Want to Do Something Fun This Halloween?

Turn your lights off and pretend your not home! Give 'em rotten apples? Or, I know, how about give the kids a good scare so they won't be bugging you for candy? hmmm...what could I scare the little tricksters or treaters off with?

No, no! Don't do this...I'm just kidding! Of course it could be kinda fun giving them a little scare...never mind! They'd probably retaliate by decorating your house with eggs or toilet paper anyway.

It would be kind of fun to get your dog or dogs, in my case, involved in the festivities. May as well get them to join you. This way your cute dog Halloween costume will get everyone's attention and maybe a few smiles or laughs.

Dress Your Dog Up

Getting your loyal four-legged friend to dress up seems to be getting more popular these days. There are more costumes being sold for dogs every year it seems.

Some cute Halloween costumes for dogs would be things such as cheerleader outfits, witches, hot dogs, crayons, dinosaurs, or maybe even your favorite football player.

It's all up to you to choose what would be the most suitable Halloween costume for your dog. One idea is to think of what type of person your dog is like and dress him or her up like that.

Maybe your dog acts like it is a king or queen... so dress it up like one! I'm sure there's got to be a costume somewhere for that. If not, just find something that is close to a king or queen costume and modify it a little.

There are a lot of choices out there. Costumes for dogs come in all varieties and sizes. Cute Halloween costumes for large dogs that I've seen so far include things such as a bumblebee, pirate, and prisoner costumes.

Does Your Dog Agree?

Well, you might think it's fun to stick a Halloween costume on your dog, but maybe your dog has other ideas of fun. That will most likely be the case. He or she will probably not think too much of this idea of yours...

In fact, your dog will probably think your crazy and gone off your rocker.

But, then again, if you take the time to get your dog used to this idea of putting clothes on, or in this case, a Halloween costume, your dog might reconsider how crazy you are.

Socialize Your Dog

No, I don't mean sit your dog at the computer and try to teach it how to go on face book or twitter!

What I mean is get it used to different people, the more the better, and also to different sights and sounds, This should help so your dog does not go berserk at the sight of a bunch of kids in costumes coming to the door.

How Do I Do This? You ask

Start out a little at a time with your dog. Have a friend that your dog isn't too used to, or even better yet, that it hasn't ever seen before help you.

Arrange to have your friend, "the stranger" arrive at your home at a certain time. When he or she gets there, make sure to keep calm while answering the door. It would be a good idea to have some treats for the dog available so you can get its attention and also give it a reward.

If your dog is the type to start barking and jumping up and down like a fool, then make sure to wait to let your friend in until your dog has settled down a bit. Otherwise, things may get out of hand with your friend probably not being too thrilled about getting all scratched up by your dog's antics.

Hopefully, your dog has already learned the "sit" and "stay" commands. Otherwise, it will have to learn that first. Once you get your dog to sit nicely, give it a reward. Then, let your friend in.

As your friend comes in, keep your dog sitting and give it another treat. This will teach your dog to pay attention to you, not the person coming in the door. Keep practicing this often and add more people to the exercise when you think your dog is ready.

Practice Dressing Up with Your Dog

Okay. So you found the perfect Halloween costume for your dog. Now, just make sure it is safe for your dog. Check to be sure it is not too tight or hot for your furry friend. Also, it probably is not a good idea to leave it on your dog unsupervised.

Stupid #%!#!% dog, you say! Won't let you put it on, will it?

Well, don't go over the deep end and flush the costume down the toilet over it. Calm down first.

Get some treats or something enticing for your dog out. Then give it another try. Put the costume on your dog a little at a time. Say its going to be wearing a clown costume that includes a funny hat, a goofy shirt, and maybe even pants.

Start with the pants or shirt, would be my suggestion. Since it seems that dogs always try to shake something off their head. For each piece of the costume that you put on it, give your dog a treat that it likes.

Once your dog's Halloween costume is on, just leave it on for a little while, making sure to reward it for good behavior of leaving it on. Keep practicing this for awhile each day until it does not seem to bother your dog that it has to put its costume on.

Happy and safe Halloween to all!