Tomorrow is Halloween, a night when spooks and ghouls abound, humans in outlandish costumes and travelling from door to door, bells being rung repeatedly in one evening. A night of noise and music, of fun and games. For many dogs though, they would choose not to get involved in Halloween celebrations, they find them overwhelming and too much. Even with the celebrations being curtailed this year and people spending Halloween at home, there are still a few changes we can make for our dogs to help them cope.
Some of our four legged friends find these types of days when their humans change a bit scary, so here are a few tips on making the frivolities easier and fun for everyone!
Pinterest Photo
COSTUMES
We have all seen the super cute pictures of dogs in costume (go to Pinterest, there are pages and pages of them) and you may think it will be fun to dress your dog up this year. Some dogs are happy to join in and don’t have a problem with it. Others may not be so keen. If you have a dog who backs away from you when you go towards them with a coat or harness, they may be sensitive to something being against their skin, these are probably not going to want to join in with the dressing up. Give them the option to not have to wear a costume, they will probably thank you for it :-)
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
You may decide to have a party and one food that we associate with Halloween is chocolate. But make sure it is kept well out of your dog’s reach! Chocolate may be wolfed down by your dog in a moment, but the effects of the theobromine, one of the ingredients in chocolate is dangerous for your dog. The darker/richer the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains, the worse it is. If your dog does eat chocolate you will start to see symptoms such as hyperactivity, drooling, vomiting or diarrhea. More serious symptoms may be seen such as seizures and twitching. If you suspect or know that your dog has eaten chocolate, contact your vet immediately. The sooner treatment begins the better the likelihood of a good outcome. Chocolate isn’t the only snack that can be poisonous for dogs. Grapes, raisins, caffeine or any food containing xylitol amongst others are not good for your dog, so keep them all out of reach!
Scary humans!
SCARY FACES
If all of a sudden the family they love turn into green faced monsters, change shape with odd hats on, move differently to normal and make strange noises this can be really scary when they are in their own home. Your dog may try to move away from you, or bark at you because they are scared. This may seem funny at first, but look at this from your dog’s perspective. You went upstairs looking how you always do, and come back downstairs looking like a stranger, even if you do smell the same. Let your dog see that it is you. Even better, if you think your dog is going to be spooked by you in costumes, let them go into a safe place, like their bed in another room and leave them in peace, maybe with a long lasting treat or toy that you know is safe for them while you get dressed up and have some fun.
WALKS
Usually your dog will be very happy to accompany you on an evening walk. While this year with Covid- 19 restrictions there will be few people out and about in costumes, there may be some which will spook your dog, especially in the dim half light of early evening or darkness.
You may have some neighbours who have decorated the outside of their houses flamboyantly, with graves, flags that move in the wind, or sensor activated models. These may be a bit too spooky - so it may be of benefit to walk your dog earlier in the day and let them chill out in the evening. Halloween can be a spooktacular time for the humans in the house and leave the dogs to have a chill time. Happy Halloween!