best human food for dog training

Using Food Rewards in Dog Training

Whats your favorite thing? Whats your spouses favorite thing? How about your best friend? Co-worker? Are they all the same? Probably not.

Your dog has a different favorite thing too. What motivates one dog isnt necessarily what motivates another dog. But food is a motivator that most dogs love. Using treats during training is one of the best ways to guarantee that your dog will repeat the behavior you want.

Positive Reinforcement Training

Positive reinforcementtraininginvolvesrewarding your dog for the things they do right. But, not all dog treats are created equal. Some dogs will work for pieces of dry cereal or a hard biscuit. But for many dogs this is like expecting a toddler to find broccoli rewarding. Training with positive reinforcement has the added benefit of creating a dog that wants to be trained, but its defined by the receiver. This means your dog gets to choose what is most rewarding to them, not you. The more distracting the environment in which youre training, the more motivating the treat needs to be in order to keep your dogs attention.

Defining a Hierarchy of Rewards

When first starting out, its important to make sure the rewards youre giving your dog are more exciting than the environment around them. If youre working on a skill your dog already knows at home with few distractions, you can probably get away with giving them a low-value treat. Examples of these include kibble, carrots, ice cubes, green beans, or hard biscuits.

When working with your dog in a distracting environment or on a skill they find challenging, higher value treats may be necessary. Medium-value treats, such as commercial training treats, cheese, or jerky-type treats, are a good option when training in your yard or another familiar environment with few distractions. If youre training in an environment that your dog finds particularly distracting, like the park, it might be time to bring out some high-value treats. Most dogs would define these as dog-safe foods, like a piece of chicken, hot dog, hamburger, deli meat, or liver.

Remember, these arent static and not every dog follows this breakdown. Offer different food rewards to find out what your dog likes best, and build your dogs reward hierarchy from there.

Training in Distracting Environments

When teaching something new or practicing in a new environment, increase the value of your treats. As with any treat used for training, make sure you use small pieces! Treats should be pea-sized or smaller so your dog doesnt get too full.

When in an unfamiliar environment, your dogs job is harder. Just like you would expect to get paid more for doing a more demanding job, your dog should be paid more too. The more often you reward your dog when he does what you ask, the more likely theyll do what you ask in the future!

25 Human Foods That Are Good To Use As Dog Treats And Dog Chews Because Theyre Healthy!

You will probably see some articles Ive written stating that I dont give my dogs any human food. Period. And yes, its true that is how I used to feel about letting my dogs eat human foods. There were some very good reasons for that

Once a dog becomes familiar with people food they will (almost always):

1. Start begging for them whenever they smell foods theyre already familiar with.
2. Start to prefer them over their own food so theres a chance you could turn your dog into a picky eater simply by giving them more human foods over time.

UNLESS you teach your dog how to behave around human foods.

So thats what I did. And I have since taught all of my dogs that they can have lots of human foods but only when I dole them out. (Meaning: If you dont see my hand reaching out to give you some, then dont beg me for it.)

Heres how I did it, and which human foods I give my dogs most often

My Vet Talked Me Into Giving My Dogs Human Foods!

For years, I tried to steer clear of giving my dogs people food except for when they have an upset tummy or diarrhea.

The reason for that was the fact that several dog home remedies using human foods have been recommended by our vet through the years.

And those home remedies work!

So for the longest time, my dogs would never get any smidgen of people food except when they were sick. And that worked fine.

Then I Started Putting Human Foods In My Dogs Treat Toys

So then, I lightened up a bit and occasionally doled out human foods as treats for my dogs on occasion mostly in their treat toys.

And that has worked marvelously.

Its fun for me and fun for them because this results in a different challenge every time they get a newly stuffed Kong toy (or other treat toy) with goodies inside:

• Its never the same game twice
• Sometimes its ooey and gooey inside
• And sometimes just solid food items are crammed inside there
• Sometimes Ill introduce them to new a human food this way
• And they get more of their favorites this way too
• Its always a surprise

Plus, the length of time that my dogs spend trying to get all the treats out varies every time depending on what and how much Ive stuff inside. Sometimes, theyll spend over 1 hour trying to get the goodies out of a single Kong toy. Now, thats a brain game if Ive ever seen one!

