Do you give your doodle human junk food?

[Sabrina and Bentley]

Ok, so Bentley is my first dog and my fiance (Allen) and I have had him for almost 6 months now.  I don't know anything about raising a dog so I turned to the internet to learn alot about what to feed him, how to train him, etc.  I took alot of pride in learning what I could to give Bentley the best life possible.  Allen has grown up with dogs (St Bernards and Great Danes) his entire life, so he has his own opinion on how to raise a dog, what to feed them, etc.  so that's the backstory. 

My question is, do you give your dog your junk food as a  treat every once in awhile?  I give him fruit, veggies and meat as treats sometimes.  Allen on the other hand gives him tortilla chips, the cookie part of an oreo, pieces of a muffin or cupcake, pretty much any sweet that he's eating because he's a sweets junkie.  Granted this is maybe every other day and it's only one piece, but when he does this, it's like nails on a chalkboard. Smoke starts coming out of my ear.  I'd say I don't know why it bothers me so much, but I think a part of it is so frustrating because I take care of Bentley 90% of the time.  I trained him to sit, stay, come.  I trained him to not play with his toys on the couch.  He's in puppy training right now because I've been unsuccessful with him jumping on people and pulling on his leash.  I work from home, so I play with him during the day.  He gets three walks during my work hours and Allen walks him before bed.  So I feel like Allen gets to benefit from all of my hard work with Bentley while he does nothing but play with him and give him junk food. Not to mention he doesn't discipline when he jumops on people because he thinks that's what dogs do.  We are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to raising Bentley which makes me translate to how it will be raising kids with him.  LOL!!  I laugh, but it's true.

I could totally be overanalyzing this, but I haven't let up and he doesn't plan to stop, so I figured I'd reach out to you guys for your opinion.  Do you think I'm being way too anal?  Bentley has never gotten sick from any of this, but I look at the long term and wonder if/how this will affect him.  This is free therapy, so thank you in advance!!!  :-)

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Cosmo gets no human food at all--that is, food that we are eating. He does get canned pumpkin or sweet potato in his bowl if he has constipation or diarrhea (hardly ever), and he gets dehydrated sweet potatoes as treats. I have also, after he threw up once, given him a scrambled egg instead of his kibble.

I grew up with many dogs (over time, not all at once!), and we were certainly more lax with what they ate than my DH and I are with Cosmo. We allowed them to have table scraps, including steak or pork chop bones, after supper, which I would never do now.

We (speaking generally) know so much more now about what kind of diet is really healthier for dogs, so I have revised the "practices" I grew up with. I hope your fiance will, too.

There are several foods that aren't that great for humans, but can be actually toxic to dogs. Check this list of foods toxic for dogs:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/foods-t...

I also think this practice can lead to unwanted behaviors.

Cosmo has only once in his life counter-surfed, to get a small block of Cheddar cheese. But he knew that I had cut him a piece from that cheese to wrap around a pill he needed to take. (I have since stopped doing that, and he hasn't tried to steal anything off the counter since.)

Other than that one time, Cosmo has never indicated that he thought our food was his food--I think because we  feed him only in his bowl, and even the treats that we feed him by hand are not things we eat.

I would be concerned that your puppy will develop habits of begging, counter-surfing, and generally being annoying when you are eating. I think it's important for a dog to be a pleasant companion, not a bother.

I think you have very good instincts and are doing a great job in helping Bentley grow up into a great dog. I hope your fiance will be willing to work with you and participate in training with Bentley, because I believe you will both enjoy Bentley even more as a result!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I suppose 1 chip or something won't hurt Bentley but teaching him to love sweets is not doing him a favor. Beware chocolate too.

[Julie, Izzie & Max]

I do sometimes give ours some white meat chicken and a small piece of banana.  I never give them any sweets and especially no chocolate since it is toxic to dogs. Also, make sure they do not get any sugar free products that contain xylitol as it can cause serious harm to dogs.  Our Izzie ate some sugar free gum and became very ill.  Luckily, she did not have any permanent liver damage but had to have her stomach pumped out and was on an IV for several days.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Ha ha..I was always the one who could not resist those big old brown eyes on my previous dog, I vowed I would not do the same thing with Daisy and I don't.

She does however have my boss (who thankfully only comes to work once every 2 or 3 weeks) and she has been caught sneaking little things like chicken, or whatever to Daisy. Typically I don't fret but the other aspect of her doing it is Daisy would try the sad eyes on others (nobody else would dare). I do not want Daisy to beg either. So after 2 years of coming to work Daisy only "begs" from my boss - that will teach her.

