Halloween might be filled with fun and thrills for humans, but for our canine companions, it can be a real fright-fest. The unusual costumes, loud noises, and an influx of unfamiliar visitors can turn what should be a playful evening into a stressful experience for your pup. To help ensure your dog stays happy and safe, it’s essential to prepare for the night’s spooky surprises. Read on for our critical thinking, self-reflection tips to create a Halloween that’s a treat for you and less spooky for your pup.
Answer the question, “What do I want?”
Will you want your dog to perform specific behaviors? Wear a costume? Go trick or treating with you? Stay home and welcome strangers at your door?
Visualize what you want.
Once you answer the first question, you’ll then want to paint a picture. The clearer the picture in your own mind, the better you’ll be at rewarding the behavior you want. Do you see your dog wearing a costume and walking along side of you as you go trick or treating? Or, is Fido staying home with you, hunkering down and spending the evening streaming thriller movies?
Know your animal.
What are their triggers? Does your pup love wearing outfits and meeting new people? Or are they afraid of their own shadow? Having insight into what your dog likes and dislikes can help you determine what to train, how to manage the environment, and how best to reinforce desired behaviors so they are repeated.
What is your dog’s baseline?
What behaviors and skills does your dog already have or need to learn? Maybe the basics such as “sit” “stay” “down” just need to be refined? Maybe “leave it” needs to be taught from scratch? We recommend making a checklist so you can customize your dog’s class syllabus, to help you focus on what you’ll need them to do on fright night.
Have realistic expectations.
If you asked your dog how they wanted to spend Halloween, what would their answer be? Would Fido prefer to stay home and chill? Or, would he want to go out and party with you? Would you have the time to train everything you want before the big day? Or would it be a last ditch effort, with you expecting your dog to be perfect? This is the time to think rationally.
Reward everything you like!
To help strengthen the behaviors you want, you’ll want to reward your dog for them heavily and often. By doing that, you’ll send a clear message that what they were doing is what you wanted. And, reward them even if and when you didn’t ask. By catching them in the act of doing what you want, you not only reinforce the behavior, you’re also letting them know that they’re making good choices, all on their own!
Manage your dog’s environment.
When we’re not training, we need to manage our dog’s environment to help prevent them from practicing behaviors we don’t want. By doing this we also decrease the risk of them developing negative conditioned responses, such as being scared by something spooky. Want them to be quiet while people walk by the house? Decrease access to those triggers. Want your dog to sit politely? Use a harness and leash to help prevent them from jumping up on people, including young children in costumes.
Plan ahead!
Now that you’ve determined what you want your dog to do, how you’re going to manage the environment, and how you want to spend the Halloween celebration, draft your plan so you’ll know what to do, when to do it, how you’ll do it, and what you’ll need to set you both up for success!
As you gear up for Halloween, remember that a little extra thought can go a long way in making sure your dog enjoys the festivities just as much as you do. By focusing on comfort, safety, and a calm environment, you can take the fright out of the night for your furry friend. With these simple tips, Halloween can be a fun and stress-free experience for your dog—and a celebration that you’ll both enjoy!