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In a certain type of world your dog would love wearing a costume and greeting trick or treaters at the door. If you live in that sort of a world then Halloween might be a pleasant holiday for you.
For many pet owners Halloween is a nightmare. They have a scared dog huddling in a corner quivering, or a reactive dog lunging at the door with each shouted “Treat or Treat”.
If this sounds like your dog, don’t despair. They are several things you can do to calm your dog on this terrifying night.
First, put your dog in a room as far away from the noise as possible. Remember it’s not just the noise of the doorbell your dog will be hearing. She’ll be hearing kids laughing and screaming all up and down the block.
Make the room as soundproof as you can. If you have a sound machine put on ocean waves, or crickets or whatever sound soothes your dog. You can use fans for white noise. Just put a regular box fan facing the wall and turn it on. That will block out a lot of noise.
You can also put the TV on for background noise or some nice soothing music. (My dog, Said likes any kind of Arabic music, some dogs like Enya – whatever works.)
Now that you’ve got the sound just right some aromatherapy may be in order. Lavender is a very calming scent as is any type of forest smell (evergreen, pine, etc.).
You can burn incense or oils or use a plug in. There is also a synthetic pheromone that is calming to dogs. “DAP” or “Comfort Zone”, it comes in a plug in form or a spray. The spray is nice to use on a bandana, perhaps a colorful Halloween bandana.
If that is not enough to keep your dog calm during this holiday try some Rescue Remedy, a Bach Flower Essence for times of severe stress. There is nothing more stressful than goblins and monsters knocking at the door!
For something stronger try Calm’s Forte, a homeopathic version of valium or Valerian Root, the herbal version. Valerian Root can be hard on the stomach so give with a full meal and don’t give it to dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Now that you have your dog calm you can distract him with games, tricks and toys. (Do a search on line for tricks to do with your dog.)
Put some great treats in a Buster Cube or fill a Kong with peanut butter the night before Halloween and freeze it, both of those will occupy your dog for a bit. Try some bully sticks or a nice new bone with a bit of meat still on it to distract your dog.
If all of that has not worked in the past, or you are sure it won’t work now, ask your Veterinarian for some valium or another anti-anxiety medication (not a sedative).
Soon after Halloween would be the time to start working with a trainer to prepare for next years Halloween so that it goes even smoother than this year.
Have a safe and calm howliday.
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