1 Reduce your dog’s exposure to knocks on the door
Many dogs are on high alert the second the doorbell rings or there is a knock at the door. A dog’s natural instinct is to protect their home or to alert you that a stranger has arrived. They can become tense and stressed. You will often see their ears prick up and their body stand to attention. Humans can often feel anxiety when there is an unexpected knock on the door. Now imagine being a dog and every knock is an unexpected one. This level of stress in your dog is quite manageable throughout the year as typically only a handful of people will call to your house each week. However, on Halloween, this stress can be extreme as many well-meaning Trick-or-treaters come knocking.

If possible, put your dog in an area of the house where they will not hear visitors and they will be safe from all of the Halloween activity. You could perhaps disarm the doorbell or rely on an outside sensor light to alert you when someone is about to knock. If it is not too cold, you could also minimise noise by sitting outside to keep trick-or-treaters from knocking on the door or ringing the bell.
We appreciate that taking these steps may not always be possible but if your pup is crate trained, putting them in the crate with a treat-filled toy and some soft music playing in the background. This will make them far more comfortable.

2 Do not host Halloween parties with your dogs present
Even if you dog is familiar with the guests in attendance, masks and costumes change how people look and smell to a pet, so even familiar people may become frightening. It may be prudent to ask your dog minder to take your dogs for the evening or if your house is spacious enough, put them in a quiet room and hang a sign on the outside so your guests know they should not be bothered.

3 Do not bring your dogs out trick-or-treating
If you wish to take the kids out tick-or-treating , be sure to either leave your dogs with a minder or at home in a quiet safe, room. Dogs can become very stressed and agitated by the sights and sounds of Halloween. This type of stress can lead to your dog acting out and snapping or biting at people or even running away.

4 Keep all treats and sweets out of reach
Be sure to either keep all sweets at a safe height away from dogs or in a cupboard with a child-safety latch. Many foods, such as chocolate, chewing gum and crisps are toxic to dogs. Please also keep an eye on children who may end up sharing their sweets with your dogs.

5 Watch out for the dangers of Halloween decorations
It is important to know which decorations may be dangerous or toxic to your dog. Candles are a fire risk, small decorations like fake spiders, cobwebs or lights are a choking hazard and glow sticks and fake blood are poisonous threats.

6 Be careful what costumes you put on your dog
Is your pet comfortable in the costume? Are they too hot? Is there potential for the costume to get snagged and pose a choking hazard?
Be sure that your pet wears the costume for a limited period of time and are constantly supervised by an adult to avoid these risks.

7 Protect your pets from external noises and dangers
This is the most important tip. Halloween is by far the date on which most dogs go missing each year. Be sure to bring your dog indoors extra early and secure them so that they do not run away.
It is always important that your dogs are wearing tags with current IDs and that their microchip is registered with your most up-to-date information. Opening the door repeatedly for trick-or-treaters creates plenty of opportunities for your dog to dash out the door due to fear of the loud noises or unexpected lights that bangers and fireworks cause