No More Tricks, Just Treats: Stop Destructive Behavior Before Halloween

Let’s talk Halloween.

You’ve got the pumpkins, the candy, the decor—and a dog who’s been acting like they’re in a demolition derby with your house. 🎃🧨

While you’re out here trying to figure out which Target skeleton to buy, your dog’s already decided the real horror story is happening inside. We’re talkin’ ripped cushions, chewed baseboards, shredded toilet paper (again), and oh—what’s that? A carved pumpkin they actually carved. With their teeth.

Trick or treat?
Your dog chose trick. Every. Dang. Time.

But don’t stress. Before your living room turns into a crime scene, Sit Happens is here to help you stop destructive behavior right here in Citrus Heights and Orangevale with in-home dog training that works even on the sassiest little gremlins in fur suits.

🎃 Why Dogs Go Full Gremlin Before Halloween

Halloween is fun—for you. For your dog? It’s overstimulation, confusion, and full-blown chaos. That sudden burst of fall energy? It’s a recipe for destruction if your dog isn’t prepared. Add costumes, strangers, doorbells, and candy (that they definitely shouldn’t eat), and boom—you’ve got a behavioral horror story.

Here’s why things get wild this time of year:

1. More Alone Time

People are out at events, parties, work—while your dog’s stuck at home trying to cope with separation anxiety by turning your throw pillows into confetti.

2. Change in Routine

Dogs hate unpredictability. One day you’re chillin’ on the couch, the next day you're dressing like a banana and inviting skeletons inside.

3. Scary Noises

Doorbells, giggling children, spooky soundtracks… It’s like an anxiety cocktail, shaken—not stirred.

4. Seasonal Squirrels

Fall = squirrel Olympics in the yard. Your dog is trying to protect the neighborhood from a squirrel uprising and accidentally takes out your flower bed.

🐾 What Counts as Destructive Dog Behavior?

Let’s not sugarcoat it (even though your dog definitely just ate some sugar-coated candy):

• Digging in the yard like they’re mining for gold

• Chewing shoes, furniture, power cords (yikes)

• Tearing into walls, trash cans, or pumpkin displays

• Peeing on things out of spite (you know it’s spite)

This isn’t normal “puppy energy.” This is “I’ve been left unsupervised for 20 minutes and now I own the house” energy.

👻 Don’t Wait Until Halloween Night

Look, you don’t want to be that house—the one where the dog’s barking nonstop, the candy bowl’s been raided, and a kid in a dinosaur costume gets tackled at the door.

You want chill. You want polite. You want a dog that doesn’t think everything is a chew toy.

That’s why October is the perfect time to start in-home training with Sit Happens. Our method? No gimmicks. Just real training, real fast, in the place where it matters most—your home.

🏡 How Sit Happens Stops the Madness (Without You Losing Your Mind)

Our in-home training in Citrus Heights and Orangevale focuses on custom strategies built around your dog’s habits, triggers, and personality. Because let’s be real—your dog isn’t like other dogs. They’re a special brand of dramatic.

We keep it simple:

✅ Step 1: Identify the Triggers

We figure out why your dog is destroying things. Boredom? Anxiety? Possession? Squirrel PTSD? Whatever it is, we get to the root.

✅ Step 2: Redirect the Energy

Instead of chewing your shoes, they learn to chew on what we say. Puzzle toys. Bones. Frozen peanut butter in a Kong. You know, constructive destruction.

✅ Step 3: Teach Self-Control

Impulse control is not just for toddlers. We’ll help your dog understand that just because something can be chewed doesn’t mean it should be chewed.

✅ Step 4: Build Boundaries

We’ll teach your dog that the couch is for sitting, the trash can is off-limits, and pumpkins are not snacks.

🍬 Halloween-Specific Training: Yes, We Do That

This isn’t just general training. We’re talking holiday survival training, baby. Want your dog to:

• Stay calm when the doorbell rings 72 times?

• Not bark at kids dressed like glow-in-the-dark werewolves?

• Leave the candy bowl (and wrappers) alone?

• Pose nicely for fall pics and not jump into a pile of leaves mid-snap?

We’ve got you covered.

😬 Mistakes You Might Be Making (No Judgment… Okay, Maybe a Little)

You’re not a bad dog parent. But you might be doing one of these:

❌ Giving too much freedom too soon

A bored dog with backyard access is just a bulldozer with fur.

❌ Ignoring warning signs

Chewing the corner of one couch cushion is not “cute.” It’s foreshadowing.

❌ Assuming Halloween chaos is “just once a year”

It’s not. It’s the gateway to Thanksgiving chaos, then Christmas chaos, then “New Year, New Dog?” vibes.

🦴 Why In-Home Dog Training Works in Citrus Heights & Orangevale

Training in your own home means we tackle the destruction where it actually happens. That’s key.

Your dog doesn’t act up at PetSmart—they save that energy for when you leave them alone with your throw pillows and $80 Halloween decorations. We’ll work with you:

• In your backyard (RIP, flower beds)

• In your living room (formerly known as “the chew zone”)

• Around your holiday decor (may it live to see November)

• During real-life distractions—doorbells, visitors, leaf blowers, etc.

This isn’t training in a vacuum. It’s training in your real, messy, chaotic life. And it works.

📞 Ready to Stop the Destruction? Call Us Before Your Dog Eats Another Pumpkin.

Whether your pup is just dabbling in destruction or is already on a home makeover show of their own, we can help you rein it in before Halloween becomes Howl-oween.

📍 Serving Citrus Heights and Orangevale
📞 Call us at (916) 886-9908
🏠 Book your in-home behavior training session today

Because this October, your dog deserves treats—not trouble.
And you deserve a Halloween that doesn’t end with an emergency vet visit and a destroyed living room.

Let’s fix it before your dog’s next trick involves the drywall.