Hey Dog Lovers,
As Halloween is only a few days away I wanted to share some tips I recommend you use if you have a fearful dog to desensitize them to the decorations, costumes and poisonous things your dog may encounter.
As most dog owners should know, Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and can be deadly. Keep all trick or treat surprises far out of reach to your pets.
Have your dog perform some cute tricks that will entertain the visitors and will give them a fun job to do. Rather than a boring evening that drags for dog activities, they will be tired both mentally and physically from a job of performing
Try to withhold dinner until the witching hour and then put it into a puzzle game or bowl to make them work for it.
Dogs who are a little more anxious than the average dog, exercise is a great way to take the edge off. A good run or long hike/walk are good outlets as well. Time the before guests arrive so they are tired when they do.
Decide how you want to handle guest interactions as well. If you dog is nervous/anxious around other dogs/children/people you need to decide if you are willing to keep your dog close on leash all night and work them through the experience and if you are not able to, put the dog away in a quiet room with some puzzle toys and some background music.
Try to keep to a schedule and put your dog to bed on or around the same time and away from others so they have time to decompress and go to bed. Dogs can get grumpy and this can lead to bad behaviors coming through and can lead to nips or worse, bites.
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