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My dog Honey barks like crazy and would probably nip at the kids if I put her down. When the doorbell rings, I pick up the dog, open the door, then pick up the bowl of candy for the kids. If I'm holding the dog, she won't bark or try to get at any of the trick-or-treaters. Her first Halloween, she'd run out the door as soon as I opened it. I had to go chase her down a few times.
How does your dog handle the hobgoblins, aliens, fairy princesses, and whatever else shows up at your door?
Shadow is TERRIFIED of kids in costumes and I usually end up sitting outside with the candy.
That's a good question! I have no idea! lol! Well, our girls, Destiny and Jayda, haven't been through Halloween yet, so I really don't know how they will react. Our male, Brooklyn, has been through one Halloween and he did very well, surprisingly! lol! Brooklyn has always been really friendly and he has always LOVED children, but I assumed that the costumes would be scary to him. I was definitely wrong! I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the fact that he was around my little sister-in-law and brother-in-law (they are 7 and 9 years old) while they were getting all dressed up or what, but he just didn't even seem to notice much. He knows all of the children in our neighborhood and loves all of them, so maybe since he knew them so well he somehow knew it was them? I don't know what it was, but he did great! If we were inside the house when someone rang the door bell he would bark like he always does when someone comes to the door, but if we were outside when someone walked up he just wanted to be petted! He was really hyper, he was only 6 months old though, and he has calmed down a lot in the last year. I think he will do even better this year! Our girls are even more friendly than Brooklyn is, so I'm sure they will do wonderful! I just have to make sure that my husband is with me because Brooklyn does get a little weired if an adult stranger, especially a man, is around me when my husband isn't there. He doesn't get mean or aggressive, but he acts differently and it makes me kind of nervous! So, as long as me and my husband are there and we sit outside to hand out candy, I'm sure they will all do very well!
You know, now that I think about it, Jayda might not like the costumes very much! She is by far the most friendly out of all three, she loves everyone right away, but because of what she went through before we got her, she gets scared pretty easily and just shuts down. Destiny loves everyone and is fearless, so I know she will be fine, and Brooklyn loves pretty much every adult and loves all children, so he should be fine, but Jayda might get kind of scared.
Just an opinion here, but I've made it a habit to put my dogs (yes even my standard poodle boy who loves everyone) into a secure room during trick or treat hours. As much as we want to think our dogs are furry little people that understand everything about our lives, a bunch of kids, some with adults, coming to the door in large groups, dressed up strangely and sometimes yelling out TRICK OR TREAT... well I think that's a bit much for the canine mind to understand. Why risk something happening? Especially little kids wearing long and/or cumbersome costumes, masks... all it takes is a split second for something to go wrong. One kid who's scared of dogs to set off a reaction from the dog who is already a little freaked... A kid trips over a costume or a pot of mums to run away from a barking dog, and guess who gets sued.... Call me a party pooper, but I'm not willing to put my dog at risk..
Oh I had completely been forgetting this is right around the corner.....ugh!
My dogs absolutely lose their minds on Halloween (and July 4th) .
I am usually all on my own to handle both the front door and the dogs (hubby works late), so I keep them in the master bedroom on and off depending on how busy the front door action is.
The downside to that is I want them to be with me on a night like this - I don't want to be answering the door alone (you just never know ). They are miserable when I put them behind closed doors too - they bark just as much as if I let them answer the door with me.
No easy answer.
With everything I have going on lately, I really want to skip it this year. Would I be a terrible person if I skipped this one year ?
With everything I have going on lately, I really want to skip it this year. Would I be a terrible person if I skipped this one year ?
As a mom of a trick-or-treater, I would advise that you just keep your house dark (especially exterior lights) on Halloween. If people are considerate (and have any common sense), they should avoid ringing your bell.
It's simple, we don't answer the door and yes the light is off. Where I live most of the actual goblins come by before I get home from work. Rather than dealing with the very few that pop by after I get home I just keep the front porch light off.
As a mom of a trick-or-treater, I would advise that you just keep your house dark (especially exterior lights) on Halloween. If people are considerate (and have any common sense), they should avoid ringing your bell.
Have a happy!
Yeah, I just feel bad for the kids if I skip it.....Halloween has changed so much since I was a kid and it seems like less and less people participate, I don't want the holiday to disappear for the little ones so I feel obligated to 'do my part'.
I think I might just do more limited hours this year - maybe only 2 hours and then lights out?
I dunno.......maybe blindfolds and earplugs for the dogs??
I wouldn't feel obligated if I were you. It's very rural by me, so we don't get trick-or-treaters. But even if we did, no one is ever home on Halloween since my husband and I both go out with our son. And, anyway, he sure never lacked for goodies even though some people didn't participate at their homes.
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Well, our girls, Destiny and Jayda, haven't been through Halloween yet, so I really don't know how they will react. Our male, Brooklyn, has been through one Halloween and he did very well, surprisingly! lol! 
I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the fact that he was around my little sister-in-law and brother-in-law (they are 7 and 9 years old) while they were getting all dressed up or what, but he just didn't even seem to notice much. 
He knows all of the children in our neighborhood and loves all of them, so maybe since he knew them so well he somehow knew it was them? I don't know what it was, but he did great! 
If we were inside the house when someone rang the door bell he would bark like he always does when someone comes to the door, but if we were outside when someone walked up he just wanted to be petted! He was really hyper, he was only 6 months old though, and he has calmed down a lot in the last year. I think he will do even better this year! Our girls are even more friendly than Brooklyn is, so I'm sure they will do wonderful! I just have to make sure that my husband is with me because Brooklyn does get a little weired if an adult stranger, especially a man, is around me when my husband isn't there. He doesn't get mean or aggressive, but he acts differently and it makes me kind of nervous! 
Destiny loves everyone and is fearless, so I know she will be fine, and Brooklyn loves pretty much every adult and loves all children, so he should be fine, but Jayda might get kind of scared. 
). They are miserable when I put them behind closed doors too - they bark just as much as if I let them answer the door with me.