Wondering what human food is good for dogs? Here is the ultimate list of people food for dogs see the ones that are safe AND the ones that are not!

But I Do NOT Give My Dogs Human Food From The Table

The reason I have decided to steer clear of giving my dogs people food at the dinner table (or wherever else we might be eating) is because I dont want my dogs begging any time that we are eating!

Its a proven fact if you happen to be eating something that your dog has tasted before and enjoyed, then they will most likely want (or expect!) some of it whenever they smell it again.

So, in order to avoid all of that, weve always been careful not to feed our dogs human foods from the dinner table. (This begins on Day One, the first day we bring a new dog into our home.)

As a result, my dogs do not beg for food whenever we (or anyone at our house) are eating at the table, in the living room, outside, or anywhere else. Its a win-win for everyone!

The bottom line is you can keep your dogs from begging, as long as youre consistent on what you expect them to behave like around human food.

The 25 Best Healthy Human Foods For Dog Treats

Heres a list of my favorites all of the safe human food for dogs that I frequently give as treats (usually outdoors, or stuffed inside their treat toys):

1. Apples Usually, I cut a whole apple into several slices and dole out the slices one by one over several days, or stuff them inside their treat toys.
2. Bananas Theyre SO squishy and gooey, and they increase the amount of time that my dogs play with their treat toys.
3. Baby Food If its healthy enough for babies, then its healthy enough for my dog. Just be sure to stick to all-natural ingredients so theyre not ingesting any sneaky ingredients that arent safe for dogs. (I mostly buy baby food in squeezable containers it makes filling their treat toys even easier!)
4. Broccoli To keep the tiny green pieces from remaining on the floor, I dont give them broccoli alone anymore just stuffed inside their treat toys (or outside).
5. Broth Anytime we have leftover soups and stews, I use a strainer to separate the larger chunks of food (like onions!) from the broth, and then pour the broth into ice cube trays. For added texture, I usually stick one or a few pieces of something crunchy in each cube prior to freezing.
6. Cantaloupe Melons of all types are dog-friendly. Just no seeds!
7. Carrots Are raw carrots safe for dogs? By all means, yes! Raw carrots for dogs are a great, healthy snack. Carrots are the only item on this list that qualifies as a dog chew, in my opinion. (More on carrots in a minute!)
8. Cauliflower Anything thats crunchy is my dogs favorite and cauliflower definitely qualifies!
9. Celery A close second to carrots in terms of the amount of abrasion (aka natural teeth cleaning) that celery provides.
10. Cheerios These little buggers add some nice crunch to an otherwise boring mishmash of ingredients.
11. Cheese Anytime a block of cheese gets hard on one side (after storing it for awhile in the fridge), I slice off the hard part, break it up into small pieces and give it to my dog as a treat.
12. Cottage Cheese The texture is great for dog treat toys! Its got some bulk to it, plus a lot of gooeyness at the same time!
13. Cream Cheese Sometimes, Ill smear a little bit inside the dogs treat toys first before filling them with other times. Other times, Ill smear a crunchy food (like carrots) with cream cheese so my dogs get to enjoy licking and crunching. Usually, I put a big dollop on my finger and smear that down the bristly sides of a chew toy with nubs like the Bristly Dog Dental Stick.
14. Cucumbers Sometimes I give them whole slices. Other times I dice them up.
15. Eggs Aside from being good for your dog when they have diarrhea, eggs (without flavorings) are great inside treat toys.
16. Honey Talk about ooey gooey goodness! Theres nothing like the sweetness that comes from a little bit of honey smeared along the insides of the dogs treat toys.
17. Meat scraps Anything we have leftover from our meals, I trim off the fat and keep it in the refrigerator until the next time I fill up their treat toys.
18. Pasta Anytime we have leftover cooked pasta into the treat toys it goes! Pasta noodles are a wonderful bulky item to take up space, while making it easy to cram other treats inside!
19. Peanut Butter Its a quick & easy filler for the dogs Kongs and keeps other goodies from falling out. Plus, it can be smeared on Licki Mats, dog bones, and other treat toys for longer play time.
20. Peanuts Theres nothing like watching your dog try to crack into a shelled peanut to get to the tiny nut itself!
21. Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes Whenever we have some non-flavored potatoes leftover, I save them for my dogs treat toys. The mush factor is great!
22. Pumpkin Just be sure to use all-natural canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling! As for eating pieces of a whole pumpkin yes, the pulp inside is safe for dogs. (Do not let your dog eat the shell of a pumpkin, the pumpkin stem, pumpkin seeds, or pumpkin leaves!)
23. Rice If theres leftover rice, the dogs get it!
24. Watermelon Giving your dogs watermelon is a practical way to use all the pieces you cut too close to the rind that will taste a tad bitter. I also freeze leftover watermelon pieces and give them to my dogs to enjoy outside in the summertime. (Dogs shouldnt eat the watermelon rind itself.)
25. Yogurt As long as its plain, low-fat, unflavored, and unsweetened yogurt then its safe for dogs.

