Category: Animal House
We're having a bit of controversy at my house involving my guide dog. Every morning my dad gives our fox terrier a bone after she goes outside, and he's starting giving my dog treats too because he thinks she doesn't think she gets enough to eat. Now my dog is supposed to eat three cups of food a day and can only have treats once in a while according to my instructors. But Dad thinks it's mean that I'm withholding treats from her. I say she's my dog and my responsibility, and he shouldn't try to spoil her. Guide dog users out there, what are your policies with your dogs and treats?
What breed is your dog if its a labrador or retriever i'd be careful with the treats, as these breeds are slaves to their appetites
also feeding 1 dog treats in front of the other will cause jealousy and possibly a fight,
if you can keep the terrier out of sight while its enjoying the bone and give your dog extra attention ect
i do feed Scott treats he's spoiled, guilty smile.
But he is more than a guide I have epilepsy and when he dectects the seizures he's given a sausage.
Treats in moderation are ok, but some dogs can lose their motivation to work because their minds are fixated on the biscuits ect.
I am also a guide dog user, and I gibe my dog treats once in a while also. Another trick I was told about is taking from your dog's dog food and using that as treats. That way he or she, isn't getting any more, or any less then they would normaily get.
I don't give Julio very many treats at all. My family is not allowed to feed him... ever, unless I'm sick and give them explicit instructions to do so. My dad is a dog lover, and what he does, because he wants to have contact with Julio, but doesn't get much yet, is he gives me an ice cube occassionally for Julio which I put in his dish. Or he'll ask me to do something like scratch Julio or something.
It's your dog, and if you don't want your father feeding it, you need to be firm. It's your responsibility to keep your dog healthy, and if your parent is interfearing with that you need to speak up. I don't believe in giving Guide Dogs a great deal of treats. It is important that they work for you because they love you and because they love working, not because of a food motivator, even if it is only a part of their motivation to work. Labs especially can be food driven, and thus have serious food distractions. I personally prefer German Shepards, and their drive to work, regardless of treats is one of the reasons for that. If you want to give your dog a treat, do so after you get home from a hard day at work, or as a reward for finding a building or classroom. Don't just give them a random treat. Especially not every morning. My mother gives her guide dog a treat every night just before bed, after the dog has gone out for the last time for that day. Now the dog is a total brat and if she doesn't get a bone every night after going out she wines, barks, runs around and is very badly behaved. You don't want to start something like that with your dog. Besides it gives the dog the message, "Oh, if I go outside at night and then I come back in, I get a treat. Maybe if I go out a second time I'll get a second treat? Why don't I get a treat every time I come in? If I get treats for coming in from the back yard, and I don't get treats for stopping at curbs and walking my owner around obsticles, why don't I just forget about that whole game, which is more challenging anyway, and just concentrate on the whole coming in from outside thing? Besides, my owner would only give me treats if it was really important what I'm doing, so the coming in must be more important than that stuff I do while in the harness." A look into the mind of a dog. We need to be clear in our communication. After all, they don't speak our language. We have to be carefull when speaking their's.