Keep your dog safe this Halloween with these safety tips.
Halloween is a great time to get together with friends, throw a fun party, and prepare for the tiny trick or treaters all night. This is not such a great time for your dog – the noises, costumes, and loud noises can actually cause your dog a lot of anxiety. Just like the 4th of July, there are some precautions you can take to make sure your furry family member stays out of harm’s way
and has a relatively relaxed evening. This way we want to share with you, safety tips to help keep your dog safe this Halloween.
Trick or Treating with Dogs
General recommendations are that you shouldn’t trick or treat with your dog – and especially don’t send him out with young children unsupervised. Even the best and most well-trained dogs will act out when they are presented with overly stressful situations, like being surrounded by a bunch of people in weird costumes and screaming. Dogs can resort to their fight or flight response, either resulting in a lost dog or worse, a dog bite.
Keep your dog, and your neighborhood, safe by keeping your dog indoors for the evening. If you have crate-trained your dog in the past, he should know that his crate is a safe space for him to relax. Therefore, he won’t mind too much if you leave him locked up, but in the family room with you, as you wait for trick-or-treaters.
That said, a lot of dogs will be fine walking around on Halloween as long as they have the right gear – a reflective collar and leash on to increase visibility in the dark and decrease the chances of bolting. Your pup should also be microchipped and wear a visible ID, in case they do manage to get away from you. Finally, make sure that he either goes au naturale, or he likes his costume. Make sure to try it on a few days in advance for a few minutes, to ensure it fits correctly and doesn’t restrict his ability to move, see, or bark. If he acts abnormally, or tries to chew on the costume or any part of it, either go without or try something else.
Keep Your Dog Safe This Halloween Around the House
When decorating around the house, make sure that you have planned for Fido, too. Take precautions to make sure that there are no open flames on the floor or anywhere that your dog
can knock over and burn themselves or start a fire. If you need candles for your party or aesthetics, try flameless ones. You can also try plug-in scents that light up and smell amazing.
When it comes to plants, take the time to do your research on any new plants you bring into the house for the holiday, as some can be toxic to pets. Mums, for example, are a popular houseplant around fall that can cause serious health issues in both dogs and cats if they ingest their leaves or flowers. If you have these plants in your home, make sure to watch for any abnormal behavior in your dog, including vomiting and diarrhea.
Decorations can also cause hazards if you place them where a potentially anxious dog can get to them. Things like streamers, spider webs, and other low-hanging items can cause intestinal blockages in dogs, which can be extremely serious and even fatal. If you want to have your dog at your party, make sure that you keep anything that hangs down out of reach of your dog – expecting him to behave normally on Halloween is just asking for trouble.
Most dogs shouldn’t cause any problems. However, if your dog is prone to nervousness and anxiety – and especially if it is his first Halloween – make sure to take the proper precautions.
Nothing is scarier than losing your pet or making him uncomfortable, so if you have any concerns at all – leave Sparky at home. Hopefully, these tips will keep your dog safe this Halloween and many more to come. Woof!
