A Colorado Dog Training Center Created a Haunted House for Dogs—Here's How It Went

As much as you may look forward to Halloween each year, aspects of the holiday may spook your dog. And can we blame them? To help local pups prepare for Halloween, a dog training center in Littleton, Colorado, hosted a dog-friendly haunted house.

Keep reading to learn more about the successfully spooky event.

Inside Pawnted House

Dog Training Elite, a dog training center in Littleton, Colorado, invited local dogs from the Denver area to their facility last Sunday, Oct. 27, to attend Pawnted House—an event designed to help desensitize dogs to some of the sights and sounds that accompany Halloween.

Pawnted House featured following spooky season fixtures:

• Doorbells
• New people
• Halloween costumes
• Spooky decorations
• Scary stories

In addition to desensitization training, Pawnted House also gave dogs several chances to practice common skills like fetch as they made their way through the attraction.

Charlie the Spider Braved Pawnted House

The Hood family really appreciated the opportunity to expose their newly adopted dog to Halloween in Pawnted House’s controlled environment. The Hoods adopted Charlie earlier this fall and noticed he wasn’t particularly loving his evening walks.

“We noticed when we go on walks kind of later in the day, and he gets a little spooked by all the critters and the noises,” Michelle Hood told Denver 7.

But Charlie did a great job being brave at Pawnted House and even sported a colorful spider costume. What a good boy!

Pawnted House was able to welcome dozens of dogs on Sunday and charged only a $5 admission fee, which will be donated to the Every Percent Matters Foundation. Every Percent Matters pairs service dogs trained in scent work with humans who have chronic health conditions.

How to Celebrate Halloween With Your Dog

Even if you and your dog missed out on Pawnted House, it’s a good idea to make sure your pups are prepared for Halloween.

Dogs who are socialized and know basic commands like “Leave it” and “Go to [Place]” are better suited to handle the hubbub Halloween night brings, especially during trick-or-treating hours.

Here are a few other Halloween tips for dog owners:

• Create an indoor Pawnted House-inspired obstacle course for your dog at home.
• Pick out a dog-friendly costume.
• Keep toxic Halloween treats like candy corn and chocolate out of reach.
• Watch a spooky movie together.

Daily Paws wishes you a fun, safe and furrr-ightening Halloween!