Halloween: Keeping your dog safe from ghosts and goblins

​One thing to keep in mind this Halloween is how your dog is managing all of the commotion. This holiday can be very stressful for dogs. A lot of fast movements, paired with loud noises, and scary costumes can be a recipe for disaster. These are called stressors. When enough stressors build up the chances for a bite increase substantially. How many stressors it takes is all dependent upon each individual dog. Some dogs it could take two stressors, while other dogs could take ten. If you have a dog that is on the fearful side it may be best to put him in another room away from all of these stressors. Usually in situations where dogs feel uncomfortable I recommend doing counter condition. With Halloween only being once a year you can get away with just using prevention techniques. 

Here are some thing to keep an eye on with your dog to see if it is showing signs of stress:

-Excessive panting (without exercise)
-Moving around a lot
-Whale eye (seeing whites of eyes)
-Ears drawn back toward shoulders
-Growling (remember never to punish your dog for growling)
-Tail tucked between legs
-Avoidance/Hiding
-Submissive urination
-Staring (towards the thing it is worried about)
-Barking (towards the thing it is worried about)

These are just some signs. Just remember to keep your eyes open and ensure your dog feels safe and secure. Also remember to keep your dog out of all that candy!

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