This post is brought to you by Big Heart Pet Brands. All opinions are my own.

Halloween isn’t just for kids! Dogs love it too, according to a study conducted by Big Heart Pet Brands (the makers of your dog’s favorite treats, like Milk-Bone, Pup-Peroni, Canine Carry Outs and Milo’s Kitchen). The company recently surveyed 3,000 dog parents nationwide to find the top 25 states that most like to include their pups in Halloween, as well as the nation’s most popular “Doggy Halloween Tricks,” and each breed’s favorite special treats. Let’s see what they found out!

Fun Halloween Stats for Dogs:

PET PARENTS LOVE TO INCLUDE THEIR DOGS ON HALLOWEEN

• 44% of NY pet parents have dressed their dog in costume versus 28% of California pet parents
• 38% of NY pet parents have greeted trick-or-treaters with their dog while 18% of pet parents in California have
• 18% of Texas pet parents have given their dog extra treats for Halloween and 16% have taken their dog trick-or-treating.

• DIFFERENT TREATS FOR DIFFERENT BREEDS
  Big dogs like Dobermans and Great Danes prefer “real meat treats”, while most small ones (Pomeranians and Pugs) choose “soft and chewy” snacks – like Pup-Peroni
•  Soft and chewy treats are also the all-time favorites of terriers (58%), and toy dogs (59%)
•  Biscuits and crunchy treats (like Milk-Bone) are the clear favorites of hounds (53%), herding dogs (56%), and sporting dogs (57%)

My dogs are all big dogs, and they love ALL treats! Tasha, my German Shepherd, is a herding dog. She seems to be a statistical anomaly because she actually prefers soft and chewy. Even before she became a “senior” she was more into the Pup-Peroni than the Milk-Bones. My Lab/Collie loves crunchy Milk-Bones. Cooper, my mystery moose, loves everything all the time. Although lately, he’s been more into the meaty chewy treats.

MILO KITCHEN’S HALLOWEEN “DOGGY TRICKS TOP 10 RANKING”
Because dogs are the ultimate tricksters, Milo’s Kitchen brand dog treats wanted to uncover, for the first time, which tricks dogs are best able to perform. The nation’s most popular doggy tricks are:

#1: Sit (77% of dogs can do this on command)
#2: Shake paws (58%)
#3: Lay down (57%)
#4: Stay (50%)
#5: Give a kiss (44%)
#6: Beg (31%)
#7: Roll over (27%)
#8: Speak or bark (26%)
#9: Spin (14%)
#10: Play dead (10%)

My dogs can sit, shake, lay down, stay and give a kiss. Maia will literally hold you down to give you a kiss!  They “beg,” but not as a trick, they just do it because they want what I have, all the time. Cooper can and will speak. Quite often, in fact, and rarely on command. He talks back quite a bit. Maia picks an inconvenient spot in the kitchen with the most traffic where I’m sure to fall over her, then “plays dead” for about four hours. Hmmm, I’m starting to think my dogs’ tricks don’t count as actually tricks!

My Two Lions: Dress-Up Fun with Maia and Cooper

I didn’t actually have any dog costumes on hand, but I dug out Jacob’s old Cowardly Lion costume from a few years ago. The head part happened to be a perfect fit for Maia! She’s such a good sport about getting dressed up, the only of my three that really doesn’t complain about it. Her pictures came out so great, I couldn’t decide which one to post. Here are my favorites!

The “Okay, fine, take your picture and give me the treat” pose:

The “OMG, what are you doing to me?” pose (or the “roar” pose!)

The “I do have to admit, I am beautiful” pose:

Finally, the “quiet acceptance” pose:

Cooper was barking and laughing at her the whole time, so I figured he should get in on the fun too! The costume doesn’t match him as well, which just makes it all the funnier! Here is his “did she really just put that on my head?” face:

Followed by his “oh wait, it’s for treats? I’m in!” face:

I hope you enjoyed these funny dog costume pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them! No animals were harmed in the making of this post. In fact, they were VERY well compensated. For wacky DIY doggie costumes, ideas on how to treat your pet, or for downloadable decorations to show your neighbors you’re celebrating with your pup, please visit this special Howl-o-ween website, from Big Heart Pet brands’ Milk-Bone, Pup-Peroni, Canine Carry Outs and Milo’s Kitchen.
For a chance to see your dog’s Halloween photo in the Milk-Bone Halloween website and social channels, tag it on FB, Instagram or Twitter with #TreatsForAll.