Is it okay to give your dog some hotdog ....?

Question

as a treat, that is. My mom's friend gives her dog a tiny piece of hotdog as a reward when he goes potty in the right place. She said she has done it ever since he was a puppy and it has worked tremendously. She has a small dog. I was thinkning of doing the same because I am having a lot of trouble houstraining my 6month old yorkie/silky mix.

Answer 1

Hot dogs are among the very best training treats but you want to be sure to use small pieces. You only need about the size of a pea to be very effective. You can cut the fat content a lot by using turkey dogs, but even the cheapest brand of hot dogs are OK in the small quantities you'll be using. Cheese is great too and less gooey.

Some housetraining tips:
Always feed and walk your dog on a schedule. What goes in on a schedule comes out on a schedule.

Walk 15-20 minutes after eating or drinking.

Walk on a leash. Go to the potty spot and stand there. No eye contact, no walking (let the dog walk wherever it wants within leash length), no fun of any kind.

Once you get "performance", immediately say "YES!" and immediately give a tiny high value treat like hot dog or cheese.

Now, if you have a fenced yard, let your dog off leash to play, or go for a walk if you don't have a fence. Always play after success. This teaches your dog to hurry up and get it over with so that you can have fun, and uses the fun as a reward for success.

If you have no "performance" after 10-15 minutes, go inside and come back in about 20 minutes more.

Some people will say a command, like "Get busy" as the dog is successfully eliminating. This will eventually teach the dog to go on command, which can be very useful.

You could also train your dog to alert you to its need by ringing a bell every time you open the door. Soon your dog will ring the bell to tell you its time to go outdoors. (For your small dog, remember to hang the bell low enough.)

Be consistent. If you have lots of trouble, try keeping the dog on a leash tied to your belt loop whn it is not in the crate. (Don't use a crate? You should! Crate training is the single most important part of housetraining your dog.) With the leash technique, because the dog is always right there with you, you'll see it when it starts doing its potty dance. You'll have plenty of time to get outdoors.

The best thing is to reward the correct behavior and ignore the mistakes. Mistakes in housetrianing are always YOUR fault. Don't blame the dog because you didn't catch on quick enough.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Hotdogs (chicken franks or beef franks) are ok as a treat, but in moderation. Go to any Dog Show and look in the handler's cooler bags, I'll bet at least 75% of them have hotdogs!

They are great for hiding pills that my dog had to take also!

Answer 3

It should be ok to do this. If there was anything to be concerned about it would be allergies or choking. If you plan to do it, hot dogs or other really tasty treats are an excellent way to reinforce and encourage during training. I would suggest that you not only make sure the pieces are small and that the pup is chewing them but also watch for signs that he may be having an allergy to them. Simple signs are watery eyes, diarrhea, and bloating, more severe signs would be labored breathing, pacing, or making odd noises.

Answer 4

It is not a good idea to give your pet table food. Hot dogs have a fair amount of fat (as well as sodium and other unhealthy ingredients). Giving even a small amount to a little dog every time he eliminates can add up to a relatively large amount of fat over the course of the day. This can lead to deadly diseases such as pancreatitis. Dogs that are given table food will also become picky eaters, preferring to eat table food over their dog food. These pets are also more likely to become overweight or obese. Ask your veterinarian for a more healthy alternative to give as a reward, as well as suggestions to help with housebreaking your puppy.

Answer 5

I think it's ok. I have 4 chiuahahs and I give them hotdogs and SOME leftovers. Hotdogs haven't hurt them yet and my oldest one is 4 yrs old. Don't give it to them for like meals or anything but as a treat or a reward is perfectly fine.

Answer 6

Use dog treats, not hotdogs. The problem with hotdogs is that they probably have pork in them, which is bad for dogs. Try Beggin Strips...they make really small ones. My dogs love them.

Answer 7

Hot dogs are just fine to use for training. There is nothing magical about them, though. Just use anything that the dog will love - cheese, chicken, tuna, etc. My dog's favorite treats are carrot and red bell pepper (though she surely won't turn up her nose at meat!).

Answer 8

i fed my dog, hot dogs once and he threw up a couple of hours later. Not really a good idea to give it to them as they don't digest as well as we would. When i reward my dog, i reward him with dog biscuits or i buy a seperate back of dry dog food - Beneful or kibbles and bits and feed him those as treats. He thinks its treats but in reality its own food. He enjoys it and it works.

Answer 9

I don't even feed hot dogs to my children and my dog gets treated way better than the kids! Gross! There are treats that they will work for other than hot dogs.

Answer 10

For my dog, just simply smacking his nose a little and putting him outside every time he went to the bathroom worked. Then I'd start loving him by telling him what a good boy he was. He never goes in the house. Treats are good for him too. Hurry up though. You can't teach an old dog new tricks!