{"id":43812,"date":"2025-10-22T12:44:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T12:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/?p=43812"},"modified":"2025-10-24T19:46:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T19:46:14","slug":"dog-safety-halloween-prevent-runaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/dog-safety-halloween-prevent-runaways\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Keep Your Dog Safe at Home This Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><p><strong>In this article:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#think-carefully-before-bringing-your-dog-trick-or-treating\">Can my dog come trick-or-treating with me?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#how-to-make-a-safe-room-for-your-dog\">How do I make a safe room for my dog?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#manage-door-activity\">How can I manage door activity on Halloween?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#update-identification-before-halloween\">Should I update my dog&rsquo;s identification before Halloween?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><p>If you surveyed all the dogs in America on their least-favorite human holidays, we bet those with fireworks&mdash;like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and New Year&rsquo;s Eve&mdash;would come first. But a runner-up might be Halloween. Sadly, dogs can&rsquo;t give us their rankings directly, but we do know that they tend to dislike loud noises, flashing lights, and the sudden appearance of unusual forms, like your friendly neighborhood 12-foot skeleton.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Halloween&rsquo;s combination of constant door activity, strange costumes, and overwhelming sensory stimulation can make even a usually calm dog anxious&mdash;or, worse yet, scare them into bolting. Here are expert tips on what you can do to keep your dog safe at home.<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"think-carefully-before-bringing-your-dog-trick-or-treating\">Think carefully before bringing your dog trick-or-treating<\/h4><p>There are people who bring their dogs along with the family for trick-or-treating. For the above reasons, this generally isn&rsquo;t recommended. But, as Brittnay Baumann, spokesman for the Animal Humane Society&rsquo;s Minnesota chapter, said, &ldquo;If you intend to take your dog out trick-or-treating with the kids, make sure to have them on a leash and under an adult&rsquo;s control.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><p>Dogs can get loose, fight with other dogs, snap at costumed children, or be tempted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/can-dog-eat-halloween-candy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">errant candy<\/a> that will make them sick. Baumann adds, &ldquo;Remember [&hellip;] you&rsquo;re responsible for your dog&rsquo;s behavior.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"802\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-farmers-dog-snap-sticks-treats-1-1024x802.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-farmers-dog-snap-sticks-treats-1-1024x802.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-farmers-dog-snap-sticks-treats-1-300x235.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-farmers-dog-snap-sticks-treats-1-768x602.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-farmers-dog-snap-sticks-treats-1-1536x1203.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-farmers-dog-snap-sticks-treats-1-2048x1604.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>She recommends that fearful dogs especially be confined in a &ldquo;safe, quiet room&rdquo; away from the door throughout the night. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspca.org\/pet-care\/general-pet-care\/halloween-safety-tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ASPCA<\/a> agrees, suggesting that you keep your dog in a &ldquo;separate, comfortable room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treating hours.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Shelby Semel, a certified dog trainer in New York City, acknowledged that training can desensitize dogs to certain aspects of Halloween, but said it&rsquo;s difficult to replicate the precise conditions beforehand.<\/p><p>Instead, she recommended establishing a comfortable space away from the front door where your dog can ride out the evening in relative peace. A safe room&mdash;that is, a secure room in your house with a door that shuts&mdash;can help manage the sound, along with your dog&rsquo;s boredom and\/or anxiety.<\/p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d have them upstairs in a safe room with white noise, a bone to chew, and already tired out,&rdquo; Semel suggested. So take your walk early in the day, certainly before it gets dark and the thrills of Halloween really begin.<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-make-a-safe-room-for-your-dog\">How to make a safe room for your dog<\/h4><p><strong>Sound management<\/strong><\/p><p>Put on &ldquo;white noise or classical music,&rdquo; Semel said.  