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Yes, it is okay to give your pets some treats once in a while. That is what famed dog trainer Cesar Millan said. 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 pets with treats is not just a teaching tool; more importantly, it is an expression of love and affection.
Did you know pet treats are among the top pet expenditures? While many pet parents are treating their pets like humans by affording them with luxury dining, daycare, and grooming, it is estimated that $3 to $4 billion is spent on pet 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 our pets. 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 the pets, these experts believe that this is a way of coping with their personal struggles.
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