Sharing food with the family dog
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This may come across as a silly question but it's really driving me nuts.
My 19 month old shares all her snacks with the family dog. She will give him all her food and then wants more food. I give her more food and tell her that the food is for her and not fluffy (family dog) but she will give the dog the food anyway. It's so frustrating. At meal times, I will put the dog in the crate but she figured out how to let him out (argh!) When she is in the high chair, fluffy just waits for her to drop food on the floor for him. She calls the dog and says yummies, fluff. We have even put him outside during meal times but know that the weather is getting bad, we can't leave him out that long (he's a pom). I need advice, if you ladies wouldn't mind.
People food is not healthy for dogs. You need to get a lock for the crate - preferably a combination lock so you don't run the risk of losing the keys.
I can understand your dd - the tail wagging and licks and clear delight of the dog in getting yummies is irresistable. But it's not good for the dog, and you don't want your daughter to feed the dog "from the table" - both the food and the habit are not good for the dog.
No help...but how cute 
Very cute, but I would crate the dog during meals or remove the dog from the room.
I think it's a good idea however, for your daughter to give your poochy treats. Let your little one give the dog 1 milk bone a day. This way over time she can learn what people food is and what doggie food is. It also builds a good relationship between the child and the dog, but it really should be in a controlled manner.
Just my two cents.
Well, we call our dog the other vacuum cleaner, so I may not be much help. 
I would tell my kids not to feed the dog "people food", but it didn't always work. I would also send the dog into another room, but that didn't always work either. The only thing that really helped was time. As the kids got older and understood better, the less they fed the dog.
Now, the biggest offender of feeding the dog from the table is DH (and he should know better!).
As Heaventree suggested, Natalie (almost 19mths.)gives our dogs treats each day, too, which is a great experience for her. She knows which food is for doggies and which is for people. There are 2 large canisters on the counter so she knows where those treats come from. She also "helps" me feed them at breakfast and dinner by putting the scoop back in the big basket of dog food. She really likes doing this.
She never hand feeds them during actual meal times (although they tend to get the fallout), but sometimes during snacks I've noticed that when she starts hand feeding them that she's really just done and is entertaining herself. Same with throwing food, etc. For her it just happens when she's getting full and needs something else to do. Once Natalie starts feeding the dogs, I remind her what she *should* be doing with the food. If she continues feeding them, I cut her off and all snacks get put away, she gets out of the booster, etc.
I agree with Ginny about locking the crate or getting one that is more difficult to open, but really she needs to learn that ultimately ever letting the dog out of the crate when you don't want her to is a no-no. (For any # of reasons...we crate our dogs when they need some quiet time(they're terriers), when we're carrying things in and out of the house and they could get out, AND table food is not good for dogs as Ginny mentioned) That's a safety issue actually, for both the dog and your daughter.
Sunny is probably right that the feeding novelty will probably just end over time, but her actually letting the dog out of the crate would really concern me. Lock it, get one with a hard-to-open latch, or come up with a consequence IMO.
Just a thought, but cant you put the dog in the crate, then turn crate around where it faces the wall and she cant get the dog out. (just during meal times/snack? Or can you put the dog in a room with a baby gate/door that closes during these times? (laundry room, bathroom?)
But, ahem, I am with Sunni on the vacuum thing. LOL
I do agree with others on the phase will pass for your dd. ;) Just be consistent or remove the dog during meals...
Big Duh! I never thought about turning the crate around. lol. The combo lock is a good idea too. We call Fluffy the vacum cleaner too. I know table food is not good for them and I am hoping this phase will pass. Thanks!
On my dog board, someone often homecooks for her dogs, instead of feeding them kibble or raw.
Here is her recipe.
Start with a large pot. Cover a pound of dried split peas or lentils (splt peas are easier to digest) and about 4 oz of brown rice with just enough water so they won't go dry. Let this cook 20 minutes or so while you process the next ingredients....these are the two ingredients that need to be really well cooked.
Everything gets run through the food processor. A dogs body can not break down the cell walls of fruits and veggies so they don't get the vitamins and minerals unless we "help" things along.
3-4 sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)
2-3 carrots
1 lb frozen mixed veggies
no more than a lb of other veggies...whats left from your table, kale, spinach (but only every 3rd batch) collard greens, cranberries, squashes, tomatoes, whatever
2-3 cloves garlic
fruit...can be a couple apples, pears, peaches, bananas, berries.....
1/2 pound organ meat (I usually use liver, beef or chicken that I buy in bulk, puree and then freeze in the right size for a batch)
6-10 scrambled eggs...I usually toss these in to make pureeing the veggies easier.
You can add water as needed, just not much at a time.
1/2 tsp of eggshell powder or human grade bone meal for every lb of boneless meat. this is crucial to the calcium/phosphorus ratio.
6 lbs meat. I typically use ground...chicken, pork, beef or turkey cuz it's less prep time. If you wish to use canned jack mackerel, rinse it well to clean off the brine it's packed in, then smush it up with your hand, bones and all....when using mackerel, don't add the eggshell powder.
I don't cook the meat....it goes in last and if it cooks at all it's just from the heat in the pot. If that bothers you, go ahead and cook it.
I go through at least two pots per week with my crew of 7 German Shepherds. This freezes well tho, just be sure to put it in serving size packages. Vary your veggies and protein so they are geting the variety that they need.
Not as daunting as it looks...once you've done it a couple times its as automatic as boiling water for pasta.
Have fun!
One of my concerns about a child sharing food with a dog is that occasionally food a child eats or can eat can be downright dangerous - i.e., chocolate, onions, grapes, raisins are all dangerous for dogs.
No only that Ginny, but dogs can also have parasites like worms which if a child is sharing food let's say back and forth, a little bit for you and a little bit for me, the child can get worms.
I think I should clarify something, once she gives him some of her food, she doesn't get it back. I wouldn't allow that. I worked in the healthcare field for many years and I have seen some really gross stuff, none of which I will repeat here.
Grapes are dangerous for dogs? Like a choking hazard? I heard of chocolate being deadly but never grapes, raisins, or onions.
Thanks for the information. I can always count on you girls.
Here's the link. Raisins and grapes can cause rental failure in dogs.
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_publicationsgrapes
Here's another link about foods that are toxic to dogs, which includes grapes, raisins, onions (though not just a few pieces) and garlic (again, quantity can be a factor) and other things that are toxic. Onions and garlic can cause a really dangerous type of anema, but, again, quantity is a factor.
http://www.aspca.org/site/Search?query=onions&start=11&inc=10&url_substring=
Kiki,
I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend or to imply that this is what was happening with you and your dog.
We got our dog from a shelter/rescue. There is an eccentric lady who takes in dogs from all over here area and she does not have the cleanest conditions for her dogs. When we took our dog to the vet after adopting her she was infested with parasites. It was the worst case of hook worm they had ever seen. We had to put her on medication that you would normally give to a horse to get rid of it. She also had another worm infestation. We would not even have known about this if we hadn't had her stoole tested.
I spoke to my doctor and he said that people can get worms from dogs. This thread just reminded me of that and I'm always extra careful with letting the dog lick the kids or me for that matter. It's just one of those things that grosses me out.
We now give Indy a heart worm medication that also takes care of those nasty little parasites should they reoccur.
>>>>,
I apologize if I came across that way. I really was not offended at all. I am a very easy going person. Glad to hear that your pup is doing better.
Thanks for the sites Ginny. You learn something new everyday.
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