The day is almost here when people approach your house in droves and ring the doorbell. This can be a nightmare for puppies and dogs dealing with fear, anxiety, nose sensitivity, and more. So, what can you do to help your puppy or dog during this doorbell-rampant holiday? That is precisely what I am going to address in today’s post. The tips I am about to share can be great for both puppies and adult dogs, so even though I will be talking about puppies, know that you can do with dogs young and old and everywhere in between. Let’s take a look!
Tip #1: Don’t Celebrate
This is my favorite option, as I am not a fan of Halloween in the first place. However, for fearful puppies, shutting off the porch lights and going about life as if it were a typical day keeps people from feeling like they can get something from you, so they don’t come ring the doorbell. The doorbell is one of the biggest things that can set off household canines on this holiday. But along with that, the feeling and smell of having strangers come to the door when you are too young to understand how the whole situation works can be stressful. On top of that, when the front door opens and Frankenstein is standing there, most puppies will put the brakes on and look to their owners for help. If the owners are too busy dishing out candy, the puppy may feel alone and fearful, unsure of how to proceed. This can leave scars that are hard to undo. However, keep in mind that some people will still come ring the doorbell, so whether you decide to attend the candy gathering event or not, the next tip can also help.
Tip #2: Have a Sound Room
This is something that works great for puppies who deal with noise sensitivity. Finding a place in the house, like a walk-in closet, where you can set up your puppy’s crate with a cozy blanket and some treats or a chew can be a great place to put your puppy during the doorbell ringing time frame. If your puppy experiences separation anxiety or has not yet learned how to be comfortable alone for long periods of time, please make sure someone hangs out with your puppy. Get a book or a movie and relax with the puppy until everything calms down.
Tip #3: Do Not Train
The day of the event is not a time to train. This is the maximum amount of doorbell ringing, crazy people infiltrating the porch, and scary costumes your puppy will ever encounter in a year. So, this is not a good time to work with your puppy on facing its fears. This is the time to hunker down with your puppy and show it that you are supportive and there for it when it is scared. If it is comfortable with you around and not scared as long as you are present, then that is great too. You can do some small training exercises if you are in your sound room or at the back of the house and you have made a lot of progress in your puppy’s training in other months or if your puppy actually finds this kind of activity calming. However, this is not a good time to test your puppy’s new skills. If your puppy is afraid, please do not expect it to focus on training. If you are working with a trainer who has a protocol to follow specifically for high doorbell ringing days, you can follow that protocol. But again, if your puppy is afraid, training when your puppy can’t focus will only cause problems in the training, not fix the puppy’s emotional state. So focus on helping your puppy feel safe and stick with that for the night.
No matter what you do, please pay attention to your puppy’s needs. Many puppies and dogs get forgotten during days with a lot of activity just because they are sometimes not our top priority, and I totally understand that. However, if you have a puppy, Halloween can be terrifying. If it doesn’t already have fear issues, this one day of the year can result in fear issues later in life if not handled properly. Whether your puppy does or doesn’t deal with fear and noise sensitivity, this is an important issue. So please pay attention to your puppy and what it needs and be willing to set things up for your puppy to help it feel safe and comfortable.
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