[DevaRextusidis]

So today is July 4 and it is 96 degrees outside and we have a family bbq. One of our dogs decides to eat one of the hotdogs that has just fallen down on the floor, but I reprimanded him by giving a sharp "leave it" and he just dropped it. For doing so, I petted him and gave him some water from the hose, but walking pedestrians began to say that I should let him eat the hotdog because by yanking food away from him, it causes him to become HA due to the "reinforcement of humans being competitors." I just laughed and told them that all our dogs are given commands for eating as well as drinking and that we do this as a form of discipline and reinforcing wanted behaviors. However, the two assures me that they have raised their pitbulls (both were mixes, one a pit/lab and the other a pit/shepherd) by letting them be dogs and that they have turned out to be excellent protectors. However, both dogs were extremely shy and the "protection" is probably due to poor nerves as the dogs hackles would raise up as I walk towards my fence to talk to them. I just told them that my dog husbandry works for me so I'm sticking with it. They walked off and looked at me like I am an unknowledgeable owner LOL. Btw, this just happened literally 20 mins. ago LOL.

[ovH9wfSJ]

If it fell on the floor why not let him have it...were you going to eat it?

[enrisaabsotte]

I've heard similar.. And that I'm cruel for not letting him snatch food... lol

[adolfadsermens]

If it fell on the floor why not let him have it...were you going to eat it?

Haha, I probably would have let him eat it too.`A couple months ago I went camping with my German Shepherd. We were sitting around the fire making hot dogs... I got up to get something out of the car and when I came back, Raz was just chopping away at one of my hot dogs. At first I was mad but then when he looked at me I just started laughing.

I don't see any harm in letting your dog eat a piece of food that's fallen on the ground. It's not like he jumped up on the table and grabbed it. Like with my hotdogs, they were just sitting on the ground next to the fire... I couldn't get mad about that.

I'm not saying you did wrong, I just don't see any harm in a dog eating a piece of food that's fallen on the ground, as long as it's not something that they shouldn't eat

[VoriEremiagem]

Did you end up giving it to him?

[DevaRextusidis]

LOL, I love this board, every memeber is light hearted and very down to earth . The reason why I reprimanded him was because he just went up there and tried to snatch it. The pup is a young one, 14 months, so he isn't as disciplined as the rest. However, we are trying to build a strong foundation as well as get the dogs to not pick up pieces of food on walks, or to go up to groceries, beg for food, etc. It is all about reinforcement.

[LfYaRf1S]

Pfffttt... I've jammed my hand down my dogs throats and removed food they snatched. Seriously. I hate freakin' beggars and food theives and I don't want my dogs just eating anything that falls as it could be something dangerous to them. Every dog I've given crap to for snatching food is the EPITOME of NOT HA. I'm not a competitor. I'm GOD.

[WhonyGataxott]

Pfffttt... I've jammed my hand down my dogs throats and removed food they snatched. Seriously. I hate freakin' beggars and food theives and I don't want my dogs just eating anything that falls as it could be something dangerous to them. Every dog I've given crap to for snatching food is the EPITOME of NOT HA. I'm not a competitor. I'm GOD.

I've totally done the same thing

[LfYaRf1S]

I remember I was walking down the street with Venus one day, and someone had left an open box of Kentucky Fried chicken skin and bones on the ground and as quick as she inhaled them, as she was a bloody PIG, I was up to my elbow in her mouth pulling them out! Fine example of WHY I don't let my dogs eat fallen food or food on the ground as those chicken bones could have been a big problem. Although once as she got into the garbage and ate a TON of rib bones. She passed it with no issue but was literally farting dust for days! That dog had a gut of steel!

[Gremlinn]

I don't want my dogs just eating anything that falls as it could be something dangerous to them.

Exactly, doesn't matter that it fell it may be something poisonous or something the dog is allergic to, whatever. To the dog it is a snack, to us it may be a dead dog or a huge vet bill.

I believe in letting my dog be a dog (they seem to manage being dogs just fine without my "letting" them be one), I do not believe in letting one be a scavenger. Letting a dog be a dog does not mean letting it act like a back alley stray.

So far I have not run into this, but if someone was correcting me on training my dog by telling me "you should just let your dog be a dog" what they are really saying to me is "we don't really know how to train our dog." (Or they don't have the balls to do it)

[LfYaRf1S]

I do not believe in letting one be a scavenger. Letting a dog be a dog does not mean letting it act like a back alley stray.

Exactly. They don't have to scavenge. They have an owner. They look to me for what they need, and if I say no, that is a dog being a dog owned by an owner that runs the show and they are expected to respect what I say. What is more ''dog'' than that?

