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Dogs And Human Food
Learn which “human” foods are OK and which are dangerous!
Introduction - Read This First!
“Can dogs eat human food??”
The short answer is “sometimes”. The truth is that “human food” and “dog food” is all just FOOD! Dogs can eat a lot of the same foods humans can, but sticking to their kibbles and healthy dog treats is usually the safest option. If you do want to feed your dog some of your delicious “human food”, you have to watch out for a few important things to avoid…
Pro Trainer Principles:
“Human Food” And “Dog Food” Is All Just FOOD
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Your Dog's Stomach Doesn't Know The Difference
All food is made up of the same things – protein, fat, carbs, fiber, and water. The real difference between the food we eat and the food our dogs eat is how much of each is in it. Basically, you should be more afraid of your “human food” making your dog sick if it has too much fat or is actually poisonous to them. It’s also important that they don’t learn to be rude (like pawing at people or jumping up) to get this “human food”.
Really, whether the food your dog eats comes from a bag from the pet store, doesn’t really matter all that much. Meat, veggies, and other healthy foods are just as good for your dog as they are for you!
Overview - How Much Is Ok?
10-15% Human Food or Treats
If you do want to feed your dog some of your delicious “human food”, you have to watch out for a few important things like high fat, anything poisonous, or accidentally teaching your dog to be rude to get food from you.
As a good rule, only 10% of your dogs diet should be treats or other foods. The rest should be their normal kibbles. Any more that that may give them an upset stomach.
"Human Food" Treat Alternatives
Here are some examples of treats that look like human food, and are probably pretty tasty to people too! At the end of the day there’s not much difference in what we all eat!
Avoid: High Fat And Sugar
Overview
Humans are used to eating a lot more fat and sugar than dogs. Dogs’ stomachs can’t really handle high fat and sugar food very well. A lot of fat can even damage a dog’s pancreas, which can potentially be very dangerous! The following are some foods that should only be eaten in small amounts.
Sugar and Fat Treat Alternatives
Here are some examples of treats that may satisfy your dog’s craving for sweet or fatty foods. Remember that too much fatty food can upset a dogs stomach, so go easy on these!
Video: Veterinary Opinion
Safe: Veggies and Protein
Overview - What's Safe?
The diet of dogs should contain a lot of protein and fiber. The best foods have a high percentage of protein, so most meats can be very healthy for dogs. Just make sure to pay attention to how much fat the meat has. And most vegetables are just as healthy for dogs as they are for us! Below are some examples of tasty and healthy foods dogs can eat:
Veggie Treats
There are lots of healthy options now that can help your dog get their veggies in a tasty treat!
Avoid: Seasoning And Bones
Overview
Even if a bit of food your dog eats is low in fat and safe, the seasoning that we put on our food to make it SO TASTY can actually seriously upset a dogs stomach! Any bones can be very dangerous to a dog too, and hurt their stomach and intestines. It’s safest to just avoid any bones altogether.
Bone Treat Alternatives
While bones used to be the standard dog treat, they have now been shown to crack and shatter into sharp pieces, which can badly injure a dogs intestines! Read more in the CHEWING and PICKING TOYS pages. For now, here are some safe and digestible alternatives to bones.
Poisonous Human Foods!
Aside from the foods mentioned here, there are actually lots of specific foods you should avoid giving to your dog. Because these are so important , they’re covered in their own lesson NEVER LET DOG EAT THIS
Are Raw Foods Safe For My Dog?
Overview - Yes They Are Safe!
Raw food is very safe for dogs. In fact many people prefer to feed their dogs raw diets instead of dog food kibbles because it can be healthier for them to eat more “real” foods. Raw food is a complicated topic, but the most important things to keep in mind if you ever want to feed your dog a raw meat treat is that it has to be FRESH. Just like with people, raw food are only safe if they are clean and fresh.
Video: "The Pet Collective" Opinion
Raw Food Treat and Food Options
Here are some examples of safe food and treat options with raw ingredients. Actual raw food for everyday meals will be covered in PICKING DOG FOOD.
Final Note: Teaching Politeness With Human Food
You may hear a lot of people say to never feed dogs “human food” because it teaches them to beg. This is definitely not true! Dogs just learn to do whatever gets them good things. As long as your dog is being polite you should give them lots of good things, sometimes even “human food” if it’s safe!
Pro Trainer Principles:
Sitting Is A Dog’s Way Of Saying “Pretty Please!”
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Sitting Dogs Can't Jump Up!
Sitting is a very common way to teach dogs to politely ask for things. The reason we want to teach dogs to sit is that they can’t sit and jump up at the same time! Sitting and jumping up are “incompatible behaviors” because a dog can’t do them both at the same time.
So this is how we teach dogs to be polite – by sitting! When a dog really wants something and they’re sitting instead of jumping on you or pawing, you know it means they’re trying really hard to be polite!
You can also read up on the lesson SIT FOR EVERYTHING to review how to teach your dog to be polite to earn treats or human food!
Additional Reading On Safe Foods For Dogs
Still Have Questions?