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If you are a dog owner who likes to give your dog a nibble of your food, please be careful what types of food you share with your dog. It's safest to stick to rice, lean meats, plain bread, and pasta. From a training perspective, I do not recommend ever sharing food with your dog while you're eating. Rather, stuff a Kong toy with leftovers, put it in the freezer, and give it to your dog as an occupier while you're cooking the following night. Otherwise, your dog will beg and look at you, yearning for a bite of what you're eating.
Be sure to avoid giving your dog access to the following foods because they can be harmful:
Chocolate: Large amounts of chocolate, especially dark chocolate or baking chocolate are dangerous to dogs and cats.
Candy: Any candies containing the artificial sweetener, Xylitol, can cause your dog's blood sugar to drop, leading to seizures and possibly death.
Grapes and raisins: Even a single serving can be enough to lead to kidney failure in your pet. Never give these to your dog.
Nuts: Any nuts should be avoided, but walnuts and macadamia nuts are particularly toxic.
Onion: Ingesting onions can destroy an animal's red blood cells causing breathing difficulties, anemia, and weakness.
If you're concerned about your dog eating a forbidden food while you're cooking, I recommend teaching your dog that they're not permitted to be in the kitchen while you're preparing a meal. Using the commands "out" and "stay" will help. Practice these commands without the presence of cooking and food, then increase the difficulty by adding more distractions like pretending to cook, finally when you're ready for the real thing, you're dog will have practiced the appropriate behavior.
Additionally, I recommend teaching the command "go to bed" to teach your dog to play with toys in a designated spot or in a crate/den at that time. I recommend that you hide some of your dog's favorite toys and give them to your dog while you're cooking and eating. Your dog will be so excited by their favorite toy or food stuffed toy that they'll be appropriately occupied while you're cooking or eating.
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July 16th, 2009UncategorizedIf you are a dog owner who likes to give your dog a nibble of your food, please be careful what types of food you share with your dog. It's safest to stick to rice, lean meats, plain bread, and pasta. From a training perspective, I do not recommend ever sharing food with your dog while you're eating. Rather, stuff a Kong toy with leftovers, put it in the freezer, and give it to your dog as an occupier while you're cooking the following night. Otherwise, your dog will beg and look at you, yearning for a bite of what you're eating.