[OwdBKKHO]

I'll feed my dogs people food, but they get it on my terms. If they steal it, I take it away, even if I have to stick my hand down their throat. Neither one is aggressive towards me.

They're pretty good about not grabbing or begging for food, too. They've figured out if they don't act like asses, I'm pretty likely to give them a couple little pieces. If they steal or beg, they get nothing and will be sent away.

[priceyicey]

my dogs are beggars i know its my own fault.
but they are not allowed to steal food or randomly eat stuff off the ground.we work on the command "leave it" every day since Zeus got here.i can take stuff out of their mouths or make them drop stuff on command.

they do eat hot dogs sometimes,but i want to be the one who gives it to them,not them just taking my food when they want to.

[WhonyGataxott]

my dogs are beggars i know its my own fault.
but they are not allowed to steal food or randomly eat stuff off the ground.we work on the command "leave it" every day since Zeus got here.i can take stuff out of their mouths or make them drop stuff on command.

they do eat hot dogs sometimes,but i want to be the one who gives it to them,not them just taking my food when they want to.

Gypsy has turned into the ultimate beggar. If you allow it, she will sit there, hovering at your knee with shoe strings of drool coming down each side of her mouth. But, if you say 'stop begging' she will. She'll go lay on a dog bed, or at least go lay on the floor with her back turned

[UnmariKam]

I dont allow Harley to eat food even if it falls on the floor unless I pick it up and hand it to him. But of course hes got a sensitive stomach and one small bite of something can cause anything from rancid gas (worse than the normal) to the runs for a few days so fallen food isnt free game for him. Ive also 'gone in' prior to him learning a good drop it/leave it or if its like a cheerio he found that my son droped which he cant spit out because they stick to the inside of his mouth, Ill go on a man hunt in his mouth and pull it out... hes now pretty good at not picking things up, the man hunt isnt his favorite thing LOL, only if its handed to him (which my son occassionally does, son gets introuble though dog not so much).

But Harleys really good about not begging, he does a bit more now that my son sneaks him food now and then but hes still really good IMO and I dont want to change that so he RARELY gets people food, thus hes just not intetested because he knows he wont get any.

[saumemeva]

I woulda done the same thing RealDawgs!
Cleo gets dog food ONLY!
If I woulda let her eat a whole hotdog, she woulda been sick for days...lol

[Gooracouppy]

My dogs are trained to leave food that drops unless I point and say 'take it.' I can and will leave food on my coffee table which is pretty short, and they will not touch it.

---------- Post added at 10:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:57 PM ----------

Pfffttt... I've jammed my hand down my dogs throats and removed food they snatched. Seriously. I hate freakin' beggars and food theives and I don't want my dogs just eating anything that falls as it could be something dangerous to them. Every dog I've given crap to for snatching food is the EPITOME of NOT HA. I'm not a competitor. I'm GOD.

I agree, if I did not give it to them I will make sure to take it back, even if its already in there mouth, doesnt mean there not safe to keep it!!

[XVzrlWIv]

Pfffttt... I've jammed my hand down my dogs throats and removed food they snatched. Seriously. I hate freakin' beggars and food theives and I don't want my dogs just eating anything that falls as it could be something dangerous to them. Every dog I've given crap to for snatching food is the EPITOME of NOT HA. I'm not a competitor. I'm GOD.

I've done that, when my Rottie decided that bits of metal, rocks and my favorite, guitar picks from the coffee table were food. He's off the guitar pick habit, but I still fish the occasional rock or screw from the back of his throat.

But my dogs are an essential house cleaning tool. If they weren't such crumb bums, I'd be at war with the ants year round.

[wmtravelservice]

Pfffttt... I've jammed my hand down my dogs throats and removed food they snatched. Seriously. I hate freakin' beggars and food theives and I don't want my dogs just eating anything that falls as it could be something dangerous to them. Every dog I've given crap to for snatching food is the EPITOME of NOT HA. I'm not a competitor. I'm GOD.

hehe that is EXACTLY what I do to and have, They better treat me like a god, I give them food, pick up after them and keep them out of danger, also give them love.
I don't even have to say leave it 99% of the time to Goren anymore because he knows better, Lola is learning it and I hope she has it down by 6 months but she does not learn as fast as Goren so I donno lol.

[LfYaRf1S]

All mine are pretty good. They actually won't even take food from Raven unless I say it's ok, even if she's TRYING to get them to take it. I usually have to tell them more than once that it's ok to eat something I dropped which is how I like it. Well, except for CoCo. She's still learning. She stole the top off of Daemon's sandwhich when he turned around the other day.