If you&rsquo;re going to leave the TV on, choose your programming carefully. She warned that, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/what-do-dogs-like-to-watch-on-tv-this-scientist-tried-to-find-out\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">even if your dog enjoys television<\/a> under normal circumstances, unexpected sounds could be especially alarming to a pet who&rsquo;s already on edge. &ldquo;All of a sudden there could be a dog that&rsquo;s barking or a doorbell ringing on a commercial,&rdquo; she said. A fan that&rsquo;s facing a wall can also work to cancel out some noise.&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20250821_TFD_SN_Puppy_Halloween_0588-1-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Beagle stands atop three pumpkins.\" class=\"wp-image-43822\" style=\"width:506px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20250821_TFD_SN_Puppy_Halloween_0588-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20250821_TFD_SN_Puppy_Halloween_0588-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20250821_TFD_SN_Puppy_Halloween_0588-1-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20250821_TFD_SN_Puppy_Halloween_0588-1-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Enrichment items<\/strong><\/p><p>Provide long-lasting chews, toys, and interactive items. &ldquo;Every hour, rotate the item they have,&rdquo; Semel said. &ldquo;And they can have a couple of items at a time&mdash;maybe a toy and an interactive item.&rdquo; Remember to mind your dog when they are enjoying chews.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Calming aids<\/strong>: &ldquo;You could also put in like a DAP plug-in,&rdquo; she said, referring to dog appeasing pheromone diffusers. Check with your vet to choose a safe option.<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"manage-door-activity\">Manage door activity<\/h4><p>It could be okay for dogs that are more social and less anxiety-prone to stay alongside their owners, and not in a designated safe room, for the night. If your dog is near your home&rsquo;s entrance during trick-or-treating, Semel offers specific management strategies.<\/p><p><strong>Doorbell management<\/strong><\/p><p>Again, while Semel supports training to address a dog who becomes agitated when the doorbell rings&mdash;she advocates desensitization for many situations&mdash;she&rsquo;s realistic about its limitations.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&ldquo;You can practice buzzing it, letting them see no one&rsquo;s there, tossing them a treat, letting them get really comfortable with that on repeat and practice for weeks leading up to Halloween,&rdquo; Semel notes, describing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/how-to-help-a-fearful-dog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">desensitization and counterconditioning techniques that can help a fearful dog<\/a>. However, she emphasizes: &ldquo;They should never have to be OK with the doorbell ringing 70 times in one night. That&rsquo;s overload.&rdquo;<\/p><p>So get proactive and open the door before kids ring, or stand outside to offer candy. No doorbell, no doorbell problems. (If your dog remains with you, instead of in a safe room, then pay special attention to the next section.)<\/p><p><strong>Physical management<\/strong><\/p><p>For dogs that must be near the door, Semel said: &ldquo;I would probably leave a leash on&mdash;a long leash. The leash should be &ldquo;attached to you or around your waist&rdquo; to prevent escapes while still allowing the dog some freedom to move.<\/p><p>A playpen or gate set up near the door likewise allows a dog to be with their owner, while preventing them from bolting.&nbsp;<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"update-identification-before-halloween\">Update identification before Halloween<\/h4><p>Semel advises that you make sure your dog&rsquo;s tags are updated prior to the holiday (and maybe even by Oct. 1, when spooky season commences in earnest in yards across America). If you find a lost dog or stray on or around the holiday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/found-a-lost-or-stray-dog-heres-what-to-do\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">there is plenty you can do to reunite them with their person<\/a>.<\/p><p>Even if your dog is not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/what-to-do-if-your-dog-is-an-escape-artist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an escape artist by nature<\/a>, Halloween presents unique circumstances. The startling lurks behind every corner. But, if you take the right precautions, the holiday doesn&rsquo;t have to be scary. And, before you know it, the 12-foot skeletons will come down and the giant inflatable Santas will rise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Protect your best friend during a night of scary surprises and opening doors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":43826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[416,178,174,198],"tags":[221],"class_list":["post-43812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness","category-lifestyle","category-nutrition","category-training-behavior","tag-safety"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43812"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43838,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43812\/revisions\/43838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}