Giving dogs "people" food???

[Cram]

I have a friend who has a 4.5 month old pup (same age as our pup) and they refuse to give him any sort of people food. Now, I don't agree with giving dogs table scraps, but we give Helix fresh fruits and veggies all the time as training rewards and just things to chew on (like celery and carrots). We also give him peanut butter or plain, organic yogurt in his Kong everyday. They won't give him people food because they think it will lead to him begging for food while they eat or prepare dinner (they eat peanut butter and yogurt for breakfast, etc) I guess because they think he'll develop a "taste" for it. But I think that dogs will only beg if they are given food directly off of people's plates or scraps as they fall on the floor- but if you make them "work" for the food, or only give it to them in their dish or kong, they won't associate it with begging, KWIM? Anyway, it was just something I thought I would see how other people felt about, cuz I thought it was rather silly. I personally don't notice Helix begging at all (of course he comes to "help" me when I cook, but no whining, just puppy eyes , but if I ignore him, he goes away to do something more exciting and same with when we are eating).

[technodoll]

if i had my way, "dog food" would not exist and every dog and cat would eat "real food"... aka "people food" but then probably alot of vets would be out of business, LOL!

[Spirit]

I ALWAYS reward my dog for not begging. If he begs, he gets nothing (but he knows not to beg, so this isn't a problem). But if I'm cooking dinner and he's laying down nicely on the floor in the corner of the kitchen, I'll occasionally toss him a piece of veggie. Sometimes (if he's being really good), I'll even call him into the kitchen to give him something (lettuce, carrot, tomato, etc), but I always send him away afterwards. He knows that begging for food will get him nothing, but to be honest I love sharing food with my dog, and I do it often. He knows where and when he's allowed to "beg", and in the kitchen or at the dinner table, are two places he knows he's NOT (and doesn't). He gets more "people food" when he doesn't beg (and NONE when he does), and so he doesn't beg. He also eats all of his breakfast/dinner, then when his bowl is empty, he runs to me for a chewable vitamin treat. LOL!

[lt_danish]

I did give my puppy any people food when she first came home just so her stomach wouldn't get upset with so many changes all at once. I now give her some people food, as long as it is in very small portions and on the safe list of food for dogs. I just try to think about how many calories the food is (this is easy cause the is info about human food ALL over the place) and about how much to give so she doesn't get too much food. But really this has never been a problem cause its not like she eats a piece of pizza with me or anything. I always feed both doggy treats and people food treats away from where I eat. Just so I don't teach any associations with my food and her food. Oh, I also don't feed her anything that I wouldn't eat myself... maybe this is just my weird personality or something, but I don't want to see her chewing on leftovers that I wouldn't touch.

[technodoll]

Oh, I also don't feed her anything that I wouldn't eat myself... maybe this is just my weird personality or something, but I don't want to see her chewing on leftovers that I wouldn't touch.

he he - so you've eaten and liked a bowl of kibble before? (check out this crazy lady! http://www.ruminator.com/?p=86)

[One Beagle Girl]

Thanks so funny Techno! I stumbled on that a few weeks ago .

How about this guy's monkey chow diet?

http://www.angryman.ca/monkey.html

[technodoll]

How about this guy's monkey chow diet?

http://www.angryman.ca/monkey.html

omg that is hilaarious! i didn't even know they made such stuff? how horrible! he lasted a week... wow! i wouldn,t touch that stuff with a 10-foot pole, LOL!!! thanks for the giggles!

edited to add the ingredients of this "monkey kibble" - dunno about you guys but i can't see any wild primate eating any of this crap?? so not only do they have to suffer in jails (aka zoos) and be deprived of any natural habitat, they have to eat this trash too? :sad: OMG what has this world come too... guess it's too hard to toss them some fresh fruit and meat and nuts and seeds. wow.

Ground corn, soybean meal, cracked wheat, sucrose, wheat germ meal, animal fat (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), dried whole egg, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, iodized salt, vegetable oil, choline chloride, stabilized ascorbic acid (vitamin c), ethoxyquin (a preservative), vitamins & minerals

[lt_danish]

Originally Posted by technodoll

he he - so you've eaten and liked a bowl of kibble before?

He he, ok well I didn't eat a bowl of kibble. But I did try some. It kinda tasted a bit like what it claimed to be (lamb and rice). I have eaten her dog treats that I bake for her, they are much better with a bit of cheese, as they are dry.

I heard somewhere long ago that people who are living in a GREAT deal of poverty should eat dog food, like the really really cheap stuff with bad fillers. Because the nutrients is good enough for human needs to be met. I have yet to pass by someone living on the street who eats dog food.

[technodoll]

for the but i have to add, i too have heard of old people who cannot afford "food" buying cat and dog food (canned stuff) and surviving on that... i've always wondered if it were true? :sad:

[TeriM]

I feed human food fairly regularly but only into their bowls.

