How to Host the Ultimate Halloween Dog Party (So You Don’t Go Barking Mad)

Easy Guide to Throwing an Epic Halloween Party for Dogs

Halloween has become increasingly popular with over 70% of the United States celebrating this year. As a dog owner, there’s no better way to celebrate this spooktacular holiday than throwing a Halloween dog party!

Throwing a successful dog party can be overwhelming, especially if you are committed to a theme. You have to decide on decorations, snacks, activities, and more.

This year, get ready to make some paw-some memories with your pup. Get ready for the best tips and ideas as we walk you through throwing the most epic Halloween party for your dog and their furry friends.

Dog Party Basics

Whenever you plan a dog party, you need to take some basic steps to make it a success. You’ll need to decide on:

• Location
• Guests
• How to facilitate dog introductions
• Theme
• Decorations
• Food
• Activities
• Setting up the space

For more details about these topics, here’s our basic guide for planning a dog party. But for this post, we will focus on the smaller details that will make your Halloween event stand out.

Halloween Dog Party Ideas

Once you’ve committed to throwing a Halloween Party for your canine companions, it’s time to decide on the TYPE of gathering you will have. Remember, your event can be as big or small as you’d like. There is no wrong way to celebrate.

To help you get you started, here are some fun dog-friendly party ideas: 

• Relaxed gathering with themed snacks and playtime
• Spooky movie night
• Halloween craft night where you DIY enrichment for your pups.
• Dog costume contest and/or parade
• Pumpkin carving

You can also organize a bigger special event full of activities, games, and prizes. 

Halloween Party Set-up

After you’ve decided what type of doggy Halloween party you’re throwing, you can start planning how to set up your space. The event setup will depend on:

• Number of four-legged guests 
• How the dogs get along 
• If the pups will be off-leash
• Activities planned

All dog-friendly gatherings should have waste clean-up stations and multiple water bowls available to keep everyone hydrated. These bowls should be far enough away from each other so the dogs will be comfortable. This is especially important if there are a lot of doggie guests coming or you’re not sure if everyone will get along,

Another great idea is to have a ‘Time Out’ space. This way the canine guests will have a quiet place to decompress if they get overstimulated. This area should be away from the main party area and have a water bowl.

Most importantly, every party should have a Dog First Aid Kit. This way you will be ready to deal with everything from bee sting to dog bites. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Halloween Dog Party Activities 

When planning your epic dog friendly Halloween Party, you must decide on the activities. If you’ve decided your party will be more of a gathering or a themed movie night, this part will be super easy. 

However, if you want to throw a truly epic Halloween bash, you’ll probably want to offer some fun doggy games or contests to play. The amount of activities you offer is totally up to you! To help get you started, here are a few of my favorites:

• Pet Costume Contest: You can award prizes based on different categories like the cutest, most original, or even coordinated costumes between dog and owner. (Certificates, etc.)
• Halloween Pet Photo Booth– Set up a fun area with props where people can take cute photos with their pets.
• Craft station-carve pumpkins, make enrichment, or let the dog parents work with their pups to make some Halloween Paw Print Art!
• Pin the Tail on the Werepup: this simple game is easy to set up and a guaranteed hit. Place dabs of KONG paste or peanut butter around the poster and wherever the dog licks first is where he ‘pins’ the tail.  Make your own, order a printed copy from our shop, or get the PDF file from our Etsy store!
• Reverse “apple” dunking: Instead of dunking for apples in water, let your dogs try to catch treats dangling from the sky. Feel free to help them out if they seem to be struggling.

For more ideas, we have a whole list of fun dog Halloween games to choose from! I suggest playing one or two games at the beginning of your party allowing your guests to meet each other when everyone is still on a leash. This also allows everyone to get used to their surroundings. 

If you have games, you can also choose to give out prizes. Winners could get certificates, medals, gifts, or all three! Your prizes can be as simple as dog treats or toys. You could also put together a themed gift basket or hand out party favors with cute treat tags or treat bag toppers.

Choosing Your Halloween Dog Party Theme 

If you are as extra as I am, you can quickly find yourself going overboard with party themes and decorations. You may be asking yourself right now, “Wait, isn’t HALLOWEEN the party theme?”  

Technically, Halloween is a theme in itself, but if you want, you can go a bit deeper than that. Do you want your party to be scary, or cute? Witches and Wizards or Vampires? 

Your answer may change depending on whether kids will be around or if some of your dog guests get spooked easily. Once you decide the theme of your event, you can start putting together your invitations and decor.

If you’re looking for cute, dog-themed Halloween party decorations, check out our Halloween Printable Party Pack on Etsy! Our party pack comes with invitations, doggy bag tags, banners, food tent labels, cupcake flags, Time Out/Break Room signs, award certificates, medals, and even a bonus “Pin the tail on the Werepup” game.

Halloween Dog Party Invitations

After you’ve created your guest list and settled on your official theme, it’s time to send out your invitations! You can send them out via text, email, Facebook invite, or mail. 

The important part is that it has the right information on them. Make sure to include the address, date, and time of the party. This is also the perfect time to let your guests know the rules of your event, any restrictions, or if they need to bring anything. 

Halloween Dog Party Decorations

You want your Halloween party decorations to be cute (or scary), but they also need to be practical. I’ve put together a list of some important safety factors to consider when picking out and setting up your decor. Your decorations should:

• Not be similar to dog toys.
• Be easily cleanable if near or on the ground (Think dog marking).
• Have no sharp corners.
• Have nothing that dogs can get tangled in.
• Not contain any toxic materials. 
• Not be TOO scary for the pups.

One of our dogs finds large statues or figurines scary, especially if they are animatronic. Dogs (like people) have a wide range of fear reactions including aggression. Because of this, I would avoid putting anything like that in your dedicated dog party spaces.

Halloween Dog Party Food and Drinks

Every party needs snacks! In today’s world of food allergies, it’s important to offer a variety of options and clearly label the treats that are out. Dogs and humans may also be on special diets for medical reasons.

You can always go the simple route and provide platters and bowls of dog treats, chips, and ready-made desserts. Or get Halloween-themed food like dirt worm cupcakes, brain cake, caramel apples, etc. You could even set up a station for people to decorate their own Halloween cookies and dog treats!

Just make sure that whereever you are setting up the food will be out of reach from troublesome puppies. Not all puppies can be trusted to keep their paws off the snacks!

For human drinks, you can have drinks poured out of an IV, served in goblets, or offer cans or bottles. Dog water stations can be created out of trick-or-treating buckets or simply in regular dog bowls.

The one thing I would warn against is having any food at your party that is toxic to dogs. This would be things like chocolate or sugar-free items. 

A guest can easily put their plate down within a pup’s reach or drop something on the ground where a dog can get it. If you want to offer these types of foods, just ask your guests to eat them in an area away from the furry guests.

Happy Howl-oween– It’s Pawty Time!

With these tips and tricks, you’re set to throw a hauntingly spectacular Halloween gathering for your four-legged friends! Picking out and setting up the perfect decorations, activities, and snacks will make your dog-friendly bash an event that will be barked about for months to come. However, the most important thing is that your furry guests stay safe and happy.

So, get ready to celebrate the season’s chaos watching your pups have the time of their lives and take plenty of pictures! And don’t worry, if you feel like throwing a Halloween party is more than you chew, there are plenty of other ways to include your pet in this spooky holiday this year.  

(Don’t forget to check out our store for some amazing printables and products to take your party to the next level)

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