Why Halloween Is Hard for Many Dogs (and What You Can Do)
Halloween can be full of fun for people. But for a lot of dogs, this night of excitement feels more like a horror movie. First of all, it comes completely out of nowhere from their perspective. Dogs that are already on alert when someone knocks or rings the doorbell feel suddenly under a barrage of attacks. Not only is the doorbell ringing during the night, but when the door opens it’s to the grim reaper and a walking inflatable 6-foot giraffe.
If your dog barks, hides, growls, or freezes when kids in costumes approach, they may be struggling with what dog trainers call “stranger danger” which is a fear or uncertainty around unfamiliar people, especially when they look, sound, or move in atypical ways. Dogs that already experience this fear in normal life are bound to have a night of terror on Halloween.
The root of the problem isn’t fear, it’s trust
The truth is, our dogs are very safe. That’s easy for us to say, knowing that virtually all humans you and your dog encounter mean no harm. Plenty of dogs realize (or at least believe) this and they’re not the ones who experience “stranger danger”. However, whether or not your dog perceives a person as scary is not the most important thing. What really matters is whether your dog thinks you can handle it or not. If your dog is reacting by barking or trying to flee, they believe they need to be proactive about managing the situation. Our goal should be to build a relationship with our insecure dogs where they retreat to the safety of our protection when faced with something that makes them feel anxious. When under your protection, safe in your bubble, our fearful dogs can feel secure and just let us handle the responsibility of managing the situation.
How to earn that trust
Imagine this: your dog sees something (a person, a dog, a vehicle) that makes them feel uncomfortable, fearful that the thing will approach and possibly do them harm. Instead of barking and lunging or darting around at the end of the leash trying to escape, they take a step behind you and relax because they know that you would not let anyone approach them uninvited. If after a moment they feel comfortable enough to engage with the stranger, they know that you tell the stranger to stay where they are and let your dog approach the stranger when ready. Or not if they don’t feel like it. It can take a bit of time to earn your dog’s trust, but once you have it you can relieve your dog of so much anxiety and instead cultivate the fear-free life you want for them.
When your anxious dog trusts you, they can begin building courage
I once had a client (they don’t need me anymore, d’oh!) who had a fearful dog and young grandchildren who only visited a few times a year. These well-meaning children were wildly excited when they visited and really wanted to play with their grandparents’ cute golden retriever. This invasion of personal space was like an apocalypse for this poor dog, and her owners (who felt so sad that their dog was suffering from so much anxiety and fearful that she could get so frightened that she might bite) were in desperate need of a strategy.
It's not obvious, but it is very simple. The grandparents had an office off of their main living area. I told them, “When the grandchildren are here, that is her safe space.” The door would remain wide open and the grandparents and parents would give severe instructions that the children were not allowed to pass the threshold for any reason. This is the “control the strangers” part of the story.
It’s like magic. The dog quickly learned that if she felt at all uncomfortable, she could retreat to the office and her privacy there would be strictly guarded by her owners. This gave her the ability to be nearby the activities, watching and smelling, until her curiosity prompted her to leave the space and be closer to the family. Knowing she had the ability to retreat to a safe place should she get overwhelmed gave her the courage she needed to warm up to the children at her own pace. Now, the rule still stands that the kids can’t go in the office when they visit, but the dog rarely feels the need to retreat there because the kids’ presence has become normal and comfortable. Her owners continue this practice when on walks, except instead of the safe space being a room, it is the space immediately surrounding the leash holder.
Controlling strangers is hard
Sure you can make rules inside your own home and with your own family. But what about eager strangers? It can be hard to find it in yourself to stop people from reaching for your dog, but you owe it to your dog to only allow welcomed attention into your dog's space. Move your body between your dog and the agitator without moving your dog or putting any tension on the leash. Firmly say, "Sorry, my dog isn't comfortable being approached that way." Lead them to approach your dog in a way your dog feels okay about. Ask them to wait for your dog enter their space when your dog is ready (rather than letting them enter your dog's space) or don't let them approach at all. Not all dogs are comfortable being touched by strangers and that's okay. Strangers are not entitled to touch your dog. Your dog will be so relieved to know that as long as they're with you, they are safe from uninvited encounters.
Join a workshop
Our Stranger Danger Workshop is designed specifically for dog owners whose pets exhibit fear, anxiety, or reactive behavior around unfamiliar individuals. We teach practical, compassionate strategies to help your dog feel more secure and supported in social settings. Key topics include:
Understanding your dog’s body language and early warning signs of discomfort
Techniques for calmly and effectively managing your dog’s reactions
Building your dog’s confidence through positive exposure exercises
Tactfully and confidently communicating boundaries to strangers who approach your dog
Help your dog feel safer in a human-centered world. Join us and take the first step toward a more confident, trusting bond.
A practical strategy for Halloween
All of this is fine for normal life, but Halloween comes only once a year and it is way outside the bounds of “normal” for dogs. There’s no practical way to really prepare them for Halloween-levels of unusualness. If your dog seems like they’re going to give themselves an aneurysm, it’s worth just doing them the kindness of separating them from the festivities as much as possible. You can do this by closing your dog up in a room with their bed and a special new long-lasting chew. Turn all the lights on in the room and turn on the tv or some music to help drown out the sound of the intruders. Make a game of opening the door to give them a treat any time they don’t bark when the doorbell rings. Or just leave them be if they seems content to chew their new bone while they watch a movie.
Bonus: Exhaust them beforehand! Take them for an extra long walk or to the dog park so they can expend some physical energy before the trick-or-treaters arrive. This way they will have less energy to fuel their anxieties and be more likely to fall asleep to the drone of the tv than start panicking.
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