When I first got Lucy (eleven years ago) I was very much a no people-food person. She never got anything and she was still a horrible bum . I think some dogs are just natural food hounds and you need to work with that and just teach acceptable manners.

[jessi76]

I always have, and always will, give my dog people food (yes, table scraps). granted he only gets what is appropriate, generally meats and appropriate veggies.

The rule in my house is he must wait patiently on HIS blanket until dinner is over. when we are cleaning up the dishes is when he get's to have his scrap. and it's always tossed in his bowl.

He knows if he begs, he will get nothing.

[SuperWanda]

I did that initially with our dogs - no human food because I didn't want them to beg. It does actually work but didn't last long. Even though we don't feed them from the table or our plates they can still smell what's being prepared. They know the sound of certain containers opening or when the bag of carrots is out. Once my husband was eating a pear and one dog licked it - now she is right in your face if she sees you with a pear.

They at least listen if we tell them to go lie down but I can see how it can become a problem.

My husband had a 17 year old dog who was always given table scrapes but eventually lost his hearing. It drove everyone bonkers because he would bark at you begging for food the whole time you ate but you couldn't really tell him to stop because he couldn't hear.

[Kristin7]

One time when I was a kid I tried 'Kibbles and Bits", both the kibble and the bits - they were gross!! Not surprising, it probably is not the best dog food (i'm not sure which company makes it or even if it is still around). Some of that canned cat food looks good to me, like real meat chunks in sauce. However, not planning on trying any of that!

[BusterBoo]

Both my dogs get some people food, such as toast and peanut butter daily. If we are having any type of bread, they love the crusts! They also get apple slices, broccoli, cheese and if I am making something that has gravy/au jus, I will pour a little of that over their own dry kibble. Guaranteed they will finish ALL their food!

[Spirit]

(This thread reminds me) Our dogs got thanksgiving dinner (much to my horror).

I walk into the kitchen, and there's my friend putting our leftovers into his bowl. Turkey, carrots, broccoli, one brussel sprout, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and all covered with gravy. I asked her what the he** she was doing, and she happily said "Giving them thanksgiving dinner!" She's raised many dogs in her life, and none of these foods were going to do any harm to the dogs (gravy isn't the best, but it WAS thanksgiving), and the overall quantity of dinner was low, so I let it be, thinking for sure he would get the runs after.

He LOVED it, and no diarrhea (yay!). I guess you gotta spoil them once and a while, eh? lol

[papillonmama]

Personally, I just think it depends on how the person feels about giving their dog people food. I would never let my dog beg at the table, and I never let them get fed by anyone from their plates, but I will give scraps on occasion (when the scraps are good enough for them), after dinner. And, the dogs and cats are allowed to clean up under the children's table after the kids are finished, not that I could really stop them, lol.


When I first got Dory (she was already an adult), I can tell you the trouble I went through to train her, because she had been given human food since she was a pup, she wouldn't beg people to give her food, she would TELL them to. I'm serious, when I first got Dory, she would bark at me when she knew that dinner was ready, she would bark at me because in her opinion, I was supposed to make her a plate, and I was supposed to make hers first! So I had to wean her of the habit and for a long time she wasn't allowed to have human food, her manners are much better now and she waits until she sees me clearing the table before she watches hopefully to see if there's anything she can have.

[angeldogs]

Jag always got scraps.non of my food was cooked with onion.if i couldn't finish it before work.he got it.meats,vegtables,potatoes,fruits.he loves baby carrots and oranges ( normal or blood).

[athenamor]

Good Topic. Bourbon likes to follow my kids around when they are snacking. We found out that he likes bananas. Are eggs ok for dogs? Sometimes when I get take out, I'll get (sometimes I make) a sausage egg and cheese somethin' or other, and I dont do eggs well, so I give it to him.

Bourbon doesnt beg at the table often, but he does lay down next to it. Next to the kids' chairs because they tend to drop stuff LOL.

[angeldogs]

Yes eggs are good.i feed them for one.and the other likes them cooked

[spottydog]

My dog is absolutely not allowed to get scraps off the dinner table, he gets fed seprerately. We do give him fresh fruit too which he likes, and a runny egg occasionally.

[Cram]

Thanks everyone! We'll definitely continue giving Helix fruits and veggies- he loves them and they're good for him. He certainly doesn't get any food when he begs, so I'm sure he'll never learn

[otter]

Hee, Hee, my dog was a smarty pants... I used to give her the odd carrot pulled right from the garden. Next thing I know all my carrots are disappearing, I wouldn't have believed it except for the fact that I caught her in the act, SHE DUG CARROTS OUT OF THE GARDEN when she felt she needed a snack. I couldn't believe it! The next year I caught her sneaking off with potatoes dug out of the garden.
Anyways, sorry for the off topic.... Many of the ingredients in good dog foods are the same stuff we eat, just processed into kibbles so why not feed them the real thing (carrots, potatoes, etc., etc.). Just bewary of how you feed it to them so they don't get bad habits like begging (I think there have been some very good replies on this topic).