Halloween is looked forward to every year by the young and the old. Who doesn’t like to dress up as someone else and get candy? But to our dogs this night can be a stressful and potentially dangerous time of year.
Many dogs have no issue with the vampires and monsters that come to their door but many do not understand and become quite frightened, confused and even aggressive. If your dog is one that may potentially have an issue with the trick or treaters the best thing you can do is put the dog in a secured location out of sight of the little demons. This can prevent your dog becoming too stressed which no likes to see. And for those dogs that are protective of the home, imagine what the trick or treaters must look like to him? He may feel compelled to defend the home and potentially harm a child. So for every one’s safety and compassion for your dog just have a space ready to put him until the witching hour is over.The other danger and perhaps the biggest concern of all is the candy. It is never a good idea to give your dog too much sugar and chocolate is a poison to your dog. There are ingredients in chocolate that all dogs are allergic to. Some can tolerate a little and show no signs and others will die but ALL dogs are allergic. Just educate the family and have some candy safeguards in place because your dog doesn’t know the dangers but it will appreciate the taste and will find it too hard to resist.
On the flip side if your dog is up for a little adventure there are fun costumes out there just for your pet and it can be a fun and rewarding experience to take your dog along for the trick or treating. No one knows your dog better than you. Let him communicate to you what he wants to do and make it a fun night for all.
