Wrexham dog trainer gives Halloween costume warning

Dog behaviourist Rhian Williams, owner of Ryecroft Meadow Enclosed Dog Fields in Wrexham, is urging people to reconsider putting Halloween costumes on pets due to its potential impact on their behaviour.

Putting on costumes involves a lot of handling and can stress dogs out, especially when costumes are required to go over their heads or legs into sleeves.

She told North Wales Live: “Sometimes dogs appear to be ok after a struggle putting the costume on, but the freeze response may come after the fight response. If your dog is freezing in place for several minutes, this may be learned helplessness, where they have emotionally shut down and won’t attempt to escape as they feel they cannot get away. This is especially common with outfit wearing.

“Some outfits can be highly constricting or cumbersome and cover parts of their faces. Restricting your dog’s movements can stop them from being able to show natural behaviours. Other dogs may struggle to pick up on your dog’s body language and feel confused or frightened about the costume. Similarly, you may have difficulties reading your dog’s body language, missing signs of stress or misinterpreting body language. All of these are important as they can help prevent behaviours from escalating.”

In addition to behavioural concerns, dogs risk injuring themselves, added Williams. She said: “They may use the flight response and try and run away, causing injury or finding themselves in dangerous situations if they are outside. They can injure themselves trying to get out of costumes by getting stuck, swallowing items or hurting themselves if they lose balance. In worst- case scenarios, dogs can suffer fatal events due to stress.”