Rewarding Your Dog with Treats and Table Food

Rewarding our dogs with organic dog treats is an impulsive action that most people do. You bought the treats to give to the dog whenever they do something good. So, why not give them to him? But, the problem is that most people don't realize that giving their dog rewards like this all of the time can actually have a negative effect on the dog's behavior and health.

As you already know, dogs love food. And, whenever you give them any type of food, they get really excited. You may think that giving them a few store bought treats or some of your dinner scraps isn't doing them any harm, but that's not the case.

Table food should never be given to your dog under any circumstances. Some human food is safe for your dog to eat, but not directly from your plate.

When you give a dog the scraps from your plate, you are giving them food that they may think tastes better than their dog food. If you are going to feed them table scraps, you need to put the food in their metal elevated dog feeders.  And, once they are exposed to that taste, they might think of their food as inferior. When this happens, you dog will expect you to give them your table food all of the time.

If this habit builds, other behavior problems could develop, such as begging. Begging is something that can be extremely annoying to owners, often resulting in the owner shouting at the dog to go lie down or get out of the room. If they expect your food, they will neglect their own.

This problem can be hard to reverse, so you should nip the problem in the bud before it is too late.

Many dog owners give their dogs too many treats too frequently. This may seem harmless, especially when you are training your dog to be obedient. But, giving your dog treats too frequently can ruin the training.

When you give dogs treats, they know that they have done something to please you. And that recognition is needed when you are training your dog to be obedient. But, too often are treats given for no reason, when the dog didn't work for it. When the dog realizes that you are giving treats freely, they respond by doing as they please, because they know they will get the treat anyway. This is something that you never want to happen while training your dog.

Not only can giving your dog have negative on its behavior, but also on its health as well. Just like humans, dogs only need to eat a certain amount of calories every day. And, when you give your dog human food and treats frequently, you can cause many health problems, such as obesity, high cholesterol, and more.

There are more ways for you to reward your dog when they do something well and deserve it. Many of them are activities that you can do together, such as swimming, walks, car rides, and playing.

Another reward that is overlooked is praising. Your dog loves it when you praise them and show them affection, maybe even more than food. Praise can easily take the place of a food reward.

When they earn it, try to give your dog different rewards every so often so they can appreciate them whenever you do something for them.