Since we are super careful to never give any of these items to our dogs when we are eating, our dogs dont ever beg for them if they happen to see us eating them. They know with 100% certainty that they will never be given any food items at the dinner table (or anywhere else that we might be eating). Yes, this is even true for cooked steak!

But, the moment I reach for their treat toys and start stuffing then they know these tasty (and healthy!) treats are fair game. And, while theyre excited for the treat that theyre about to receive, they have also learned that they must sit quietly and wait while I prepare it for them.

I guess you could say that my dogs have learned to simply appreciate the random occasions that they get to enjoy people food as treats.

Carrots Are The Best Human Food For Dog Chews

When it comes to human foods that will give your dog something to chew on for several minutes and really work those teeth and gums

Raw carrots are great as healthy, all-natural dog treats! Plus, they last long enough to be considered dog chews in my opinion.

When given a whole carrot, my dogs tend to slowly gnaw away at it primarily using their front teeth (the way we humans eat an ear of corn) so its a great way to get those front teeth brushed!

It takes less than 20 minutes for my dogs to demolish a whole carrot though.

When frozen, a full-size carrot can a little bit longer but not much, maybe 30 minutes. In fact, when my dogs are given whole frozen carrots, they will usually bite off small chunks at a time, rather than gnaw at the carrot slowly.

The best part about carrots as dog chews is:

• They are super healthy.
• They are relatively cheap.
• They last a long time in the refrigerator (and freezer).

So I usually keep raw carrots in the fridge at all times and give one to each dog a couple times a week as healthy, semi long lasting dog chews! (Here are 6 clever ways to give your dog carrots.)

TIP: If you have light-colored carpet and your dog gnaws for a long time on carrots like my dogs do make sure that your dog chews carrots only on their dog bed, on a towel, or outside because carrot with dog drool on them will leave a light orange tint on the carpet. (A damp cloth removes the stain very easily from my light tan living room rug.)

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I like to help Dog Parents find unique ways to do things that will save time & money so I write about outside the box Dog Tips and Dog Hacks that most wouldnt think of. Im a lifelong dog owner currently have 2 mixed breed Golden Aussies that we found abandoned on the side of the road as puppies. Ive always trained my own dogs and help friends train theirs, as well. Professionally, I worked at a vet and have several friends who are veterinarians whom I consult with regularly. (And just because I love animals so much, I also worked at a Zoo for awhile!) Ive been sharing my best ideas with others by blogging full-time since 1998 (the same year that Google started and before the days of Facebook and YouTube). My daily motivation is to help first-time dog owners be better prepared from the first day your new puppy enters your home. I like to help dog owners understand whats normal and what you can expect in terms of living with and training your dog how to get through the ups & downs of potty training, chewing, teaching commands, getting your dog to listen, and everything else that takes place during that hectic first year! When Im not training, walking, grooming, or making homemade treats for my dogs, you will find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites). To date, Ive written over 600 articles for dog owners on this site! Many of them have upwards of 200K shares.