
Wishing you a fun Halloween filled with magical surprises, lots of treats and exiting tricks, and a happy, safe dog.
Related Questions?
What is the best Halloween Costume for my dog?
Any custom that will make your dog happy, comfortable and won’t restrict his/her movement, pull his/her hair, cause any kind of allergy, or so tight that he/she can’t breathe in.
Also, stay away from dangling small objects, loose pieces of small fabric, bells; anything that he/she can chew without you noticing him/her. Besides, some dogs are not comfortable with masks, so you may want to avoid putting something on his/her eyes or mouth.
What should I do if my dog is anxious about Halloween?
Don’t force your dog on doing or attending anything that makes him/her not comfortable, anxious or afraid; It is not worth it. If you are 100% percent sure that your dog won’t stand the Halloween day stay home, or go in a place where they are not celebrating the Halloween in.
Your dog’s safety and comfortableness is your responsibility, you are all that he/she got, and all t
Halloween is a fun, exciting, and extremely unpredictable day. Yes, it can be a little bit tiring when there is a dog in the house, but that doesn’t mean that dog owners can’t have, too!
Therefore, with a little bit awareness, Halloween can be an unforgettable day for the whole family, including your four-legged family member. Tell us how was your first Halloween was your dog, what mistakes you did, what went right, and what you are planning to avoid doing it this Halloween?
Also, Have you picked your and your dog’s costume, yet? Can’t wait to see! Let the horror begin!
