is it okay if i give my dog human food as a treat?

Question

so my dog always eats dog food. i never let him eat human food if he refuses to eat dog food just because i feel sorry for him. however, when he does something ultra good such as listening to all my commands and stopping somewhere before i get there, i give him any food i'm eating as a treat. i know which foods and good and bad for him but is it okay to give it toh ima s an extra special treat? he knows he doesnt get my food a lot so if i do, he knows he's done something good. is it ok to do this or should i treat him with kibble? when, i take him outside to train him and he does something i want, i offer him kibble but he doesnt want it. however, when i offer him chicken or something, he loves it and does it again. is this ok?

Answer 1

It will not hurt, my dogs get a little bit of almost everything I eat, and although they want what I'm eating, they know to either sit and wait a little ways away, or lay down quietly, if I don't give them any, they get over it.
They're all healthy, good weights.
Things I don't give them:
Really sweet things
Chocolate
Grapes
Avacadoes
(there are other things you aren't supposed to give)

One dog I don't give greasy/fatty things to, as it tends to give her the runs, but they don't faze the boys. But, I do tend to give her more sweet things, as she's a poodle, and is prone to being skinny anyway, so a cookie (w/no chocolate) every now and then doesn't hurt her, but I don't give them to the boys.

If you have a breed, such as a lab, golden retriever, beagle, or dachshund, I would use extreme caution feeding people food, as all are known for easily getting overweight.

A lot of people don't think about it, but a lot of dogs LOVE fruits and vegetables (but don't give grapes, and be careful not to give seeds with apples), my all like most fruits, and love carrots, and one of them loves almost any kind of veggie.

Bottom line, as long as you limit what you give, and how much you give, as long as your dog doesn't get sick (throw up, have diarrhea, serious gas, etc.), or stop eating it's food, you dont have to worry about it. Once you start, if you stop, the dog may not eat their food for a day or two (a dog can safely go several days without eating), but once they're hungry, they'll eat whatever you provide them

Answer 2

Something that is lean protein should be fine. I tend to spoil my own dogs a little bit, and I am not saying you should do the same, but they only live a short time as it is right? I would hate to eat the same thing every day, all the time. That is one reason why I do give my dogs very tiny amounts of people food. Lean meats and rice are good. I recently found a canned dog food that was not on the recall list that is chicken and rice. That is their new "treat" when they do something good. Good luck!

Answer 3

It depends on what type of human food you are giving your dog. Veggies are OK, if it is mixed in with the dogs own food, that is good vitamins for them.
Don't let your dog get to used to the fact that your feeling sorry for him and your spoiling him. Once they have managed to weevil their way into getting what they want, you will have a difficult time getting him used to his own food again. You must also remember that dog food has all the vitamins and necessary stuff they require.
Some of our food is not healthy or good for them and can do more harm then good. But like I said Veggies are OK, it help with the digestive system but dont give them too often also.
Chicken bones you should not give your dog, as it can splinter and be lodged in the throat and can cause harm. If you want to give chicken, don't give it raw, it can cause worms. Always make sure the chicken is cooked through. But its all up to you, as you will be the one who will end up sitting with a dog that will just want our types of food and not want to eat his own.

Rather give doggie treats, not our food! Good luck with what ever your decide.

Answer 4

I mix human food with my dog's meals everyday. I either boil hamburger or give them a chicken neck or wing or a lamb chop or a steak or some other beef product with bone or egg. I think it is a heck of a lot better than that canned junk, people mix with the kibble. This way they have raw meat.bones and cooked meat along with what ever vits & minerals the kibble provides. Not to sound gross, but my dogs have perfect bowel movements everyday, healty beautiful coats, nice teeth.... I feed solid gold kibble with the meat. And for their other meal kibble with 1 teaspoon of solid gold sea mineral and vit. supplement. They sell liver bites, as an excellent training treat at petco.com. Puperoni's is a good treat, too.

Answer 5

There is no harm in giving your dog human food as treats. I give my 3 boys raw vegetables for there treats and on a Sunday they have chicken, macaroni and raw vegetables mixed in with there hard dog food. Other days I just make up a chicken stock and pour a little on there dried dog food. What you are doing is fine

Answer 6

OK when I was a kid we had a Miniature Poodle and my mother cooked ever day supper for our family, we where a meat and potatoes family. roast beef, ham, stew, hamburger, potatoes, carrots, corn, peas that kid of food. Well she fed our dog the same thing we ate, not scraps his own meal just like us. I can not ever remember our dog getting sick or being over weight or shortening his life he lived 17 years. Where we lucky? Was our dog the odd ball that could just handle it? Well I am not sure but I believe anything in moderation is fair, when I train my dogs of course I use any treat that my dog likes. He even gets a timbit and a burger when we go through the drive threw, but like I said it is a treat his main meals are the best dry dog food I can get in my area, I feed Innova. I train my dog about five days a week and I use allot of treats like Rollover, hot dogs, cheese, chicken if you have a food that your dog is willing to work for perfect use it to train, just remember it does not have to be a full meal in itself cut it up small enough. So I hope this helps you really the only thing you can do is feed the best food to your dog that you believe in and can afford.

Answer 7

It is FINE to give a dog a treat now and then. A tiny piece of cheese or a scrap of hamburger won't hurt him! And it won't turn him into a slavering, begging monster either -- as long as YOU set the rules of what and when he gets it. If you NEVER feed him from the table he won't beg at the table.

However, if your dog is a finicky eater, you might want to make treats very, very rare. Let him know that he eats his dog food -- or nothing. Dogs are master manipulators and can get their humans to do amazing things for them!

Good luck!

Answer 8

We give our dogs cooked liver for their treats, but around here you just can't sit down and think that you are going to eat your meal without giving in to them, they get their dry dog food and a can of mixed canned food with it, and yes I would say that it is ok once in awhile,

Answer 9

As long as you're not feeding him junk food, it's okay. There are a lot of "people" foods that are also good for dogs. One of my dogs in particular LOVES apples, bananas, oranges, cucumbers, carrots, etc. -- they make great, healthy treats. They ALL love yogurt. Do be careful not to feed him macadamia nuts, grapes, onions -- these can be poisonous to dogs. NEVER chocolate, or anything with caffiene. And, only as his extra special "Atta BOY! Ya done good!" treats. ;0)

Answer 10

As long as you know what foods are good for dogs and what foods are bad it's ok.

Use whatever works for training. The idea of training is to get your dog to do what you want. If your dog doesn't want his kibble, it's useless to use it as a reinforcer for proper behavior.

Purrs,
The Cat Lady