human food for dogs

Question
Hi Susan
I have two dog's a miniature poodle, Shiloh and a fox terrier, Bella. And I am worried about feeding them any human foods that could be potentially dangerous for them but I would like to start cooking them dinners and I just wanted to ask for a list of some of the foods that aren't bad for them and are good for them.
thanks

Answer
Hello Maddy,
I am going to pass along to you, what three dog trainers said to me and the group I was in. We all laughed. Paraphrased he said, "Folks, if human food is so bad and scary for dogs, why DO YOU EAT IT?" I mean this is a good point. There IS NOTHING WRONG WITH GIVING DOGS PEOPLE FOOD--NOTHING AT ALL, SO LONG AS YOU DO IT CORRECTLY. Just like us, if we eat our regular meals and then snack and pick the rest of the day we are either going to get fat or be quite unhealthy. So it is with dogs. What people do is feed their dogs their regular food, whatever that may be, and then grab for table scraps as treats ON TOP OF WHAT THE DOG HAS BEEN FED. AND THIS IS WHERE HUMAN FOOD GOT IT'S BAD REPUTATION.

If you want to cook for and feed your dog people food, GREAT. THERE IS  smart way and a dumb way to do this. LOL. The smart way is to choose almost any ORGANIC meat and feed raw. Ok, Ok, most people are completely turned off by this thought and I will not do it either. I feel it is too risky. BUT, if you lightly steam the ONE protein you pick, use ORGANIC VEGGIES (such as squash or cukes pulverized in a magic bullet or blender) and then supplement wisely to make sure they are getting a good immune and digestive system boost, you will be fine. As for the Vitamin you will need, there is a product, in addition to the two I mentioned above called APA BLEND. It provides all that your dog would need. I use all three with my three: a probiotic, a digestive enzyme and an excellentt cut of meat. Some meats are organic by nature because the animal was not raised on a farm--so rabbit, venison, duck, veal are pretty good choices. If you pick chicken you must be more careful because chickens are farm raised and fed corn, hormones, antibiotics and sometimes steroids (though it's illegal but how would you know?). I do use chicken but I buy it at whole foods, an organic market. When I don't have the money for this, I do the best I can. There is a chicken called Bell and something (cannot remember at the moment) and it's great.

In the morning I feed my dogs organic fruits, (WITHOUT THE SKINS_apples, pears, peaches, melon. not all fruits are dog friendly so research this please)a tsp of goat yogurt and sometimes a tsp of no fat cottage cheese. The goat yogure (not easy to find) is best. FLAVORED YOGURT IS TERRIBLE FOR YOUR DOG AND NO ONE SHOULD USE THIS BUT PEOPLE DO.

I hope this helped you a bit. If you want more info, write back and I will put you in touch with the gal who has been  my mentor for a couple of years. She is a master with dog nutrition and supplementation. Let me know...Sue