Will Feeding People Food Make Your Dog Beg

21.31 in beg, Dog, feeding, food, make, people, will, your

Heres the thing about "people food."  It doesnt exist.  Theres no such thing.  Okay, well, obviously there is food that people eat.  But when it comes down to it, food is food.  Chicken is chicken whether it is eaten by a person or a dog.

Therefore, this concept of "If I feed my dog people food shell learn to beg," cant be entirely true.  But if the ingredients arent the problem, is it how they are prepared?  If you feed a dog only chicken that comes out of a bag in the form of kibble, will she never beg?  Well, if that were true it would mean that by only being fed kibble its whole life, a dog would not recognize "people food" as something worth begging for.  Not worth it?  If a whole chicken fell on the floor, would a dog walk away, thinking to herself "hmm... not kibble.  Must not be food."?  Not a chance. ("Gulp, that chicken was good!")

But there is an answer.  Its a simple one, in fact.  A dog learns to beg based on where she is fed, not what she is fed. If you eat popcorn on the couch and always toss the dog a few kernels (guilty), shell sit by the couch and beg every time you eat popcorn.  Youll get those pleading eyes and folded back ears; the "I havent eaten in months and Ive been SO good" look.  If your kids sneak table scraps to the dog, expect some drooling during dinner.

Alright, so why does it matter?  Is people food good for your dog?  Should you change your routine and start offering dinner scraps (or just eliminate the guilt if you already are)?  If "people food" and "dog food" is all just food, are there things that are good for your dog?  Not good for her?  Yes, and you should stay tuned to find out!

 

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I Will Try To Be Better

16.44 in be, better, Dog, i, to, try, will

I have been neglectful in my blogging.  As is normally the case, Ive tried to do too much and ended up with nothing at all.  So, long, insightful articles pushed aside, I will try to do what a writer should do.  Write.  Just make it happen, no matter what.  There is plenty going on. 

I have a dog who is drinking so much (gallons) and peeing so much that he has been banished to an outdoor kennel during the day.  A posh, comfy kennel, but an outdoor kennel all the same.  Ive never had an outdoor dog. 

I have a new board & train dog starting next week - a little Havanese that is aggressive towards other dogs when on leash.  It will be fun to work with him.  Hopefully I can improve his outlook and help make life easier for him and his loving owners.

I had a wonderful conversation today with Dr. Chris Pachel, the area veterinary behaviorist.  I like his style and look forward to meeting him next Tuesday. 

We had a full blown hail storm tonight, with an icy accumulation and enough lightning and thunder to send Timber into a panting, pacing tizzy.  Watch out Tim, that thunder might get you!

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