Halloween is just around the corner. The spooky tales of the past, the haunted objects out to get your soul if you wander alone at night and the candies that come along with the celebration. Yes, your dog can be a part of your celebration. He doesn’t have to be afraid of the people dressed as a poltergeist that roams around a neighborhood. He can also go trick and treating with the children in the household. Who knows, maybe when a homeowner sees that you have a dog dressed up like a witch’s cat, he/she will give out more candies. But, what if your dog keeps on being a scaredy dog when the season comes around? He keeps on breaking on the door when the bell is rung, he runs towards the bucket of candies intended for the trick or treaters and lastly, he runs towards the children outside the house that could potentially harm them?
Stop your dog from jumping on visitors
In order for this trick to work, you must first command your dog to sit. Then, with his favorite treat place it right the end of his nose. In a slow motion, move the treat towards his snout and above his head. With his focus solely nailed to the treat, he’ll end up sitting. Now, integrate the voice command “sit” whenever the process starts. Don’t forget to treat your dog of a successful run.
Stopping him from running to the door when the bell rings
With this one, you’ll have to start with a “sit” command to commence the process. On the first step, introduce the word “wait”. If he does so for a second or two, praise him and reinforce the idea that he’ll be rewarded when he waits. From time to time, let him wait for longer than five seconds and eventually challenge him for moments longer than that. If you think your dog mastered the idea of the command ” wait”, practice the command with doors opening and closing to stimulate the actual scenario.
Leaving the bag of treats and candies alone
You’ll have to prepare dry biscuits for this trick. These biscuits can be your typical or boring biscuits that are sold commercially. Tempt the dog of eating or lurk him into getting the dry biscuit. If he gets bored or tired with it, praise him with a few pats on the back and a chewy and tasty treat. Reinforce and treat the trick with the voice command “leave it”. Every time he tries to get something to tries to snatch something that is tasty, say ” leave it.” If he truly mastered the idea, he will obey because he’ll think that when he does it, a tastier treat will be given to him for a job well done.
Halloween parties are one to look out every year. The costumes and the grandeur along with the fun and excitement make it a celebration that every family should cherish. Don’t forget, however, that your dog can also join in the fun too. Just make sure your dog is well-mannered and disciplined for a hassle and trouble-free Halloween.
