A Comprehensive Halloween Guide for Your Pet!

“Eat, drink, and be scary!” While you may get scared from the skeletons, horror movies, or haunted houses that Halloween brings, it can be a different and unenjoyable experience for your dog. From toxic candies to strangers in costumes, keeping your pet in mind is the key to having a great night and keeping them safe all night long! Keep reading for some of our tricks (or treats) for helping your dog have the best Halloween possible.

Not All Dogs are Paw-ty Animals! 

One thing to remember is that not all dogs love a good party! Halloween is a night where there are unfamiliar faces everywhere, and if you are in a highly trafficked area for trick or treating, your doorbell may become your dog’s worst nightmare by the time all is said and done.

You don't want your dog getting spooked and making a run for it. Keep your dog away from the door when having trick or treaters and if you are having a gathering --especially if costumes are involved -- keep them in another room to ensure they do not get stressed by visitors. Even if a dog knows all of your visitors, even the funniest of costumes can result in them not recognizing your friends & family and cause them to want to run and hide. 

Dressing Up? Choose Comfort

Who doesn’t love getting dressed up for Halloween? Well, some dogs, for starters. If you know ahead of time that dressing up your dog will cause stress and discomfort, we recommend skipping the costumes and finding another way to have fun with your pup! 

For the dogs and their owners who do enjoy dressing up, here are a few tips to assist in finding the best costume for your pup:

• Be sure the costume doesn't restrict movement or hinder your dog's ability to breathe. 
• If your pet displays any signs of stress or discomfort, take it off immediately.
• Be sure to get the right size, as a costume that is too tight or too big could potentially result in injury. 

Beware of The Doorbell!

Your dog's biggest fear during Halloween may surprise you, but it is actually your door bell! Dogs who suffer with noise anxiety are particularly startled by the doorbell because it rings all night long! To help your dog navigate their fear, there are things you can do. 

1. Create a Private Oasis

The first thing you can do to help your dog not get as spooked when the doorbell rings is to create a soundproof and safe haven where they can spend the night. You can equip this with their favorite toys, treats, sound machines, radios, or anything that will drown out the noise and keep their mind occupied all night.

2. Place Candy on the Porch or Greet Guests Personally

If you want to eliminate the problem altogether, place the candy you intend on handing out on the porch or greet trick-or-treaters at the door before they ring the doorbell. Your dog will thank you for the peace and quiet!

Keep an Eye on the Candy!

While “Toxic” by Britney Spears may be on your Halloween playlist, it doesn’t need to be a reality for your dog. There is no shortage of tasty treats for humans, but the dog-friendly treats are few and far between. Many of our favorite Halloween treats are actually toxic to our dogs and can result in a trip to the emergency vet if you aren’t careful.

Some of these toxic treats include: 

• Chocolate
• Raisins
• Some sugar free candies (these can contain Xylitol) - this includes many hard candies as well. 
• Macadamia nuts

When it comes to Halloween candy, we recommend keeping the candy (and wrappers) in a place your dog cannot get into them. If you have to second guess if your dog can reach the place you are considering, it is best to just place the candy elsewhere. We all know how our favorite little tricksters can be when it comes to getting what they want. 

Update ID Tags and Collars

Accidents happen! If your dog does get spooked and makes a run for it, it is important to ensure that you are able to be reunited with your dog. Make sure all ID tags are secure and up to date prior to the night’s festivities! Additionally, if you have any tracking devices on their collar, be sure the devices are charged and ready for use, just in case. 

Additionally, if the clanking of tags causes your pup to be scared, check out our very own dog tag silencer, the ThunderCover, to eliminate an additional fear! 

Halloween Doesn’t Have to Haunt Your Pet! 

Last but not least, it is important to keep your dog calm to avoid them running and creating any additional stress! 

Watch for some of the more common signs of stress and anxiety. If you see your dog pacing, panting, becoming more vocal than normal, hiding, etc., be ready to interject and remove the stressors that are affecting your dog negatively. 

Things you can do to help prevent your dog from becoming stressed:

• Use a ThunderShirt®: the original, vet recommended, natural calming solution that may reduce anxiety in dogs in a drug-free way. Like swaddling an infant, our dog anxiety vest's patented design applies gentle, constant pressure to calm all types of anxiety, fear, and over-excitement issues in dogs.
• Try Pheromones: ThunderEase® mimics the calming pheromone that a mother dog emits while nursing her puppies, which helps your dog to feel calmer and more comfortable in all situations!  
• Calm in a tasty, bite-sized bit: ThunderWunders® Calming Chews are recommended to help reduce the effects of normal environmental stress and to help promote calming and relaxation. Packed full of calming ingredients like thiamine and melatonin, ThunderWunders can help you and your dog spend less time struggling and more time having a great night. We recommend you give your dog ThunderWunders ~30 minutes before a stressful event (like before trick-or-treaters start arriving) to give the chew time to kick in.

The great thing about all three of these solutions is that they can be used prior to any festivities to give your dog a head start on feeling the power of calm! 

Happy Haunting! 

Our last Halloween tip for you and your dog? Have a great time! If you follow all of our other tips and tricks you should be on your way to having one of the best Halloweens ever! Whether you are creating a zen space at home or entering a costume contest with your furry friend, we hope you have a happy & safe Halloween!