Keeping You Pup Safe During Halloween
Halloween is a mixed bag. It can be great fun, but at the same time there are always a few who do their worst to make it a real pain in the butt for others. Animals are especially vulnerable on a night when it’s expected that there will be people roaming around, especially when some of those people have watched way too many B horror movies or listened to too many lurid, made-up descriptions of imaginary occult rites.
On the other hand, trick or treaters, especially the little ones, are vulnerable to dogs who might be overly stimulated by the numbers of strange looking people wandering around
in the night, knocking on doors. It would be easy for a dog to mistake a child (or anyone) dressed in costume, wearing a mask, for a threat.
It’s on you to make sure your dog is safe, and that includes keeping him safe from doing something you’ll live to regret, and he might not.
The most important part of keeping your dog safe is knowing your dog. Some dogs thrive on interacting with people, especially kids, no matter how weird they look. If you’ve got one of those party animals, fantastic! Have fun and let your dog have fun. Dress him up in costume and take him trick or treating — on leash — with the kids. You’ll have the added benefit of an alert extra pair of ears and eyes.
On leash is the imperative. Not merely so you can control the dog, but so that you can have more control over who comes to your dog — and what kind of treats they might want to give him. You might want to consider keeping a pocketful of goodies you can let kids and other strangers give your dog, rather than having to worry about what they might be sharing out of the trick or treat haul, especially chocolate or those individual packs of raisins that some people hand out in an effort to make the holiday a little healthier — for kids. Those can be deadly for dogs.
If you do take your dog trick or treating, it’s a great opportunity for advanced socializing and really working on “bullet-proofing” your dog. You can make it a special night, too, by taking your dog trick or treating for your favorite charity, perhaps the shelter or rescue where you might have found your best bud. If he’s willing, teach him a cute trick to perform while he’s fund raising. Plan ahead and challenge other dog owners to do the same, maybe posting your challenge online.
Dogs who aren’t of the temperament to be part of the party, or aren’t quite ready for so much stimulation need a safe place where they won’t be bothered by the noise and all the knocks on the door. If your dog is crate trained, great, you’ve already got a safe space. Depending on your dog’s temperament and tolerance, you can either have it in an area where he can see what’s going on and do some socializing at a distance. When the doorbell rings and you give out treats, if he’s quiet (or relatively so), he gets a treat too, hopefully learning that visitors who knock on the door equal good stuff. If he starts getting overstimulated or stressed, you can always move the crate to a back room and shut the door and let him chill.
If even being in a quiet room isn’t enough, consider using something to help calm him. Bach’s Rescue Remedy, an all natural tincture (available online and at many health food
stores) that’s added to water is used by many pet owners with excellent results reported. If you know your dog tends to be overly nervous, it might be a good idea to consult your vet about a more potent calmative, remembering that most tranquilizers need a period of days or weeks to have any noticeable effect, or even consider boarding your dog for the night if you have a regular kennel where he’s comfortable.
Whatever you do, do NOT leave your dog outside on Halloween night. There are too many variables, too many unknowns, too much potential for your dog to get spooked and jump a fence, break a tie-out, to get upset and scare a kid or possibly even bite — and make no mistake, ANY dog can bite if provoked — or be accused of biting even though he never leaves the yard. And face it, there are some cruel characters out there prowling around in the dark; there’s no telling what someone might do to a dog alone in a yard. There are good reasons many shelters won’t adopt out black dogs and cats near Halloween.
Provided by Allison Andrews of www.pet-super-store.com: Where you can find great deals on dog car seats and training collars.
Tags: halloween
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