Halloween Safety Tips for Dogs

Time to dress up your dog in his best vampire, werewolf or zombie outfit ’cause it’s Howloween! Just in time for this frightful holiday, We share Halloween safety tips for dogs, events, and some thrilling Halloween costume ideas.

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Quick Summary

• Avoid feeding your dog chocolate and learn how to treat chocolate toxicity. Call the vet immediately if your dog consumes chocolate. Opt for homemade, healthy desserts instead.
• Keep your dog safe at home during trick-or-treating. Teach them to go to their bed when the doorbell rings. Avoid hazards like electrical cords and candles. Consider using orange glow sticks as a safer alternative to candles.
• Ensure your dog’s costume is safe and comfortable. Familiarize them with the costume before the event, use treats for positive reinforcement, and associate it with their scent. Avoid materials that may cause allergies and keep an eye on their body language during gatherings with other animals.

Halloween can be a downright spooky experience for pets with its costumes and masks. The scares and the sights create a whole new world of excitement and uncertainty, materializing practically overnight. As good as that sounds, however, I can’t stress enough the importance of prioritizing the safety of our dogs during Halloween. It’s a holiday filled with fun and excitement, but it can also pose unexpected dangers. But as long as you keep my tried and tested Halloween safety tips for dogs in mind, Halloween should be a howling success for you and your pooch.

Halloween Safety Basics For Dog Owners

• Never, ever give your dog chocolate. Pet parents should read up on how to treat your dog for chocolate toxicity, so if your pooch happens to get into the stash of Kit Kat bars, you’ll know what to do. Remember, even a small amount of chocolate can do damage. The most common symptoms include hyperactivity, muscle tremors, vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate, and increased urine output. Severity of chocolate toxicity depends on the amount of chocolate and the size of your dog. Call your vet immediately to have him administer a vomit-inducing agent if your dog eats chocolate. Consider making homemade simple and healthy desserts you can give to your dog in case he gets jealous of everybody enjoying their trick or treating haul.
• As adorable as they can be in their pet costumes, dogs generally make poor trick or treaters unless they’re very disciplined. Instead of going out trick or treating, you might want to just keep your dog cozy at home, safe and comfortable in his dog crate or room. It’s a good idea to teach your dog to go to bed when the doorbell rings before the 31st.
• Light up lit pumpkins make cute halloween decorations but electrical cords are incredibly hazardous to your dog unless you employ proper pet-proofing methods^[1]. Try to discourage your dog from chewing on the cords through other means if you can’t pet-proof them. The best practice is to keep cords hidden, off the floor and turning off the appliances using them while you’re not at home.
• Orange candles may add to the ambiance, but candles in general can be harmful to an overly curious pooch. What’s more is that your entire family may be at risk if a pet knocks a candle over and causes combustion of flammable household materials. Consider orange glow sticks as an alternative. Just remember to keep them beyond the reach of your dog, such as up on a high shelf or inside of a pumpkin.

Other Things to Consider

More Halloween Pet Safety Tips: 

• Keep your furry friends away from potentially hazardous Halloween decorations. Take extra precautions with ones that are fire hazards such as strung lights.
• Beware of glow sticks, as they can be dangerous if ingested.
• Double-check that all Halloween candy, candy bowls, and candy wrappers are out of the reach of your dog.
• On Halloween night, do not leave your dogs out in the yard.
• During peak trick or treat hours, keep your dogs in a separate room away from the front door so as to not agitate them.
• If you do intend to go out trick or treating with your dog, ensure that your pet is wearing an ID tag for identification purposes. It’s going to be much easier to find a lost pet if they have ID on them.

Safe and Fun Canine Halloween Costumes

Now on to the best part about Halloween — dressing up your four legged friends! While there’s a wealth of options to do so, keep in mind these Halloween pet safety tips for costumes to make sure the experience is fun and comfortable for both you and your dog.

Tips To Get A Safe And Fun Halloween Costume For Your Dog

• Familiarize your dog with the costume before the event by offering treats and positive experiences while they wear it.
• Ensure the costume is safe, comfortable, and allows for unrestricted movement.
• Allow your dog to sniff the costume and associate it with their scent by petting it.
• Be careful of materials that are not 100% cotton — they might cause dog allergies.
• If you’re in doubt about the material choices in the selections of shops like Target, different shops on Etsy hand-makes crocheted dog hats which are available in an array of awesome designs. 
• Avoid small, dangling accessories that can be chewed and swallowed.
• Limit the usage of masks or shoes in the costume.
• Pay close attention to your dog’s body language, especially if there are other animals present at the event.
• If your dog freezes when wearing the costume, use treats or a feather toy to encourage movement and assure them it’s safe.
• If your dog simply refuses to be comfortable in the costume despite all of your efforts, don’t force it upon them.

I hope this article on Halloween safety tips for dogs helps you have a pleasant and safe Halloween with special pooch in your life. Happy Howloween!