Prepping your dog for the Halloween festivities

If you like having people over for a Halloween bash or trick-or-treaters, this blog is for you!

Having a plan is the best way to enjoy your night while having a well-behaved dog.

Trainer Tip #1.

Train with your dog before people start arriving. When your dog has had a few active training sessions, it

will likely be much easier to communicate and control than a dog that has been penned up all day.

Push your dog; get those wheels turning! We recommend starting with a good play session in the AM and

maybe practicing your sit/stay and down/stay obedience during the session. Really work on impulse

control through the play session and throughout the day...

Trainer Tip #2.

After your play session, take your dog for a structured walk session an hour or two before the festivities

start, practice changing directions, and promote having your dog give you lots of that eye contact and

engagement during your walk. Keep it calm and controlled. Post walk, place your dog on its mark for

some decompression time.

Trainer Tip # 3

The leash is going to be your best friend! Leave the leash on your dog after the walk, and use it to

navigate and control it; use it to guide your dog as your guest shows up. Direct your dog to where you

want them to be, use it to correct your dog for jumping on guests, or bring your dog into you when you

need control. The leash is a great communication tool! It's one of our FAVORITE tools to use! Use it to tell

your dog what you want of them and what they need to be doing, not just what they shouldn't be doing.

Trainer Tip #4

Being Proactive vs Reactive with our dogs is setting them up for success...Parties mean lots of alcohol

and lots of food. Inebriated people, junk food and dogs aren't a good mix... and unfortunately, we can't

train our guests not to drop food on the floor or leave food items at a level where our pups can grab them.

However, being proactive, setting up scenarios, and ensuring our dog understands the "Leave it"

command will benefit your gatherings.

Trainer Tip #5

USE THE CRATE! If you can't keep an eye on your dog or are going to worry that your guest may

unintentionally encourage some of those behaviours that made you call a professional trainer in the first

place...then do your dog and your stress threshold a favour and for one night, let them hang out in the

crate. You'll be happy you made that call.