Is it Okay to Give Treats to Your Pets?

Yes, it is okay to give your pets some treats once in a

while. That is what famed dog trainer Cesar Millan says.

According the star of the hit TV series Dog Whisperer,

giving treats are a popular, effective tool for positive

reinforcement, which, in turn, is a crucial aspect in the

reward system present in dog training.

While Cesar spoke about giving treats to dogs, his

response can be equally applicable to all pets.

Providing your animals with treats is not just a teaching

tool; more importantly, it is an expression of love and

affection.

Did you know treats are among the top pet expenditures?

While many pet parents are treating their furbabies like

humans by affording them with luxury dining, daycare,

and grooming, it is estimated that $3 to $4 billion is spent

on treats alone every year.

The spending has increased by 10 to 15 percent in Latin

America and Eastern Europe; in the U.S., there is an

increase of about 5 percent.

In dog training, treats can be classified as high-value and

low-value. High-value treats include meats and liver while

the low-value variety is limited to dog kibble or biscuits.

When used as a reward system during training, dogs learn

faster and more effectively with high-value treats as

opposed to using the low-value types.

Furthermore, it is also said by many dog trainers that giving

treats is much more effective compared to praise or petting.

When low-value treats are substituted with the high-value

variety, it significantly reduced the training time and the

number of sessions to achieve the desired behavior in dogs.

However, when the high-value treats were switched with

the low-value ones, dogs would not respond to commands

nor perform the behavior ordered.

Treats As Substitute for Attention

Did you know nearly 60 percent of pets have weight issues? So

before you give in to your treat-giving urge, you might want to

do a self-check and ask, “Do I really need to offer them this

indulgence or should I only feed them at proper meal times?”

Have you ever wondered why we just feel the need to give

treats to our pets? Experts have a theory.

There seems to be a subconscious voice that imparts guilt

to us. For those of us who work during the day, our pets

are usually left at home.

Long separations would necessarily mean less time to

interact, care, or even exercise them. Thus, treats are a

way of compensating for the absence.

While giving treats fills the void caused by our guilt, we forget

the fact that giving them too much can be unhealthy for them.

What’s worse is that we tend to compromise on the food’s

quality in order to meet the quantity we so think they need

while still falling within our budget.

Overindulging pets with delicious delights is also common for

animals who have been rescued from horrendous circumstances.

They are overfed in the hopes of erasing the bad memories

they have previously undergone.

Some psychologists have also noted that the way people

pamper their pets casts a reflection of what their

personal issues are.

By pampering their pets, these experts believe that this is a

way of coping with their personal struggles.