Can I use pieces of dog food as a substitute for dog treats?
February 27, 2010 by admin
Filed under Dog Treat Info
Mark F asked:
Just today, I ran out of dog treats while training my dog. I went and got a handful of dog food and started giving him pieces. He seems just as eager to please with dog food as he was with treats.
Just today, I ran out of dog treats while training my dog. I went and got a handful of dog food and started giving him pieces. He seems just as eager to please with dog food as he was with treats.
My question– is there some kind of dog psychology faux pas about doing this, or does a dog just think “food-is-food”?
Am I on to something?
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No…you wish
We used kibble too. Ice chips…toys…you name it.
Whatever motivates your dog
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On a side note, have you ever tried dog food on toast with a little tomato ketchup? … delicious.
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The only psychological thing about it is that he associates food with good behavior.
Whether it’s a treat, food pieces, etc – the action/reaction concept is there. It’s the whole “Pavlov’s Dogs” theory.
Just don’t use people food,!! This will create dog food aversion and you’ll have trouble getting him to eat his own food
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His own food is just fine, if he’s willing to work for it.
You use whatever motivates the dog. If you can get away with kibble, that’s just fine. Mine tend to be a little fussier, and demand something special in return for their efforts.
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In my experience, I don’t think the dog knows the difference between the food and its treats besides flavor. You know the difference because when you purchased it, it said “treats” on the label. As long as the dog is happy and he thinks he is being rewarded it should be OK. If there is any psychology involved it would be from the manufacture to the consumer on how they developed that product for you to buy.
Hope this helped, and good luck!
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I’ve always used kibble as “treats”. You don’t need to spend money on overpriced and unhealthy treats that pack the shelves at pet stores. Kibble or regular dog food works just fine as treats and is healthy. Course if your dog needs higher motivation get healthy high motivating treats.
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I do the same thing. Kibble instead of expensive trainer treats, or ice cubes. My dog dont know the difference. Thats why she will use her tug a jug and bang it down the stairs to get kibble out, the same kibble that is in her bowl that she can go get whenever she wants. But she still bangs around with the jug.