{"id":571,"date":"2017-10-26T10:04:47","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T10:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.travall.com\/en-us\/?p=571"},"modified":"2017-10-26T10:04:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T10:04:47","slug":"its-a-great-pumpkin-fido-tips-for-a-yappy-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.travall.com\/en-us\/its-a-great-pumpkin-fido-tips-for-a-yappy-halloween\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a great pumpkin, Fido: tips for a yappy Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"

Halloween is usually all about the kids, from visiting the pumpkin patch to select just the right pumpkin and choosing how to carve it, to decorating the yard in a ghoulish (but not too scary) way, to deciding what costumes to dress up in on the big night for trick-or-treating.\u00a0 But if you have a dog at home, you may want to try to include him in the fun too.\u00a0 If you do, you need to bear in mind that Halloween can be a stressful time for pets as not all enjoy being dressed in costumes, not all like having lots of trick-or-treaters coming to the door, and many of the treats of the season are downright bad for dogs. \u00a0\u00a0Here are some suggestions to make Halloween a good experience for the canine members of the family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pumpkin<\/span><\/h2>\n

Pumpkin is a very healthy food for dogs whether raw or cooked.\u00a0 However, it is important to keep the outer shell of the pumpkin, the stringy innards, and the raw seeds away from your pet, which are not good for him.\u00a0 Don\u2019t give your dog pumpkin that has been sitting out on your front porch for weeks, but when you are carving a fresh pumpkin, why not keep some of the flesh to give your dog a little treat.\u00a0 You could also roast and grind the seeds to add an additional treat on top of meals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although there are infinite possibilities for what design to carve on a pumpkin, in our house we typically end up creating a face on our pumpkin.\u00a0 One year we decided to bring our dog\u2019s face to life. If you have a rambunctious dog, illuminating your pumpkin with battery-operated candles rather than traditional wax candles might be a wise move.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Costumes<\/span><\/h2>\n

My children\u2019s requests for Halloween costumes have always been pretty challenging and I\u2019ve often resorted to getting out my sewing machine to come up with something that approximates their requests \u2013 the blue and red stegosaurus costume was one outfit that sticks strongly in my mind.\u00a0 If you are at all creative with a needle and thread your dog could end up with a coordinating outfit. If you prefer to buy costumes there are plenty available on the market for dogs. \u00a0You could always come up with a dog and dog owner outfit such as the Fox and Hound, Hot dog and Vendor, or the classic Dorothy and Toto. Bear in mind that some dogs hate the restricted or sometimes hot feeling of being dressed in clothes, so if your dog resists, don\u2019t push it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trick or Treaters<\/span><\/h2>\n

On Halloween, we tend to have the doorbell ringing constantly from about 4pm (sometimes earlier) until we turn the porch light off at about 9pm.\u00a0 Some dogs go wild when the doorbell rings just once, let alone multiple times during an evening.\u00a0 If your dog reacts this way or you have not had the opportunity to do a lot of doorbell training with him, it is better to take him to a quiet area of the home, away from the front door to reduce his agitation and anxiety.\u00a0 This is also preferable if you are likely to have young children coming to the door who are not used to or are afraid of dogs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Halloween treats<\/span><\/h2>\n

We know that chocolate and candy are not a good mix with dogs, but there is no reason why they can\u2019t be given homemade dog treats using dog-friendly substitutes.\u00a0 Why not try this recipe for carob cupcakes?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n