Today, we are sharing with you our 5 Top tips for a successful Halloween. When we think of Halloween we think novel. There are crazy things in people’s yards, spooky shadows, and those quick move, shrieking things that smell like people don’t look like people. Novelty will cause most dogs to behave differently. Certainly, every dog I have owned and most of my dog-loving clients that is true for.
Tip #1 – Make Even Better Decisions for your
You need to make even better decisions for your dogs. Think about you and do not want to expose them to. And when you do take them out, you need to be calm and confident for them. It is important, that you don’t get scared or surprised because your dog is going to need to see you at your best, confident and strong. You need to be a rockstar for your dog. If your body, words or emotions say something is scary or dangerous, you dog is also going to think it is scary or dangerous.
Tip #2 – Post a Please Dont Knock Sign
If you have a dog that can not tolerate having trick or treaters to the house. Put a sign on the door, saying please don’t knock.Halloween – Please Don’t knock Sign. If you want, you can put out a self-serve bowl for them to select from. The last thing your dog needs at its peaceful house is these crazy-looking people banging on the door, ringing the bell and showing up in costumes.
Tip #3 – Plan Ahead
Ahead of the time, fix your dog some safe lick pacifiers or irresistible chews. I lick pacifier might be something like a food stuffed kong toy that you have prepared for your dog. And to help bring down any stress fix some extras to be used over the next couple days to bring down your dog’s stress
Tip #4 Grow Confidence
We are going to take advantage of this time to grow your dog’s confidence. Buy a supply of plastic pumpkins, bats, skeletons, all the lawn decor that is out there is perfect. Lay it all out on the floor. Some of might be in a pile, some of it might have space around it. Then take your dog’s meal and reward your dog for being around it, interacting with it, checking it out. This is going to boost your dog’s confidence and optimism with novel stimuli.
Teach your dog that novelty and strange things are not something to be worried by. Instead they are something to be cool, calm, and collected with.
Tip #5 – What To Do If Your Dog Gets Scary, Excited or Upset
Now if your dog does get scared, you do want to give the best food rewards you have available. If you are out on a walk and someone comes around the corner and surprises you, feed, feed, feed, feed, feed your dog, and certainly move away.
If someone does knock on the door despite having a sign on the door, grab some food, give your dog that food. Remember the barking, the cowering the fear they are showing is not a behavior, it is a symptom of an emotion. So it will not get worse, if anything it will get better.
Happy Halloween, this is a fantastic opportunity to show your dog all the novel things out there are nothing to worry about.
