# Human Food



## mooberry (Jan 31, 2011)

So I have a teeny problem with me. I just can't say no to Bijoux when it comes to table food. 

It all started when we first moved I didn't have kibble for bijoux for a day or so and was giving her cooked chicken/rice. Then because my grandmother didn't want me to feed raw and bijoux would have nothing to do with organ meats no matter what I did I decided to switch to a high quality kibble.

She didn't like any and long story short she was getting table food because I felt guilty for changing her life and I was going through hard times myself. Thus I created a begging monster.

Too be honest though I don't care about the begging and I really don't mind sharing a little bit of my dog safe food with her, or letting her lick my bowl. I understand this has created a bad habit but I don't mind that. -crazy I know -

She has dog food she enjoys but i'm wondering. Who here has a beggar they give into time and time again for food? I haven't seen any negative effects or demanding of food anyone else have experience of long term 'sharing'?


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

I share with my dogs all the time. *shrugs* some people here would balk at that.. frankly I don't care LOL My dogs don't beg they sit and wait because they know what's coming.
I don't have foods in the house that are dangerous for them, we don't ever have raisins, grapes etc (cannot risk one of the kids dropping it and a dog scarfing it down) and we all hate onion so none of that either.

My male dog is very very picky and he has trouble with a lot of kibbles because his mouth is very very tiny his muzzle is half an inch long (literally)
The only thing I have had to be careful with is making sure he's not eating *junk* because he is very prone to be overweight. (as many chi's are) They like vegetables, cooked meats some fruits.

Honestly you have to do what works for YOU you know?
If she's still eating her high end Kibble i would not worry really other than making sure she's not getting obese because that is very bad for their joints.


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## RandomMusing (Aug 27, 2011)

Neither of my girls are picky, they're PIGS and will eat anything!!! It's pretty much impossible to eat anything while sitting on the couch because they'll get all up in your face and even try to go for the food. On several occasions they even snatched food right off my plate.

I rather not feed them my food, they are spoiled with there high quality foods and treats. I give them treats throughout the day, and I always try to change it up for them. My roommate on the other hand has been caught giving them food from his plate...


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

If you want, you could keep a baggy of his kibble at the dinner table and then dole them out one at a time like treats.


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## mooberry (Jan 31, 2011)

Brodysmom said:


> If you want, you could keep a baggy of his kibble at the dinner table and then dole them out one at a time like treats.


We tried that when she wouldn't eat kibble and it was a no go, I don't think it wouldn't be as bad if she wasn't so picky about treats but she is.


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## RavenclawPrefect (Oct 19, 2011)

A lot of dogs won't eat raw organs. I usually lightly sear liver with a bit of garlic for my dogs. They eat it much better.

Having said that, I give Tinsel table scraps.....just not from the table, they go in her dish. Spacely is restricted on table foods because he is an obnoxious farter if he has table food.

If I feed any kind of left overs, I guess on the amount and adjust what they get with their regular food. If I give Tinsel about 2 oz of table food, she gets 2 oz less of her dinner.


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## Reese and Miley (Jun 24, 2010)

I don't share at every meal or everytime I eat, but if I'm cooking with or eating one of their favorites, little apple, cheese or peanut butter then I will usually share a little bite. Mine are all big piggies so we don't have any trouble with pickiness lol. 
Could you put Bijoux on a premade raw instead? Reese was picky about kibble, Orijen was the only one he ever really gobbled up, but I have clean bowls in under a minute with Stella and Chewys, and I bet the organs wouldn't bother her then either.


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## EmberLuvu (Oct 24, 2011)

Ember, on the occasion, gets some table scraps- though it's a bit rare. If Bijoux is on a high-quality kibble, as you say she is, I would keep her on it. No free feeding, give her about 5 minutes to eat her meal. If she doesn't eat it, take it up. I reccomend 2-3 meals a day, also. 

