[nagdu] Food was Re: Wanting to Chase all moving animals, especially small ones...

[Tami Kinney]

Rox and Tracy,

I vote for your theories. That it is the context more than the shape 
that determines whether the dog will take to begging in restaurants if 
you slip a tidbit under the table at home. /smile/ Certainly that is 
true with Mitzi. Whew! DD is impossible to train in proper guide dog 
behavior sometimes. /lol/ I confess that every now and then, I can't 
resist slipping a nugget or two to the precious... Although I usually 
leave it up to DD to be the careful and considered giver of table 
food... He knows what to do, what not to do and how to do it, so why 
keep fretting? I do the dog feeding and use training treats, so that's 
my role. Our house mate doesn't give anything, but the dogs still adore 
him. /grin/

Anyway, that's what works in our house and for my guide. In fact, we 
have three different dining venues in our house, informal to usual to 
formal, and the dogs have 3 sets of table manners depending on 
formality. The formal manners are like restaurant manners for Mitzi, so 
she is teaching Zay about that. /smile/

Knowing what *not* to feed of people food is important, though. Some of 
it is processed or contains chemicals or spices or other ingredients 
that are not good for dogs. And you don't want to do too much, for 
health and weight. Etc., Well, we have  a pretty well defined list that 
we humans follow, and if there is nothing dog safe, then they get no 
table contraband. They seem fine with it, actually. Dogs ain't nearly so 
stupid as some folks make them out to be. /grin/

So we've not taken to feeding the raw diet, and stick with a super 
premium limited ingredient kibble. Usually Natural Balance Duck and 
Potato, although here when we run out of food we get Taste of the Wild 
Duck and Sweet potato, which the dogs like. So we will probably take to 
feeding that full time once we move, since we would have to special 
order the Natural Balance. /smile/ For treats, I've been using Zuke's 
Natural Minis, salmon flavor. I started with them for being low in 
calories for working with Daisy who had some weight issues for awhile 
but needed lots and lots of yummy food reward to switch her to positive 
training, which meant working through layers of anxieties. Poor dog! DD 
had been doing something of the same thing with table treats to teach 
her table manners, but I was doing a high level behavioral work, so 
low-cal treats it was. /smile/ I've thought of changing back to 
something like the dehydrated lamb lung I used to use or something else 
for Mitzi and the pup... But they love the minis, so why change? 
Occasionally, I use baby carrots, but Miss Finicky Poodle insists that 
they be fresh out of the fridge... Sheesh! I sometimes use different 
treats of a more cracker consistency but get tired of crumbs in my 
pockets. The Minis are conveniently of the right consistency and size to 
fit in my pocket without breaking into crumbs. /lol/

DD also shares fresh carrots and potato and other veggies and some 
fruits with them when he is cutting things up. . The sit attentively 
without begging or leaping on counters or any of the bad things that are 
supposed to ensue because of that. In fact, both dogs are good in the 
kitchen without getting shares. They just love to watch the cooking or 
the putting away of groceries or even -- and this utterly fascinates Zay 
-- putting dishes in the dishwasher or taking them out and putting them 
away. /lol/ She doesn't do anything bad or get her nose into the clean 
dishes... She watches close every little thing about it.

So the dogs are free in the kitchen while cooking is going on, and they 
happily supervise or sample the fresh vegetables or maybe even bites of 
raw meat... So long as they remain well-behaved and well-mannered and 
their weight stays where it should, I can't see the problem. Since Zay 
will test the boundaries more as she goes through that phase of 
adolescence, I'll probably end up restricting her now and then until she 
gets the point. So far, though, she's good in the kitchn and helps her 
dad a lot. Under Mitzi's supervision, of course! /lol/

Tami

On 04/25/2012 07:37 AM, The Pawpower Pack wrote:
> Tracy, As my dogs only eat "people food" I'm going to have to agree 
> with you here.
> I think it is lack of clear expectation on behalf of the human which 
> creates begging, not the food one does or does not feed.
>
> My other question is, what makes "dog food" dog food?  If "people 
> food" is things like chicken, fish, veggies, fruits, and such then 
> dogs are eating "people food."  It has just been baked and formed into 
> shapes.
>
> Are the shapes what key to making it "dog food?"
> I don't think dogs really think of food in these terms.  I could be 
> wrong, though.
>
> My dogs eat a raw diet-- which consists of raw chicken, beef, fish, 
> etc.  For treats they get dehydrated meats.  At home they will get a 
> bite off of my plate, depending on what it is.
>
> My working dog goes under tables in restaurants, does not beg, and in 
> fact behaves so well that people usually don't know she's there.
>
> I'm not trying to be argumentative here, I'm just very curious about 
> this whole "dog food" thing.
>
> Rox and the Kitchen Bitches:
> Bristol, Mill'E, Laveau, Baylee,!
>
> "Dance, even if you have to warn others to get out of the way first."
> http://pawpower4me.blogspot.com
>  pawpower4me at gmail.com
> AIM: brissysgirl
>
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