"This Guy Doesn't Share!": Part 2

D:"Spaghetti Bolognese? I have always wondered what it tasted like."

R:"Keep wondering, you jackal...and get away from me!"

Why do they keep begging??!? Don't they know I'm never going to give them anything?

I have a sneaking suspicion someone is feeding them on the sly when I'm not looking.

Never, ever, never!

I don't eat out of their bowl and they don't offer me any of their food (during the 30 seconds it takes for them to wolf down their meals), so why should I offer them my food?

This brings me to what I would like you, the dog owner, to consider.

Your dog would never voluntarily share his/her food with you unless full and uninterested in eating anymore. Dogs don't really like sharing. That's why many of them hide/bury bones...so they can have them later and no one else.

If the dog doesn't share its food with you, but you share your food with them, doesn't that seem a bit subserviant to you?

Fine to share with your dog...if you have a great relationship and he/she generally heeds commands and doesn't have major issues.

However, if any issues are present: aggression, seperation anxiety, housebreaking; you might want to consider keeping your food to yourself.

It's a fairly strong statement in the eyes of your beloved beggar.

"This Guy Doesn't Share": Part 1

Ryan samples some chicken wings at LIC Bar while Dailo drools and hopes

To share your (human) food or not to share: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the pathetic faces and looks of complete starvation, Or to give in to a sea of doe eyes and by feeding them, satiate them (until the next meal)?

Okay! We all know what this is about: your dog begs. He/she looks so hungry and needy that it is difficult not to share your food with them. It is also such a pleasure to see the ones you love gobble up food in such a manner that you know they are in ecstasy.

Let's review the pros and cons of sharing your food with your canine companion:

Pros:

• It's fun and satisfying to see your dog enjoy food
• Your dog is very, very close to you when you eat

Cons:

• Human food is often unhealthy for dogs
• Sudden changes in a dog's diet can mean very messy poop (which is embarrassing in the city)
• Your dog will relentlessly beg at all mealtimes
• Your dog is very, very close to you when you eat

There is nothing wrong with feeding your dog while you eat. You just have to be willing to accept the fact that they will always beg.

I, personally, don't like my dogs begging, so I don't give them a crumb...ever.

Before you go and think I am heartless, I point to the fact my dogs eat better than most humans. I cook chicken, turkey, and rice, and provide raw vegetables to supplement their commercial kibble/dogfood.

Commercial dogfood is varied and full of great choices. A dogowner certainly doesn't have to feed their dog anything but dogfood given the choices now available.

Some examples of high quality commercial dog food:

Solid Gold, Merrick, California Natural, Abady, Eagle Pack, Avoderm, Orijen, Innova.

This is a short list of foods I have personally used. It is incomplete.

For a future blog entry, I will visit Whiskers in Manhattan and have the dog food experts give us a tutorial. Whiskers is the best petfood store I have ever seen and the staff is super-knowledgable.

One bit of advice: if you exclusively use commercial food-switch brands about once per year. Each brand has some ingredients the others don't. Going from one great food to another is more likely to cover your dog's nutritional needs rather than feeding them the same brand their entire life.

Dailo likes apples and pears, but "this guy still doesn't share."