Nothing screams “I love you” like sharing food

Is our desire to treat our dogs what we treat ourselves getting out of control?

You come home from a long day at work and you’re greeted by a happy face and energetically wagging tail. But first, to curb those afternoon cravings you head to the kitchen and grab yourself a handful of potato chips.  As you do, you feel a familiar presence by your side and look down to see your four-legged friend staring straight at your snack. You can’t resist those big brown eyes. So of course, you give your little sidekick a couple of potato chips too. The satisfied look on their face as they lick their lips makes you happy, so you reach back into the chip packet and treat them again…and again and again.  Does sharing food sound like a familiar scenario? I think yes.

In this post we will be exploring the following:

• The potential problem with overindulging our furry friends
• Three handy tips to prevent overfeeding
• How investing in nutritious treats, like those from The Golden Bone Bakery, can make a difference

The reason why we love sharing food

I personally believe nothing screams “I love you” like sharing your food. As dog owners we crave nothing more than to make our furry friends feel loved. We try to involve them in everything we do. This theory is certainly confirmed when it comes to sharing our snacks with them. We all know that treating our dogs makes them very happy. But have we ever stopped to think that maybe it’s making us twice as happy as them?

If you asked my childhood dog Diesel where his favourite place in the house was he would give you a resounding response of “KITCHEN”. This would primarily stem from his fond memories of my mum feeding him every little scrap that came from the nightly dinner prep. During this period, I would sit back and scoff at my mother every time she gave in to his attempts to score even the smallest taste of food.  I then promised myself I would never be one of those owners who fed their dogs everything they fed themselves. Turns out I made this promise too soon.

Are you sharing food?

Just recently I have welcomed my very own dog and new best friend, Narla, into my life.  Apart from her, one of my favourite things is peanut butter; so naturally, I would want to introduce her to this fantastic product too. Without even noticing, every time I reached for the peanut butter jar to grab a sneaky spoon, I’d find myself giving Narla a spoonful as well.

My love for peanut butter quickly rubbed off on her and the secret snacking surely didn’t stop at that. I found myself standing in the kitchen with Narla by my side and I’d think, “Sure she can have a couple of rice crackers and yeah why not, I’ll give her this leftover cheese as a treat.” But the more I thought about it, the more I realized nothing Narla was getting from my pantry was nutritionally appropriate nor sustainable for her needs.  

3 tips to stop sharing food with your pet

This was a big wake up call for me. Therefore, I am here to share 3 friendly tips I have recently put into practice. These tips will help combat the constant need to treat Narla what I treat myself:

Tip #1: Put down the snacks and pick up a ball

I think we often forget there are several ways to make our furry friends happy. They don’t always have to involve food.  Have you ever thought that your dog loves the sight of you picking up his favourite tennis ball just as much as he loves watching you snack on chips? Or have we forgotten the uncontrollable excitement created in our dogs minds when we mention the W (walk) word. My first handy tip would be to swap the food for something else they love. Like playing with a ball in the backyard, going for a walk or having their doggy pal over for an afternoon zoom around the backyard. Not only will this benefit them and their happiness but also you’ll be up and moving more yourself.

Tip #2: Just say “No”

If telling ourselves to stop snacking all the time wasn’t hard enough, I’m now going to get you to try that same discipline with your dog. I know it seems almost impossible, doesn’t it? However, I’m not saying the treats have to stop altogether (and I’ll get to that next). But just remember that treats should only make up 10% of your dogs. Sometimes, no matter how cute they are and how much we love them, we must learn to say no.

Tip #3: Invest in some super nutritious and delicious treats (that will save you guilt and money too)

Now for my final and favourite tip– a delicious and nutritious treat option to always reach for. The Golden Bone Bakery passionately invests their time into making sure you always have treats ready for your dogs when it’s time to curb those afternoon cravings, learn a new trick or just for those moments when we want to shower our doggies in love. The Golden Bone Bakery proudly makes dog treats that are full of fantastic ingredients with nutritional benefits.

From ingredients to make their coat shiny like their Mackerel Munchies, Sharkies and Queen Knots. To providing them with a healthy gut and a boosted immune system with their biscuit vegan range. These treats are 100% free of anything artificial and by far my go to choice for Narla. I understand that these days we must carefully consider what we invest our money into. However, trust me – those small bites of food you offer your dog are adding up and purchasing these treats will allow you to save your groceries just for you.

 So, whether it’s your inability to say no to your cute four-legged friend when it comes to snack time. Or your desire to invest in some super healthy and nutritious dog treats to keep your best mate healthy and happy. I wouldn’t look any further then The Golden Bone Bakery, they’ve got you covered.