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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. 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.

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.