How often can I treat my pet to snacks?
It is very tempting to give in to your dog or cat's pleading eyes, but snacking should remain a reward for pets. A snack is an ideal motivation during training or to teach good behaviour, but again, don't give too many snacks. Many people reward a pet with a snack every time it performs a command well. You then get the problem that your pet only performs the command for the snack, and not for you. Therefore, alternate the way of rewarding during training. One time a snack, and another time a big hug.
You can train good behaviour with food, but unintentionally we also reward a lot of bad behaviour with food. A good example is begging. If you regularly give your cat or dog something under the dining table during dinner, you can bet they will make a habit of waiting begging under the dining table. Do not give them snacks at set times either, as there is a good chance this will lead to begging. By rewarding them for this bad behaviour, they will start thinking they will always get something if they exhibit that behaviour.