I used to LOVE Halloween as a kid. I wasn’t allowed candy except for holidays, so I would stuff myself with all kinds of treats. My favorite is still Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Then I became a teacher. Well, Halloween makes kids loony tunes for about two weeks…the week leading up and the week after. It became a whole lot less enjoyable when kids can’t focus and munch candy bars for snack. No matter what research says, any teacher will tell you sugar affects kids big time!

Now I live in a development where kids are literally bused here, so we typically have 200 trick or treaters. It is a lot of sensory input for my dogs between the doorbell ringing nonstop which opens to loud, high energy alien looking beings, the likes my dogs have never seen.

My husband suggested just turning off the light and pretending to not be home, but as a kid I lost all respect for those kinds of folks, and I admit the little kids especially are just too too adorable.

What we do is put soothing music on inside the house. If a dog is really showing signs of stress with panting or barking, we would crate them. My husband and I sit in our garage with one dog at a time and hand out treats. The dog is on leash, and I am watching the dog to see how he or she reacts. We sometimes get ten kids at a swoop. It is a lot of sensory input with kids running and whooping and yelling “Trick or Treat” in bizarre costumes.

So why have a dog with me, you must be asking yourself? It is good to expose them to various stimuli since it helps a dog process and eventually be more relaxed around people who sound or act differently.

This is where you need to know your dog, though. Even my very mellow, even tempered Goldens can only take so much before they need a break, and some of them handle it better than others, so my dogs which show more stress get pets, treats, and small exposure times.

I admit to being surprised at how some costumes and some kids totally freaked out even my sweet babies. The costumes ALL of them could not accept were the giant ones where the kids are in some kind of air pocket thingie. Those were just too weird.

So what should you do? Again, you need to know your dog. If I were answering the door, I would have my dog on leash. If I felt they were going to bark or show defensive characteristics, I would wear some costumes around the house a week or two before Halloween to desensitize them. It really is good for them to accept what they might consider odd looking folks. That will help them with people who may have various disabilities.

I always breathe a sigh of relief once Halloween is over. For some dogs this is right up there with July 4th fireworks. By being sensitive to our dogs, we can make both days acceptable for our pets.