Anyway, tablescraps aren't bad- as long as they aren't something like chocolate, raisins, grapes, onions, etc. Garlic is fine, though, just not in extremely high amounts.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

My dogs eat everything I eat. I mean, a tiny smidgen of it of course but I do share whatever I have unless it's like chocolate or something lol. I figure they get the best diet possible so they can get away with being spoiled with snacks and it won't hurt them. As long as it isn't enough to where they put on extra weight I don't mind. 

My Kahlua will refuse to eat liver. She likes kidney, and all the other dogs eat their liver and kidney fine. I've tried searing, blending with ground meat or canned food, sprinkling with parmesan, melting some regular gooey cheese over it (which she loves) and everything I tried was a no go, whether I tried masking the taste or the texture. So finally we just settled on a freeze dried raw beef liver; which she actually for whatever reason DOES like. I'm not sure if you can find freeze dried kidney anywhere but it may be worth looking into the liver at least if you ever go back to raw.


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## Blue Chi (Oct 12, 2011)

We have a rule that dogs aren't allowed under/near the kitchen table while we eat a meal. The know the command "Out" as I clap my hands. They will head right to the living room and watch us eat from there. The reason I do this is in case something is dropped to the floor (with 3 kids, this is HIGHLY likely) that I don't want them to eat. Also, while I don't mind the begging, company does so out they go. With that being said, I will give little bites of safe food here and there. While I'm cooking in the kitchen. When I snack on the couch. Etc


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

EmberLuvu said:


> Garlic is fine, though, just not in extremely high amounts.


Yes! good point to mention, there are articles on the net that state Garlic's alleged toxicity to dogs, however that said.. we cook with plenty of garlic and have never had an issue with any of our dogs.
We have a holistic vet (for a litany of reasons) and he assured me that garlic in small cooked quantities is absolutely ok.
In fact it's a natural preventative for things like fleas, parasites etc.

Of course use your own discretion, just stating our own experience.


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## bayoumah (Nov 30, 2010)

hi my buster is so wanting everything my husband and myself eat buster and my husband sit on the couch and enjoy just plain ole crackers mh just gives him tiny tiny specks of crackers buster is so happy about the whole thing


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

I don't give my dogs food at the table, but sometimes I let them lick a plate or give them a bite of something after I am done. I don't see anything wrong with it.


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## Dragonfly (Jun 6, 2010)

My furkids get food table too. If I'm eating something I'll tear it off and share with all 4 of them. Also when I'm done with something I let them lick it esp Kaige, he's the king of that lol. I never give them anything dangerous! I LOVE onions but I'm beyond careful with any dangerous foods! I know some people dislike giving their dogs table food because then they get picky or they beg too much but my dogs eat their food and they don't go out of their way to be beggers. When I'm eating Kizzie & Shay Shay are across the room sleeping until I call them. Kaige will sit next to me and watch but he won't get annoying like jump on me or bark, he's good because he knows it's coming haha!!


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I always give bites (at the table too ha ha) of dog-safe human food to the chis. I don't really care that they beg and they aren't that bad. So I say if it works for you who cares what other people think or say. That said our big dog gets NOTHING from the table or a plate.


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## Dragonfly (Jun 6, 2010)

flippedstars said:


> That said our big dog gets NOTHING from the table or a plate.


I tend to give the Chis more "human food" than Kanyon. I think I know what settles for them more than the big guy, he gets a bit icky over somethings. I do give him some stuff though, hehe hard to pass up that face! I just know the Chis get more than he does! Hey! I do try to make it up to him with dog treats!! .....  LOL I'm sure that's not as yummy though!!! :daisy:


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## LittleHead (May 20, 2004)

Ya know...Baylee (my youngest) picked up bad habits from the other two. They like to sit and stare at you while you eat, and I guess you can say she learned from them, to beg, even though she was never given human food. My oldest brother shares with all 3 of them; my mother & I tend to share with Butter a lot more than the others because I'm sure if I let her, she would eat an entire plate of food, and not gain an ounce.


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

If I am eating chicken or steak or something like that, they all get a taste. Most of them sit nicely and wait their turn, though Pepper and Billy begs and will steal another dogs offering and Twiggy tries to steal the food, too. The rest are very well manered.


