How to Protect Your Dog from Howl-oween Hazards
While Halloween festivities are a scream for children and families, the celebration can be a real fright for our four-legged friends. Between the treats, decorations, and costumes, it is easy for pet parents to overlook the potential hazards for their dogs.
To ensure that this spooky season is full of pawfect fun and no un-wanted fear, Bruce’s Doggy Day Care Woodcote Green, located in Sutton, has issued a guide on how to ensure your pup’s not spooked this Howl-oween, produced by Bruce’s expert Dog Behaviourist, Jason Marriner.
Noise and Visitors
Trick or treating means frequent door knocking, lots of noise and unfamiliar visitors. If Halloween festivities are likely to make your dog feel anxious, Marriner recommends putting them in a quiet room and creating a safe space for them to settle in, filled with their favourite toys, treats and blankets.
For dogs who are particularly sensitive, consider leaving a bowl of treats outside for trick-or-treaters to minimise constant doorbell rings. To avoid unnecessary stress for your pup, it’s best to make sure a trusted person stays behind from trick or treating to reassure them.
Nervous dogs may also benefit from calming aids such as pheromone diffusers. The scent, detectable only by dogs, sends reassuring signals of safety, helping to ease fear and anxiety triggered by loud noises.
2. Fur-ocious Costumes
While it might be tempting to dress your pup up for a spooky photo, it’s best to keep costumes to a minimum or save them for the humans this Halloween. Although some dogs might enjoy wearing a costume, pets all have different personalities, and for others it can be distressing.
Owners are advised not to leave their dog unattended in a costume, and should ensure it does not restrict their movement, sight, ability to breathe, or pose a choking hazard. Pet parents should also remember that human costumes can be unsettling for dogs if they can’t recognise their owner. To reassure your pooch, avoid costumes that cover your face so that they can see it’s you.
A Treat for You, an Unhealthy Trick for Your Dog
As all pet parents know, human treats, especially chocolate, can be extremely harmful to dogs, so it’s crucial that dog owners keep Halloween goodies safely out of reach. It is also important to educate children about the dangers of sharing sweets with pets, no matter how tempting those puppy dog eyes may be.
Dangerous Decorations
Avoid a real scare this Halloween by keeping decorations to a minimum. While spooky props like fake cobwebs, blood, rubber eyeballs, and glow sticks help set the tone for frightful festivities, many pose as choking hazards and can even be poisonous to dogs.
It is especially important to keep pumpkins out of paws’ reach, as raw pumpkin is difficult for pups to digest and can cause an obstruction if eaten in big chunks, whilst ingesting candle wax can cause an upset stomach.
For those wanting to enjoy a bite of the Halloween action, instead treat your dog to homemade puptastic pumpkin snacks that are not only delicious, but packed full of nutrients that support digestion, skin health, and overall wellness. Bruce’s Doggy Day Care has the pawfect recipe online and available for readers to enjoy here: brucesdoggydaycare.co.uk/puptastic-pumpkin-bites/
“To keep your dog distracted from the Halloween chaos, try engaging playtime and enrichment activities. Interactive tools such as puzzle feeders, licky mats, and long-lasting chews are great ways to provide mental stimulation, reducing anxiety and offering a positive distraction for your dog,” says Marriner.
For further tips on how to keep your dog healthy and tail wagging visit brucesdoggydaycare.co.uk/advice.
Bruce’s Doggy Day Care is a subscription-based provider of dog day care and holds the highest standard of authority ratings across its nationwide centres. Founded by animal enthusiast and former Chair of the Pet Industry Federation, Bruce Casalis, in 2008, the business offers over 17 years of dog care expertise.
Proud to be dog-first, Bruce’s goes beyond the basics, with impressive, specially designed grounds and a focus on enrichment and consistent socialisation. The happiness and wellbeing of dogs is at the heart of the market-leading business with Bruce’s expert team fluent in dog. All team members are trained in professional dog care, with access to regular CPD provided by the Institute of Modern Dog Training and other respected partners.
Prices at Bruce’s Woodcote Green start from £41 per day. For further detail on Bruce’s flexible membership tiers please visit brucesdoggydaycare.co.uk/umberslade-estate/. The centre is open from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday and can be found at Woodcote Green Garden Centre, Woodmansterne Lane, Wallington SM6 0SU.
