Is It Okay To Give Treats To Your Pets

1
Is it Okay to Give Treats to Your Pets?
2
Yes, it is okay to give your pets some treats
once in a while. That is what famed dog trainer
Cesar Millan says.
3
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.
4
While Cesar spoke about giving treats to dogs,
his response can be equally applicable to all
pets.
5
Providing your animals with treats is not just a
teaching tool more importantly, it is an
expression of love and affection.
6
Did you know treats are among the top pet
expenditures?
7
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.
8
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.
9
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.
10
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.
11
Furthermore, it is also said by many dog trainers
that giving treats is much more effective
compared to praise or petting.
12
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.
13
However, when the high-value treats were switched
with the low-value ones, dogs would not respond
to commands nor perform the behavior ordered.
14
Treats As Substitute for Attention
15
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?
16
Have you ever wondered why we just feel the need
to give treats to our pets? Experts have a theory.
17
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.
18
Long separations would necessarily mean less time
to interact, care, or even exercise them. Thus,
treats are a way of compensating for the absence.
19
While giving treats fills the void caused by our
guilt, we forget the fact that giving them too
much can be unhealthy for them.
20
Whats worse is that we tend to compromise on the
foods quality in order to meet the quantity we
so think they need while still falling within our
budget.
21
Overindulging pets with delicious delights is
also common for animals who have been rescued
from horrendous circumstances.
22
They are overfed in the hopes of erasing the bad
memories they have previously undergone.
23
Some psychologists have also noted that the way
people pamper their pets casts a reflection of
what their personal issues are.
24
By pampering their pets, these experts believe
that this is a way of coping with their personal
struggles.