Wallflower Post Issue #1
Spooky Season for the Easily Spooked
In the world of rescue, the 4th of July is easily the most dreaded holiday. For many dogs, especially the more timid ones, Halloween might be a close second. From life sized yard ornaments to small humans in weird outfits hopped up on sugar, there’s a lot for our shy friends to take in.
Foster families might not consider advance planning for Halloween night, so sharing a few reminders could help keep your dogs safe and keep their progress moving forward as they await their forever homes.
There are a few quick and simple things you can recommend to both your fosters and your new adopters:
Remind fosters to keep their dogs’ ID for your rescue on, and ensure that it is secure – this is especially important if the door will be opening and closing for trick or treaters throughout the evening
If they’re taking the kids trick or treating, leave the foster home. Between chocolate dropped on the ground, costumes, decorations, noise, and other dogs, there are just too many hazards to navigate.
Consider leaving candy outside for trick or treaters, especially if the dog is quite new to the home.
Many families enjoy having trick or treaters, or don't trust the neighborhood kids to "take one". By preparing a safe space for the dog, we can keep up the family fun while supporting the dog.
The Safe Space: A BOO! Free Zone
Safe Space training is one of the main pillars of a confidence building training plan. While a more comprehensive protocol is usually beyond the role of the foster, we can begin to build up a safe station right away. Here are the steps your fosters can use to create a chill out zone on the spookiest night of the year.
1. Let the dog help you choose a location. Many dogs begin to retreat to a consistent spot in the home when stressed within a couple of days of arriving. Similarly, one or two favorite resting places may be established already, and can be perfect safe space options.
2. Avoid close proximity to the front door. If possible, most shy or fearful dogs will do best in a location that is quiet, away from heavy foot traffic, and out of visual access to the front door.
3. Consider physical safety. Safe spaces primarily get their name helping the dog feel safe. With the front door opening throughout the night on Halloween, the risk of a new or foster dog bolting also increases. Use a gate, pen, and/or leash to help limit the dog’s access to exterior doors, especially if the dog’s chosen location is in closer proximity to the door.
4. Make it comfy. Squishy bedding and extra pillows can help make the safe space more desirable, and cozy touches like dryer warmed blankets can add to the safe atmosphere. Lavendar can be used for calming – be sure to test it ahead of time to make sure the dog actually likes the smell!
5. Mask Sounds with white noise. If the family has their doorbell connected to their phone, they may be able to use vibrate-only notifications to reduce the cues that people are at the door.
6. Prep Chews & Toys. Have a good collection of chews and toys that will distract the dog while promoting calming. Mixing textures and methods of interaction may also help the long night go more smoothly. In addition to edible chews, lick mats, snuffle mats, Kongs and Pupsicles tend to work particularly well for calm chew time.
With a safe space set and a little advance planning, we can help make Halloween easier for foster families and their pups.
Digital Costumes
An adoptable dog in a costume is a very social media friendly way to help your pets find their forever homes. While many dogs will tolerate costumes well, they can create big set backs for the less confident animals in your care. Luckily, technology will let you dress up your pets without any scary hats or clothes! Promote your pets with digital stickers or editing apps such as Canva and Adobe. You can even farm out the work by creating a digital costume contest for your foster families to participate in, and promote your rescue by having your adopters post their dogs’ digital costumes with tags for your organization.
Fall Enrichment Activity: Stuffed Apple
Dogs love work-to-eat toys, so if they can also eat the container, it’s a fun bonus! This is also a great activity for dogs who are still learning to interact with toys since they get tasty reinforcement for mouthing any part of the item.
Directions:
Core an apple
Fill the inside with peanut butter (for a lower cal option, put in pumpkin or kibble, and then use a little PB on each end)
Optional: Add a treat or longer lasting chew
Give to your foster pup and enjoy the show
Want your rescue featured in an upcoming newsletter? Send a pic of your apple creation or one of your adoptable dogs enjoying their treat to info@mightymuttsdogtraining.com
Poll
Confidence Builders Academy student Newmie
Dogs who spook easily are at a higher risk for running away from new foster or adoptive homes, and can be much more difficult to find and catch once they are out. Fi and other shock-free GPS collars can be life savers for dogs at high risk for escape, but they may seem like too much of a luxury for small rescues. Does yours use GPS for dogs in your care? Let us know below!
Does Your Rescue Send Dogs to Foster Homes with Fi or other GPS Collars?
0%Yes, All our dogs
0%Yes, for select dogs
0%No, we don’t think it is necessary
0%No, they are too expensive
You can vote for more than one answer.
Confidence Builders Academy
If every day is as scary as All Hallows' Eve for a dog in your care, you can start your adopters off on the right paw by referring them to join Confidence Builders Academy!
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