Can your dog learn from Halloween?

We all know how most kiddos feel about Halloween and the same would go for a large number of adults. All that mystery, sugar and walks to haunted destinations under crisp conditions can send chills down someone's spine.

But what about our dogs? 

Do they care about Halloween? I guess we will never know unless...

we  pay attention to some possible cues.  What is your dog's demeanor as he is being outfitted with the Halloween costume? If this is something you do? Is your dog relaxed and welcoming of the outfit? Does he stand stiff and cumbersome as if afraid to move once wearing it?  Or he runs happily and relaxed because you have done a terrific job in teaching him that wearing these funny clothes means big dividends in the form of interaction with children and their attention?

The answer to the question of dogs learning from Halloween has to be that they can.  Dogs are always learning new stuff, always adapting and evaluating their environment. Now the goal here would be to take this opportunity to teach them lots of cool stuff.

For example, if your dog is neutral towards kids or enjoys kids, have him be part of the candy-giving experience.  What's more, have your pup practice with the kids some simple behavior and as a result have the kids treat your pup.  A win-win for everyone.

This is also a great opportunity to practice whatever routine you have designed (and I sure hope you have one!) for visitor’s at the home.

Lots and lots of practice are needed for having your dog not pull on leash to greet the new person at your door. For him to lie quietly on his bed before being released to say hello to the new visitor and on and on. Most of us do not have constant visitors which we need in order to make these types of behaviors stick. So why not take advantage of this great opportunity.

Here is another idea:   As you stroll with your hungry pup around a town now embellished by oh such scary decorations, observe your pup as he moves away or freely chooses to interact with the fake grave on someone’s front yard, the gauze hanging from tree branches and the like.  

If your pup is hesitant to approach (and who wouldn’t), gently encourage him to go investigate - on his own terms, and as he approaches reward your hungry pup with his breakfast or dinner kibble.   If your pup rushes to investigate reward him for his initiative and bravery.

The bottom line is that we must take circumstances like this to make our dogs comfortable and relaxed with novelty. The dividends are worth the trouble and for sure will add to the holiday fun. 
 

Can Your Dog Learn From Halloween?

What is the consensus out there, I wonder… can our dogs learn anything (positive, I am hoping) from Halloween?

I remember years back walking Laika around Halloween in Berkeley where we lived at the time. We came across a Halloween decoration and Laika took a step back. Okay, I thought perfect opportunity for Laika to learn about Halloween and “funny pictures”. Dogs interact with the world using all their senses with the sense of smell and sight as their predominant way of “making sense” of their environment.

So when a dog sees something that appears to the dog out of context, or different than the previous “picture” (representation) of that object or even perhaps something completely new to them, it is common for dogs to feel concerned or afraid since they cannot fully understand this new context.

A perfect example of these funny pictures is the quintessential plastic bag flying in the wind. Most dogs have seen plastic bags lying on the ground, on the kitchen counter, etc. But now the bag is flying… Or take, for example, another typical funny picture: someone walking with crutches. Dogs are aware that people walk with two legs and are even keenly aware of our cadence and body language. But now add the third element to the picture (crutch) and the dog has no idea what to make of it.

Dogs constantly have to adapt to our human world. And learning to feel comfortable (non-threatened) by the funny pictures that they see daily is of primary importance. I take every opportunity during walks, for example, to take advantage of the funny pictures we might encounter. To do this, I pair the viewing of the out-of-place object with something really good for my dogs. For the most part, I use a clicker to communicate to either Rio or Deuce that their choice to approach to investigate this object will gain them a reinforcer. The trick here, of course, is to make sure that the dog is the one making the choice to approach, and if so, how close. For the most part, after a few seconds of approach/avoidance – (moving away from the object) both dogs realize there is nothing to fear and they take a final sniff before we move on with one more little victory and a more confident dog.

So, Halloween is a perfect opportunity to look for those out-of-context scenarios to practice confidence building. Do not be surprise to discover that what you thought was indeed scary to your dog does not register as a “funny picture” to him or her. Do not fret, you will find one that will.

I am not much of a Halloween type of gal; the holiday has little meaning for me. But I realize that for a lot of people it is an opportunity to pass along candy to kids in all sorts of costumes. In other words: Funny-pictures galore!

If your dog is friendly to people in general but especially comfortable with children you might try and make this opportunity a learning opportunity for your pal. Here is how: Arm yourself with some super tasty treats. Whenever trick-or-treaters approach your home and your dog seems them, toss your dog a treat away from the door. Do this a few times. If your dog is an escape front-door artist, leash your dog to a heavy piece of furniture where he can enjoy the activities at the front door while he gets a freebie for hanging around all these “scary” looking kids.

However, if your dog has fear related issues towards people and children play it safe by keeping your dog in another room, while enjoying a delicious bone or stuffed Kong. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if our dogs are already super friendly to people and especially children our work is done. But when it comes to people-proofing our dogs the end is never in sight. Take these golden opportunities instead to make sure your dog is SUPER comfortable and happy about seeing people in general and especially children in all sorts of odd situations. Happy trick or treating to you all...