Halloween tips to keep your pets calm and safe this spooky season

Halloween is all fun and games but for our pets it can be a stressful, and potentially dangerous time of year.

The spooky season is rife with all kinds of triggers that can stress pets – fireworks, strange faces, and lots of people calling to the door.

Here's a list of tips to keep your four-legged friends safe and calm this Halloween.

Things that go BANG

“To a dog, a firework going off at a distance sounds the same as if it went off in the house,” according to dog trainer Emmett McNamara, who runs Sound As A Hound.

Fireworks are probably one of the most stressful triggers for dogs at Halloween, as they sound much louder to them thanks to their excellent hearing.

Keeping the lights on can help mitigate the bright flashes from fireworks, while music or white noise, like whale sounds, can help mask the sounds from outside and soothe your pets.

Another trick is to prepare a safe space for your pets, with a cosy bed, blankets and their favourite toys, that's away from doors and windows.

Who's at the door!

A constant stream of trick'r'treaters can be very distracting and stressful for pets. Keep doors closed between your dogs and the front door when you open up to pass out treats, or assign someone in your house to sit with pets and reassure them when people knock.

Treats for me?

Remember that chocolate is toxic for both cats and dogs, as it contains a chemical called theobromine. Plastic sweet wrappers can also disagree with your pets.

Make sure to keep any treats you're passing out or that you bring home in a safe place where your pets can't get at them.

Read Also: Tributes paid to ‘lovable lad' as funeral details announced for man found dead in Wexford quarry

Other Halloween treats that can cause problems for your pets are apples, as the seeds in the core can cause choking. Pumpkin skin can also be a choking hazard, and can potentially block dogs intestines.

Keep them close this spooky season

The biggest tip to keep in mind at this time of year is to keep your pets indoors, especially after dark. Try to take any daily walks in the daylight, before the festivities start. 

If the safest place for your dog is up on the couch beside you, let them! Pets take comfort in what's familiar, and their owner is often the safest thing they know, so keep them close.

“The house is safe, the house is secure, it has their favourite person there for comfort. If your dog is scared, comfort and console them,” Emmett from Sound As A Hound says.