How to Throw the Best Halloween Dog Party
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Celebrate with a Dog Halloween Party
If you have a dog, love Halloween, and are looking for a chance to combine the two, then this post is for you! We love including our pups in as many celebrations as possible and Halloween is no exception. This Halloween, you can go as big (or small) as you want. From decorations, snacks, costumes, games/contests, and more. Read on to get useful tips and ideas so you can throw the best Halloween Dog Party for your pups and friends.
Dog Party Basics
One of the most important parts of dog party planning is laying this initial groundwork. You will want a safe place that is big enough for all the guests you will invite and for the activities you have planned.
As for the guest list, not all dogs are a good fit for a party. To make it even more complicated; not all dog owners are a good fit for a dog party either. Think about the dogs that you know can get along with other dogs. Then think of the dog owners that pay attention and will redirect their dog’s behavior if their pups start getting out of hand.
You may also want to do a little bit of homework to learn about any behavioral concerns your canine guests may have, and which dogs have met each other already. No one wants to spend time during a party breaking up ‘fights’ or arguing about proper dog etiquette.
This is also a great time to start developing the rules for the party. One example is if the dogs will need to stay on a leash during the gathering or be allowed free range.
If this is the first dog party you’ve thrown or for more details about things to consider during the planning stage, check out our Tips on How to Throw a Dog Party which breaks the basics down into 9 steps that will ensure you and your guests will have a fun and safe time
Halloween Dog Party Ideas
You can go as big or small with your Halloween Dog Party as you’d like. There is no wrong way to celebrate. Your Halloween party can be a relaxed gathering of furry friends, a movie night, or a structured evening full of organized games and activities. You can even include pumpkin carving and let the pups help ‘clean up’ the pumpkin mess.
Request guests come in costumes and maybe parade around the neighborhood to show off how adorable everyone looks or hold a costume party. If you have an excessive amount of cardboard and shipping paper, you can even have a Halloween-themed craft night and make some DIY enrichment for the dogs.
Your activities and party set-up will depend on how many dogs you have invited and how well they get along with each other. If you know that all of your canine guests get along with each other, you may be able to relax a bit more and let the pups socialize with each other off-leash (as long as the owners still watch them).
Halloween Party Set-up
If there are a lot of dogs coming, or if you aren’t sure that they will all play well with each other, you can set up chairs and water stations in different areas or even in different rooms to provide enough space for everyone to feel comfortable.
It’s also a great idea to set aside a ‘Break or Time Out’ room so dogs will have a quieter place where their owner can bring them to decompress if they need a moment to calm down. This space should be apart from the main party areas and have a water bowl. I also keep our Dog First Aid Kit available here just in case it is needed and so it’s easy to find. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Halloween Dog Party Games and Prizes
What’s a party without games and prizes? I like to have a few games planned to help make sure all the guests have a chance to be included- humans and dogs alike. We usually play at least one or two games at the beginning of the party to give guests an opportunity to orientate themselves to the yard and house, and to let them start meeting the other guests while all the dogs are still on leash. This also gives us a better chance to ‘read’ how well the dogs all get along before we give the okay for dogs to start coming off-leash.
The amount of games or contests you have is totally up to you! To help get you started, here are a few of my favorite Halloween Dog Party Games to play:
- Costume Contest: Can you even have a Halloween party without costumes? You can award prizes based on different categories like the cutest, most original, or even coordinated costumes between dog and owner. If you live in a warmer climate, make sure to judge the contest and get pictures at the beginning of the party. You won’t want any pups overheating because of their costumes.
- Pin the Tail on the Werepup: this simple game is easy to set up and a guaranteed hit with guests of all ages. No losers in this game! 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 download or print ours from our Etsy Store!
- Reverse “apple” dunking: Instead of dunking for apples in a container of water, let your dogs try to catch treats that are dangling from the sky. Feel free to help them out if they seem to be struggling.
For more game ideas, we have a whole list of fun dog party games to choose from!
You can present the prizes or awards right after each game, or towards the end of the party in a more official ceremony. Choose between certificates, medals, prizes, or all three. Medals and certificates can be printed, made, or purchased. Prizes can be as simple as dog treats or toys, or you can put together prize baskets that have items for both the winning dog and its owner.
Halloween Dog Party Decorations and 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 if there will be kids around or if some of your dog guests are on the more timid side.
If you are 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
You can choose to mail out your invitations or send them electronically. The important part is to make sure it has the right information on them. Make sure to include the address, date, and time of the party. This is also the best time to relay the basic rules of the gathering (leash, unleashed, toy or food restrictions, etc.) and to let your guests know if they need to bring anything (costumes, drinks, snacks, etc.).
Halloween Dog Party Decorations
In order to set all your dog guests up for success and to avoid any negative situations, decorate for your Halloween party with them in mind. During set-up, make sure that any decorations on the ground where the dogs can reach them are easily cleanable. The chance of a dog marking them will be high and it would be a shame to have to throw away any of your cool decorations because they became a popular bathroom spot.
Another thing to always keep in mind is dog safety. Decorations that are within reach of any pup should not have sharp corners, pieces that they can get tangled up in, or contain any toxic materials. Your dog may know better than to use one of your decorations as a toy, but some of their friends might forget in the excitement of the party.
Finally, make sure the decorations aren’t TOO scary for the pups. I know Emma, one of our dogs, finds large statues or figurines scary especially if they are animatronic. Because of this, I avoid putting anything like that in our dedicated dog party spaces. Dogs (like people) have a wide range of fear reactions including aggression.
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. Dogs and humans may have gluten allergies or be on other special diets for medical reasons. This may require a bit of homework on your part, but your guests will appreciate the effort you put in to provide items that are safe for them to eat. Be sure to properly label the different food so people can easily select the right snacks for them and their dogs.
Once you know what your guests can eat, you can have fun selecting and setting up the perfect food and drink tables. Just keep in mind that not all dogs can be trusted to keep their paws off the snacks so you might need to place the snacks out of their reach or behind a barrier.
When picking out human food and dog treats, there are so many fun options to choose from. Depending on the space you have, you can set up stations for people to decorate their own Halloween cookies and/or dog treats. You can order or create your own spooky or fun desserts like dirt worm cupcakes, brain cake, or caramel apples.
For human drinks, you can have drinks poured out of an IV, served in goblets, or simply offer cans or bottles. Dog water stations can be created out of trick-or-treating buckets or simply in regular dog bowls.
Feel free to put in as much time and effort as you choose into this part of your party. As long as your guests have something to eat or drink, they will be perfectly happy!
It’s Pawty Time!
With all of these tips and ideas, I hope you are inspired to kick off this spooky holiday season with your pups and their friends! If you aren’t quite ready to take the leap into the world of hosting dog parties, there are plenty of other ways you can have a pet-friendly Halloween this season. Most importantly, don’t forget to HAVE FUN! Throwing an epic party is only worth it if you allow yourself to enjoy it.
(Here’s the link again to our $5 Printable Halloween Party Pack if you missed it)
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