I’ve had a number of clients who’ve said they don’t want to use “human food” as treats for their dogs.

“I don’t want my dogs to taste ‘human food’ because they might start craving for it,” is the most common reason I’ve been given, to which I ask “What do you think dog food is made of?”

Chicken (or some other protein), Brown Rice, Potato, Sweet Potato, Flaxseed, Salt, Oil…aren’t those “human food”?

Dogs cannot distinguish what is “human food” and what is “dog food”. To them, it is FOOD.
(I know this is gross but…) To my Beagles, even dog poop is food (one theory behind Coprophagia is that the sense of smell of Beagles is so strong that they are still able to smell the undigested food in the poop)!

In dog training, Motivation is key. Food is certainly not the only source of motivation. In fact, ideally, YOU should be your dog’s motivation to do anything like Sit. But until you are able to reach that level of relationship wherein your approval or affection is enough to make Fido come when called without thinking twice, you may have to resort to food (or toys), made for dogs or otherwise.