Preparing your Dog for Halloween

👻If you have an adult dog already scared, there’s still time to get on to your Vet. They can prescribed medications that may help. Don’t waste your time buying stuff in the Petshops. Nutracalm is sold over the counter in Vets too.

💀Get the dogs walk in very early before anyone might be messing around with bangers and fireworks. Kids around my way are setting them off all day.

👻There are strong links between pain and sound sensitivity in dogs. If your older dog is more fearful this year that might be one thing you want to rule out with your vet.

💀 If your dog or puppy wants comfort because they are really scared, please comfort them. It’s okay, You won’t make them worse.

👻 If they want to hide away let them do that too. Prepare a ‘den’ in the quietest part of the house (for example I use my downstairs bathroom as it’s not attached to outside of the house so the quietest room) or a covered crate under the kitchen table or under the duvet or bed etc

💀 Close all blinds and curtains too. Play music like reggae and classical to try muffle the noise

👻 Try to feed them and get last wee early as they may not want to eat or toilet when the fireworks start because they are out of ‘rest & digest’ mode and in ‘fight or flight’ and forcing or pushing them could add stress

💀 go easy on high intensity games today (like ball chasing, playing in the dog park, or if they are reactive to people/dogs etc) anything that might increase the adrenaline and cortisol and make staying calm harder

🎃Good luck to all the dogs and puppies tonight. It literally breaks my heart and I don’t know why parents keep buying these for their kids 💔 there’s organised fireworks display on if they want to see some. I worry about the wildlife, horses etc that can’t get inside especially!

#dogsdublin #halloweendublin #dogtrainingnorthdublin