Halloween games

What's a Howl-o-ween party if not a chance to dress up...your dog. About 12 percent of owners dress up their dogs every Halloween. And these days there are an increasing number of silly outfits for besotted owners to choose from.

Costume favorites? Spiders, pumpkins, and witches, according to the National Federation of Retailers. Black cats did not make the list.

The centerpiece of any dog Halloween party really has to be the costume parade, so invite your guests and make sure to tell them to dress for the occasion.

Putting on the dog

Don't wait too long to throw your parade. Costumes are for the human's benefit. It's the rare dog who truly enjoys wearing antlers or a spider pillow. So shortly after your guests have a chance to sniff noses and get acquainted, switch on some upbeat music--not so loudly it'll hurt your guests' sensitive ears--and start the parade.

This can mean anything you want it to--walking around in a circle. Dancing with each other. The idea is to give your (human) guests a chance to show off a bit and have some fun.

You can make it more of an event by handing out prizes in the hand. Maybe dog biscuits inscribed (in non-toxic ink) with "Scariest costume," "Funniest costume," "Most embarrassing costume," and so on.

Let the dogs out

Once the song is over and the prizes have been handed out, release your dogs. Take off their costumes and let them shake off the whole embarrassing event, and start having some fun at their own party.