Halloween Can Be Extremely Stressful for Dogs

For some dogs, the stress of constantly hearing the doorbell ring or kids banging on the door, then running to the door when you open it to find a bunch of strangers dressed in weird clothes and sometimes being extra loud, can really stress out your pet.

Here are some of the comments I got when I did this story on the air, followed by some  helpful reminders from the professionals for you and your dog.

-- "I hate Halloween! Last year a guy brought his dog off-leash trick-or-treating with his kids. My dog got so frightened that he escaped...and the guy flipped out on me. Thank goodness my dog just gave everybody kisses including his dog. I want to post a sign, "Sorry, no candy. I love my dogs more than you! Stay away so they can be calm!"

-- "My dog gets so anxious with all the knocking and people walking by that I am concerned she may bite someone out of fear if she escapes. I lock her upstairs and then she jumps at the windows trying to protect me from all the weird people coming to the door. I'm afraid she's gonna break a window."

-- "My dog is well trained, but with all the commotion of Halloween, she gets over- stimulated and it is a problem. I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but I just don't want any kids injured or my dogs to be stressed out!"

-- " I am going to put my dogs in an upstairs, back bedroom and hope for the best!"

-- "I am putting yellow 'stay away' tape in front of my porch so that kids know to walk past my house without coming up to knock on the door. My dog is elderly and she can't take the stress of strangers knocking all day and night."

So what do dog experts suggest?

1. Make it impossible for your dog to wiggle out. Leash them and hold the leash securely. Or, better yet, put them in another room and close that door before answering your front door for trick-or-treaters.

2. Make sure your dog is wearing a collar with your current phone number and any other important contact information in case they get spooked enough to dash out the front door at full speed.

3. If your dog is microchipped, verify that your information on file with the company is current and accurate.

4. If your must put your dog in the back yard during the festivities, please make sure your fence is secure, your gate securely latched and locked, and that your dog isn't capable of jumping the fence.

5. Remember, too, that chocolate and xylitol (a sweetener found in many candies) are toxic to dogs and cats, as are macadamia nuts, raisins and grapes. Make sure you don't leave candy anywhere they can get to it...including a purse.

6. And to black cat owners....please keep your pet inside today and tonight. Sometimes there are evil people that do bad things to black cats on Halloween.