"People Food"

Because I am a positive reinforcement trainer I get a lot of clients who will say "I don't give my dog people food" or who will ask, "Won't that make him beg?".  So, I thought I would write a blog on the use of different reinforcers and whether or not this will cause problems with your dogs.

I sometimes use packaged dog treats.  Mainly, I use them when I am training at home.  My dogs are happy to work for Zukes or some other soft, small, easy to eat treat.  This is because at home my dogs are less likely to require higher value reinforcers.  I may switch to something higher value if I am working on something new or challenging or just extra attention.  However, when I am at a training class or some novel or distracting environment I know that it is likely I will need to be using higher value treats. 

For me, their are levels of value of treats.  I determine the level based on the animals response to them.  If they eat them, but aren't crazy for them they are probably fairly low value.  If they ignore them all together, they are very low value and basically worthless for that animal.  If the animal is crazy for them and locked onto them they are high value.  Generally, I would rate them like this:

Low value - kibble, charlie bears, milk bone or other hard type biscuits

Medium value - Soft store bought treats such as Zukes, Pupperonis, Carvers.  Or people food like Cheerios or popcorn.

High value - Human grade beef, chicken, fish, cheese, hot dogs, roll dog food.

Again, this list is not set in stone, it is a generalization.  I know plenty of dogs who work happily for the low value treats on my list, but those are dogs that are very "foody" and pretty much like everything, like my Dachshunds.  It is important to keep in mind that the dog gets to decide the value of the reinforcer, not the human.

People will sometimes worry that it is not healthy to give their dogs "people food", but if you are using good, healthy food, this isn't a problem.  Unless you have a dog that has specific intolerances or allergies, most meats, cheeses, etc will be fine for them.  If you have a dog with a sensitive tummy then perhaps go with boiled chicken or something more bland like that.  I pretty much use all of our leftover meat for dog training.  This includes lunch meat, steak, chicken, ham.  I have even taken leftover carnitas (pork) rinsed off all the sauce and juice and used that.  If you fed your dog only steak it wouldn't be a healthy, well balanced diet, but to use it for training is not an issue.  I even use peanut butter and cheese whiz when stuffing kongs, or when I need a soft, gooey type of treat.  Again, if your dog has an intolerance or allergy to a specific food then of course, don't use it, but I haven't found these things to cause problems for most dogs.  In my opinion, human grade meat is probably healthier than many of the processed treats made for dogs, so I am perfectly comfortable using them.  If your dog ends up with an upset tummy, try something more bland.  Never feed your dog chocolate, grapes, raisins or onions.

Another issue that clients bring up is will feeding people food teach their dog to beg.  My answer is "only if you feed it from the table or when you are eating".  Dogs would learn to beg just as easily if you fed kibble from the table.  Dogs don't bed because we are giving them people food, they beg because of the context of when they are given it.  If you feed them while you are preparing food in the kitchen, they will learn to come into the kitchen and stare at you or jump up or mug you or whatever they do to ask for some.  If you are a particularly sloppy cook and you drop food on the floor, they will learn to hang out in the kitchen while you cook.  If you feed your dog from the table when you are eating meals, they will learn, quickly, to come and stare at you and maybe scratch your leg or put their chin on your knee to ask for some.  They aren't just "doing this", they are "taught" this by those who feed them in those situations.  If "people food" only comes from a treat bag or is given to them only during training sessions they won't learn to beg from giving them. 

So, relax and use the reinforcers necessary to train your dog, just be smart about it!