How to Host a Dog Halloween Party

A dog Halloween party can be the perfect opportunity for your dog and all of his four-legged friends to show off their Halloween dog costumes. We at BeChewy love Halloween and dogs so much that we threw a dog Halloween party of our own. Here’s how you can, too.

The Invites

Let your guests know whether dogs can wear their costumes to the festivities.

Photo by Shawn Fung

You can go old school and mail your party invitations. There’s definitely something special about party invites that come in the mail. But sometimes it’s a whole lot easier to send an e-vite via email or create an event on Facebook. Just be sure to invite people a few weeks in advance. October is a busy time of the year, and the sooner you can let your friends and family know about the party, the better. Also, don’t forget to let your guests know if costumes are required (which, duh, of course they are)!

The Costumes

Bella might be setting more fires (to our hearts) than putting them out.

Photo by Shawn Fung

With so many dog costumes available in stores and online, it’s easy to find something for most any dog these days—from small to large. Or you can always get crafty and make some DIY pet costumes this year.

You can even take it up a notch by dressing you and your dog up in a clever couple’s costume. For example, you and your dog could be Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, a cop and robber or an angel and a devil. Get these looks with Zack & Zoey’s werewolf dog costume, Rubie’s police dog costume or Zack & Zoey’s devil dog costume.

The Dog Treats

Whip up some treats for your four-legged guests.

Photo by Shawn Fung

What party would be complete without some delish treats? In addition to human goodies, such as festive cupcakes and candy, you’ll want to serve up some snacks for all of the Halloween dogs at the party. Many pet stores sell bakery-style biscuits and other dog treats that look good enough for us humans to eat. Arrange them on party trays — but make sure you note they are for dogs! And keep the dog treats away from any chocolate. Chocolate can make dogs very sick. You can also create your own dog treats, like the pumpkin and peanut butter ones above. They are super simple to make, and what dog doesn’t love peanut butter? Below is the recipe!

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Ingredients and Supplies:

1 cup 100-percent pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling). Try Nummy Tum-Tum’s pure organic canned pumpkin.
½ cup peanut butter
1 ¾ whole wheat flour Halloween-themed cookie cutters (Use any old Halloween cookie cutters you can find, but keep in mind these are dog treats, so you don’t want anything too large. We used cookie cutters we found at a large arts and crafts chain.)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the pumpkin and peanut butter together.
Add flour ¼ cup at a time.
Shape into a ball.
Roll out on parchment paper until the dough is about ¼-inch thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes.
Bake on cookie tray lined with parchment paper for about 10 minutes.
Let cool completely before serving.

Yields: makes about 2 dozen treats
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

The Activities

These Wonder Women are ready to bob for apple slices (no seeds!).

Photo by Shawn Fung

Most of the party fun will come from seeing all the Halloween dogs dressed up in dog costumes and watching them play with each other. Organize a costume contest or mini dog costume parade in your backyard.

A traditional fall activity is bobbing for apples. If it’s warm enough where you live, fill up a tub of water, place some apple slices in there and let the dogs go wild. Just make sure to use apple slices and not whole apples. Apple seeds are not safe for dogs to eat — they contain trace amounts of arsenic.

Party Favors

People get to have fun at the festivities, too, when you pack up snacks for them to take home in a goody bag.

Photo by Shawn Fung

Send your guests — both two- and four-legged — home with a goodie bag! You can buy plain orange gift bags from any dollar store or party store. If you want to get fancy, there are plenty of Halloween baggies or boxes you can use instead.

For human guests, you simply can buy a bunch of Halloween candy. Into a bag it goes, easy peasy. For furry guests, you can buy a bag of assorted Halloween-themed dog toys, like the ZiggyPaws Halloween Brainey pumpkin squeaky plush toy. In each goodie bag, you can include one toy as well as some store-bought Halloween-themed dog treats, like Blue Buffalo’s Halloween Boo Bars.

There you have it: a way to celebrate Halloween — the best holiday! — with both dogs and people.

By: Stephanie Brown