Dress your dog up safely this Halloween

Spooky season is here! From trick or treating to ghost stories, this time of year is the ideal excuse for ‘scary’ celebrations the whole family can get involved in. So, it’s understandable that you’d want to let your dog join in with the fun, too. 

Possibly one of the most popular ways to celebrate Halloween the world over is to dress up in costume. Since they can’t enjoy chocolate or sweets (which are toxic to dogs), dressing our canine companions in costume seems like a great way for them to participate in Halloween.    

Let’s explore signs to indicate our dogs are comfortable in costume, as well as alternative ways for them to take part in Halloween if they’re not happy in costume…

Check they’re comfortable and content

As pet parents, it’s our responsibility to make sure our dogs are as happy and healthy as possible at all times. That means our dogs must be kept comfortable and should always be allowed to carry out normal behaviours – eating, drinking, sitting, playing, walking, running, sleeping, and toileting, for example. 

Remember: Canines mostly communicate through body language, so any costume your dog might wear has to allow them to communicate clearly with you, other people, and other dogs.

Sometimes, wearing a costume will have a negative impact on a dog’s wellbeing, especially if it is restrictive or causes them to overheat. So, it’s vital not to dress up your dog if they seem even slightly uncomfortable, since doing so could prevent them from feeling content and/or behaving normally.

Important considerations for dressing up your dog

It is important to recognise that there are some breeds that shouldn’t wear a costume due to the risk of overheating:

• Flat-faced breeds such as French bulldogs, English bulldogs, and pugs. 
• Long-haired breeds such as golden retrievers, bearded collies, and shih tzus.

Here are some considerations when choosing an outfit for your best fur-iend:

• Any costume your dog wears must be safe for pets.
• You’ll need to make sure they can move freely in the costume – for instance, running around, jumping up on furniture, and walking.
• Pet costumes mustn’t contain parts that could become a choking hazard.
• While they’re out and about in a costume, their ID tag needs to be visible and you’ll still have to be able to use their lead as normal.
• They’ll need time to get used to wearing their costume, so it’s best to buy it long before Halloween.

Important: Even if you’re confident that your dog is happy and comfortable in their Halloween costume, you shouldn’t leave them unattended or expect them to wear it for too long.

Signs your dog isn’t comfortable in a Halloween costume

• Rolling around in an attempt to remove the costume.
• Rolling on their back and staying still.
• Circling – either frantically or slowly.  
• Ears pinned flat against their head.
• Biting at the costume.
• Pawing at the costume.
• Tucking their tail between their legs.
• Holding their tail low – they may or may not be wagging their tail.
• Refusing to move – they might sit or stand rigidly with fear.
• Trying to escape the costume or run away.
• Shaking or cowering.
• Hiding.
• Drooling.
• Licking their lips repeatedly.
• Yawning repeatedly.
• Panting excessively.
• Avoiding eye contact.
• Showing the whites of their eyes.
• Baring teeth or ‘smiling’.
• Growling.

Please note: Dogs who are frightened or in discomfort are more likely to become aggressive – you can visit our article about the ladder of communication for further information.

Check the materials when choosing their outfit

Another aspect of dressing pets up for Halloween that we all need to consider is the materials used to make their costumes.

While products for pets are covered under the General Product Safety Regulation, or ‘GPSR’, there are currently no official safety regulations specifically for pet clothing. With this in mind, it’s essential for us to think carefully about the potential consequences of dressing up our pets. 

An example of the dangers posed by improperly regulated pet clothing was an experiment carried out by emergency vet care company, VetsNow. Whether dog costumes were bought from online retailers or well-known supermarkets didn’t matter, since only one of the four costumes tested appeared mildly fire resistant. 
Halloween celebrations often welcome fire hazards, like candles in carved pumpkins, that wouldn’t normally appear around our homes – so dogs may not be fully aware these items are dangerous.

Alongside keeping our pets away from hazards like candles and toxic treats, adding an unsafe costume into the mix should be avoided. When selecting a costume for your dog, make sure you avoid the following…

Things to avoid when choosing a pet costume

• Anything that covers their eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or rear end.
• Flammable materials, like synthetic fabrics (polyester, nylon, etc.).
• Glitter, sequins, dyes, or other materials that might be toxic for pets. 
• Decorations or additions that could become choking hazards.
• Items that are too small or too big for your dog (which could cause injury).

Important: Please don’t use paints or dyes anywhere on your dog’s coat or skin, since many of these products contain ingredients that are harmful to animals.

Alternatives to dressing up your dog

Instead of dressing up our dogs, there are plenty of alternative ways to help them get involved in the Halloween fun! 

Here are just a few examples… 

Costumes of characters who have dogs

Choose your own Halloween costume based on your dog’s breed, so your canine companion won’t need to dress up at all! 

You could be their ‘sidekick’ for the day, by dressing up as a character from one of the following if you have a:

• Beagle – Snoopy and Charlie Brown or Lucy (from the ‘Snoopy’ series). 
• Dalmatian – Perdita and Cruella De Vil or Anita (from 101 Dalmatians).
• Cairn terrier – Toto and Dorothy or Scarecrow (from The Wizard of Oz).
• Great Dane – Scooby Doo and Shaggy or Velma (from the ‘Scooby Doo’ series).
• Sheepdog – Einstein and Doc Brown or Jennifer (from Back to the Future).
• Greyhound – Santa’s Little Helper and Homer or Marge (from The Simpsons).
• Golden retriever – Dug and Carl or Russell (from Up).

There are, of course, countless canine characters to discover who’ll have great sidekicks you could use as inspiration!

Decorate their collar, lead, and/or harness

Another alternative to dressing your dog in full costume is decorating their collar, lead, and/or harness.

Whether it’s a Halloween-themed bandana attached to their collar, or a lead covered in spooky patterns, your best fur-iend can still be involved if they don’t wear a costume!

Make dog-safe treats 

Since it’s vital that dogs avoid toxic food, like chocolate and sweets, it can be easy to worry that they’ll feel left out of the Halloween fun. 

To include your dog in Halloween festivities, check out our recipes for 10 pet-safe pumpkin treats. 

We hope you and your dog enjoy a safe, happy Howl-oween!