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## omguthrie (Oct 13, 2009)

The biggest downside I can see is how they act around other people. You might not mind begging but other people might in the future. I am a huge dog person. I have 3 border collies and one chihuahua and I love my dogs more than is probably good for me. 

I have an ex-friend who has 2 Italian greyhounds who are beggars extraordinaire. Every time I would go to her house her dogs would climb over me trying to drink wine or coke out of my glass or eat food off my plate. If I tried to keep them from it one of them would growl and bite at me. She finally started putting them away when we had food out since they were so bad. Then one day I was over and we were eating grapes, standing in the kitchen and one of the dogs jumped up and bit the stew out of my hand trying to get the grapes. I reacted to the pain and lifted my knee and kneed the dog off of me and she got very upset, feeling that the dog could have gotten hurt. My feelings got very hurt because I was her friend and I was bleeding because of her ill-behaved dog but she wasn't concerned with that. She was of the opinion that because they were small they could do whatever they wanted and the people that came to the house had to tolerate it. Our friendship broke up over this incident.

I'm not saying that all dogs that beg act like this or that your dog will. I know her dogs didn't start off acting this bad, they used to just sit on the ground or put their paws on your knees or sit beside you on the couch but after years of no boundaries they turned into little monsters. I would say that if you are going to feed table food you should at least not allow them to beg from or harass guests. 

I like the idea of saving the food and giving it in their bowl later away from the table. My dogs do occasionally get table scraps but they get it with their meal in their bowls later in the evening. That way they don't sit and watch me eat and I can leave a full plate of food on the floor unprotected and they won't bother it because they know it's not for them.


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## catz4m8z (Aug 28, 2008)

wow, Omguthrie that sounds nasty! I think though its way more serious then simple begging, its dogs that have been spoiled and allowed to become food aggressive with no boundries imposed by the owners!!
My lot get human food and certain things they know for sure they will be getting a little nibble of!!They dont beg though even though I often have a plate of food on a table level with the sofa seat and right next to it. Its not uncommon for then to curl up and go to sleep inches away from a plate of food even if they know they are going to get some. I think they know I will wake them up for a treat and more importantly they know I cant stand begging and any rudeness will result in no food and being dumped onto the floor!!
I hate bad manners in dogs so I dont tolerate any begging, growling, jealousy, guarding, etc when they are around people and will just push them away if they start anything.


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## MiniGrace (Oct 31, 2011)

I do give my dogs some tablefood, usually bits of meat. We have a three bite rule - they get three bites of whatever it is but the size of the bite depends on their size. Taz gets three tiny pinches and Charlie gets three slightly larger pieces. They are not allowed to poach off our plates and I make them sit or down before each bite. That is an exellent point about guests not enjoying the begging, though, which I never thought about. Usually we eat at the coffee table though, and if we have guests we eat at the kitchen table. Maybe they will be confused enough that they won't realize what's going on at the kitchen table! Otherwise I guess I'll just have to put them up.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

missy_r said:


> I don't give my dogs food at the table, but sometimes I let them lick a plate or give them a bite of something after I am done. I don't see anything wrong with it.


We have 5 very enthusiastic dish-washers at our house too. ^_^ No worries we still wash them off with soap and water lol.

I should add, that although ours do get people scraps they are also very respectful of a human command. If I can tell that a guest is uncomfortable and they don't want to say "No!" on their own (I get that, I feel weird disciplining other peoples dogs too!) then I will use a "Back!" or "Off!" command to get them to move away from them. One of my best friends Steph comes over weekly to watch Once Upon A Time with me (yup we're nerds like that) and always brings her dinner along; she gives my dogs tiny bits all the time. With my permission of course lol. She is seriously the person who started teaching my dogs "Easy" and "Gentle" when taking a treat from someone; she's like the dog whisperer at my house; she comes and sits on the couch and all the dogs just gravitate to her and sit patiently lmao.


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## mooberry (Jan 31, 2011)

I've tried using the ideas you guys gave to get Bijoux to sit etc. Ever since we moved all the training has fallen out of her head. I'm going to use this as a high value training tool


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