Feeding human food to dogs

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This article is part of our E-book, ASK THE TRAINER: Answers to common questions about dog training and behavior issues, including jumping, leash manners, aggression, fearfulness, and more.

Question:

I’ve been told I should never feed my dog human food. Is that true?

The Trainer Answers:

I'm not sure where this advice started, but I’ve heard from many others who were told the same thing. Did this advice come from a veterinarian, a trainer, friends, family, or someone else? Is this some urban myth that has been floated around?

My best guess is there are two main reasons people believe they should not feed human food to dogs. First, they might believe human food is not healthy for dogs. If we are talking about highly processed foods with a long list of ingredients – most of which no one can pronounce – then I agree. Then again, we humans should not be eating those foods either! I agree that dogs should not be eating highly processed foods, foods with lots of sugar, additives, preservatives, food coloring, and the like.

The second idea is that feeding human food to our dogs causes them to beg for food. If your dog is barking, pawing, jumping on you, or performing other obnoxious behaviors in order to get food, then I would agree with that as well. But the same goes for dog treats if your dog is behaving in the same way.

Let's look at the other possibilities. What if the human food is fresh, unprocessed healthy foods like hormone and antibiotic-free meats with very little processing and fresh fruits and vegetables? Those are human foods. Should we not feed those to our dogs? Why not? Commercial dog foods are processed foods. And guess what? The foods that make up that commercial dog food are at the very best, human grade products. At worst, they are the leftovers that are not fit for human consumption and therefore put into our dogs' foods. So tell me which is really better for your dog?

What about the begging issue? It does not matter if it's human food or dog food. What matters is the behavior you get from your dog before you give him ANY food. If your dog is barking or pawing at you to eat, does it really matter if it's your dinner or your dog's dinner? Both are equally unacceptable behaviors. The focus should be on training your dog to be polite in order to earn the food he is receiving.

Does my dog, Romeo, get human food? You bet! The other night, I was preparing my dinner and Romeo was sitting quietly nearby in a perfect sit-stay (I had not asked for it.) I gave him a bit of my steamed spinach. The next morning for breakfast, Romeo was sitting politely nearby. I shared a couple of blueberries with him. I don’t always share my food, but sometimes I share bits of healthy foods.

Next time you are determining whether it's OK for your dog to eat any human food, don't think of it as human vs. dog food. Think of it as healthy vs. unhealthy foods and make your determination from there.