Every year, even before the summer has officially ended, I catch glimpses of Halloween decorations, candy and costumes in shops and in my social media feed. While some people love the gore, decor and treats, it’s not a universally beloved holiday – especially for our pets. Not only are many of the decorations terrifying, there are lots of other health risks as well. Go ahead – decorate and celebrate, but please consider your pet and make a plan to help them be successful while you are at it.
Emotional Safety for Your Dog During Halloween
Fear
If you have been on my blog before, you know that I have been raising a service puppy over the past several months. One of my very favorite parts of raising a puppy is helping her navigate the world confidently. While I am used to seeing decorations for every holiday, she hasn’t been alive long enough to have shared those experiences. She is being exposed to everything for the very first time, and I need to be compassionate about how she feels.
This weekend we took a walk around our neighborhood and I noticed a house that was decorated for Halloween. The wind was blowing, and several of the decorations and flags were flapping. The owner was washing his car in the driveway and I asked him if we could come closer. Yara was thrilled to meet him, but she wasn’t so sure about some of the decorations that lined his driveway. I gave her some extra slack on her leash and let her explore. In the top photo, her body language is tense and she is clearly concerned. She came to me for comfort and praise for being brave, and then chose to return to investigate further. Instead of giving her treats at the scary ghost, I gave her treats at a distance. That encouraged her to retreat if she was nervous, and then the slack in her leash gave her the freedom to return and explore it further, if she wished. While she was still nervous the second time she approached the ghost, she was more confident. The next time we passed the house, she didn’t give it a second glance.
Consent
We are seeing a lot of stories about “Consent” in the news lately, and for good reason. But consent doesn’t just apply to people. It can also apply to our pets. Just because we want something, it doesn’t mean that your dog does. Halloween is a great opportunity for families who want to get creative and dress up. But your dog may not be as enthusiastic as you are! Go slowly. Show your dog the costume and then give her a treat. Touch her with it, and give her treats. Does she retreat? Lean in for more contact? Take note of her body language before you proceed and try to determine how she feels about the situation. If your dog agrees to get dressed, make sure that the costume doesn’t restrict their vision or mobility, like it does in the image above. It’s important that your dog feels comfortable physically and mentally – costumed or not.
Physical Safety for Your Dog During Halloween
Candy
Ask a group of kids what they love best about Halloween, and the majority are likely to say “CANDY!” And let’s be honest – as adults, we may very well think the same thing, even if we won’t admit it out loud. While candy is delicious, much of it is dangerous to our dogs. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and so is a sweetener called Xylitol.
Things to consider:
- Don’t keep your candy bowl unsupervised on the night of Halloween where the pooch can sneak into it.
- When the kids come home from trick or treating and pour their haul onto the floor to trade with their siblings, make sure that none of it slips away unnoticed (unless it’s into your mouth!). Make sure you check under chairs and sofas before wrapping things up for the night.
- If you take the pup with you trick or treating, keep a close eye on the sidewalk for dropped candy…or dangerous toys, such as glow sticks or anything else the dog might eat or choke on. In the ideal situation, the safest thing would really be to leave pup at home in a safe place.
- Before and after the big night, store the candy in a sealed container inside a cabinet or placed up high (where you forget about it until spring cleaning. Doh.)
- If your dog eats something you think might be dangerous, you can call the ASPCA Poison Control Center Hotline at: 888-426-4425. The hotline does charge a fee, but in a crisis, it’s worth it!
Escape
Most dogs go bonkers when people ring the doorbell. And Halloween night is the worst of the worst, with some homes getting hundreds of visitors per night. Set up your dog for success by putting him in a back room with a cozy bed, a stuffed kong or some delicious treats, and some music playing to dull the outside noise. The worst thing that could happen would be for your pup to escape out the front door and run around fearfully in the night…or get hit by a car. Make sure your dog is wearing proper identification on his collar, just in case he is an escape artist.
Fire
While it’s unlikely, dogs might bump into your jack-o-lanterns, spilling the candle and causing trouble. Better be safe than sorry and leash your pup near these types of flammable decorations, or keep the pup inside.
Decorations
While most decorations are safe, some have small pieces or dangling pieces that can be tempting to dogs. They may try to chew them or pull them down, potentially causing harm. Costumes, too, can lure pups to play chase, which might result in an accidental bite. It’s best not to leave your dog home alone around Halloween decorations, especially fake cobwebs, which might also be dangerous to wildlife, capturing small birds or other animals.
I’d love to hear about your Halloween experiences with your dog. Do you have any fun family traditions that include the dog…or any safety ideas that we could learn from? Please share your stories in the comments below.
