Trick or Treating with Your Dog

The start of the holiday season is upon us, starting with Halloween.This often means spending a lot of time celebrating with friends and family. For dog owners, this may mean trick or treating with your dog. Having dogs be part of your festivities can be fun for all if you keep some helpful tips in mind.

It’s all about the outfit: Halloween dog costumes

Nowadays there are so many choices when it comes to Halloween and dressing up your pooch. Whether you decide to DIY or buy a costume online, follow these safety guidelines:

1. Avoid any toxic ingredients.
2. Beware of choking hazards.
3. Keep it simple.
4. Never leave your dog unattended.
5. Think about comfort.
6. Consider a test run.
7. Take the temperature into consideration.
8. Don’t go overboard.
9. Keep photoshoots short.
10. If your dog looks uncomfortable, ditch the duds.

If your dog isn’t so keen on wearing a costume, remember that like with all dog training, treats and praise go a long way. At first, just have your dog wear the costume for a minute or two and heavily praise and treat them. Over time, work your way up to them wearing it for longer. Hopefully, by the time Halloween rolls around your dog will be all set for trick or treating.

To bring your dog or not

How do I look? image by Denise McQuillen from Pixabay

Now that you have the perfect costume picked out, the big question is: Do you bring your dog trick or treating with you or not?

To answer this you need to think about your dog’ temperament . Does your dog do well in crowds? Do they startle easy with weird sounds or lights? Will they walk easily on a leash? Do they get along with other dogs? If the answer is no to any of the above, then it is best to let your dog enjoy Halloween from the comfort of your home and just post some cute pics to social media.

Last, but not least, make sure those tasty treats stay out of your dog’s reach. Chocolate can be toxic to dogs and mass amounts of sugar can upset their stomachs and leave you cleaning up the mess.

image by Daniel Borker from Pixabay

From all of us at the ADC, have a Happy Halloween!