Hey Dog Lovers,
As Halloween approaches fast I want to remind everyone that unlike humans dogs can get very scared of Halloween decorations and it can cause severe behavior issues in the dogs including redirection to bite or act out. Anxiety and stress and high in dogs, keeping them calm when new things come out and desensitizing them is key for all to enjoy the Spooky Season.
Tips and Tricks:
- Around Halloween, your house might be filled with wonderful opportunities to socialize your puppy and desensitize your adult dogs
- **These techniques also work on adult dogs but may take more work if your dog is already fearful or has passed puppy hood and not been exposed to these sorts of things yet**.
- NEVER “flood” your dog with potentially scary new experiences. (Forcing a dog to endure something he doesn’t like or shows fear to)
- Expose your dog to new things in a way that allows him to feel comfortable and happy around the new thing
How to Desensitize:
- Present the new object or situation in small doses.
- Using your Halloween accessories or decorations (crown, glasses, mask, hat, fake nose, vampire teeth, pretend rats, candy dish with moving claw, etc.) near your puppy while she is eating.
- Encourage your dog to be interested in these objects and feed her food rewards to entice and reward her. You can hand-feed your dog his dinner while holding these objects, putting them on one at a time, or setting them on the floor next to him, teaching him to associate them with something he loves: food!
- If your dog appears nervous, place the object further away, gradually moving it closer during each session.
- These techniques can be repeated to build your pup’s confidence around all sorts of Halloween toys and decorations that might make noise or move in unfamiliar ways.
- These techniques can be used to build your pup’s confidence in all sorts of situations (think vacuums, sewer grates, umbrellas, the list goes on).
- Get creative, and help your puppy become confident and well socialized!
If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you would help spread it by email to a friend, on social media or even word of mouth! Thank you so much!