[Becka]

I do not think you are being too anal, and I also do not agree with your fiance's choices to give Bentley junk. There are (at least) two different issues here, though: one is whether or not it's OK to give Bentley junk food (I think that it isn't, but he's not my dog). The other (and probably more important) issue is that you and Allen need to be able to discuss and agree/compromise on how to take care of Bentley--the training, the feeding, the disciplining, all of of it. You need to be able to come to some mutual decisions and then stick to them. Of course, I know almost nothing about your relationship, so I can't tell you how to go about doing that, but the first step might just be to realize that this is about more than whether or not Bentley has the occasional oreo. You will probably get a lot of helpful advice from other DKers who have spousal disagreements over their doodles. And for what it's worth, you have my complete support that junk food is not good for your dog. I would be irate if anyone gave my dog food like that. Good luck, Sabrina--we're here for you!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I agree with you Becka, completely.

 

It is not acceptable to feed a dog human food, especially junk food (heck, he shouldn't be eating this crap either lol). I don't mean to be harsh but to me it sounds like your fiance doesn't respect your wishes or take you seriously. I too would be concerned about what the future holds in terms of being on the same page for lots of other stuff, money, kids, etc. I would have a serious heart to heart talk with him, and insist he attend obedience classes with you, talk to your trainer about your concerns together and maybe she/he can convince him.

 

It sounds to me like you are doing a great job with Bentley and it's unfortunate that your fiance doesn't appreciate it or support you and your hard work.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Besides the fact that some of the ingredients in the junk food your fiance is feeding Bentley can be toxic to dogs, there is also a much greater chance of Bentley developing food allergies from some of the ingredients in that junk, especially wheat and soy. Allergies are no fun for a dog or for you. Digestive issues are fairly common in doodles, and they are no fun, either.

Allen may have grown up with dogs, but I'm willing to bet he wasn't the person who owned them, trained them, took them to the vet and paid the bill, or paid for their food. Having grown up with dogs doesn't make you an expert on their care and feeding. With all due respect to your fiancee, anyone who just lets a dog jump up on people because "that's what dogs do" doesn't have a clue about dogs, no matter how many he grew up with.  It sounds like you know far more about proper care and training for Bentley than Allen does.

I have no advice on how you should deal with your fiancee, but I don't blame you for thinking about how it will be to raise kids with someone who can't even honor your requests to stop feeding the puppy junk food. I'd have some concerns about that, too.

I hope for Bentley's sake you can get Allen to take his health seriously and allow you to make the feeding decisions. Good luck.

[Bonnie and Kona]

My DH absolutely ruined out Cavalier doing this. We got him at age two and he was the sweetest, most affectionate little guy imaginable. I called him my "migraine dog". When I was sick he would curl up next to me and not leave my side. He loved people and dogs and was a great companion. My DH started giving him treats of whatever he was munching on at each evening. Within a very short time our little Cav spent all of his time staring longingly into the eyes of anyone with food. He no longer spent time just snuggling or enjoying people. He was obsessed with people food. I have no way to adequately describe the change in his personality. My DH finally agreed no people food for the dogs after this guy passed over the rainbow bridge. It is such a relief!

[Ginny Nightingale]

My sister-in-law's cavalier also begs like crazy but only from her hubby who gives him food from his plate--they can get very obsessive about it. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Healthy "people" food- fresh fruits, veggies, plain meat or chicken, yogurt, eggs, etc. - is fine for dogs as a topper or treat, or to boost protein levels in the regular food. But it must be given in the dog's bowl at mealtimes, or handed to the dog at appropriate times for a treat. Done correctly, it does not encourage begging. It should never be given in the food prep area of the kitchen, never from the dinner table, and never as "sharing" something you yourself are eating.

[Pat and Traveler]

Trav gets some human food, mainly used as topping for his meals.  These are foods that I think are okay for him to eat--rice, chicken, steak, some vegetables and fruits, etc.  He doesn't get sweets at all.  The exception is sweet potato fries, which I get maybe three times an year, and he gets a couple of those each time I get them.  In fact, he seems to think they come into the house for him, and gets very excited when he smells them!  I can understand your frustration with having Allen treat Bentley differently than you do.  It sounds like something you need to get squared away, not only for Bentley but because it's causing you a lot of stress.

[Suzanne & Jack]

Must be a male thing.  No matter what I say, DH still gives the boys some junk.  Jack has developed quite a sweet tooth and several bad habits.  I'm the meanie that makes them sit for their treats, puts their extras in their bowls...DH tosses them bananas and apples everyday.  He thinks that whatever he is eating, Jack should get half.  He always complains about the boys being mooches.  I tell him they are just playing him while I eat my dinner in total piece.  His latest thing to give them is wedges of clementines.  Our schnauzer loves them, but this is the one thing Jack wants no part of.