I was told by a dog trainer that commercial food and training treats can cause behavior problems? Does anyone agree with this?

Do you?

High colourings, ie bakers can have the same effect on dogs as they do kids, so yes!!!
My dogs are more hyperactive on coloured food.
Lea :)

Over the years I have given the natural Meat and bones etc diets a go when I could source (at reasonable cost) and store the meat. 

The majority of my dog owning time they have been on commercial dry completes. 

Certainly never noticed any difference in their behaviour, but I have avoided all foods with sugars and colourants, and stuck with mainly natural preservatives.  Also always aimed for foods with a higher animal protein content.

Probably more down to the method of training. The treat is the focus or reward rather than the cause of the  dog not doing the expected behaviour :-)

> High colourings, ie bakers can have the same effect on dogs as they do kids, so yes!!!

In the case of Bakers it's not so much the colouring as the sugar content..
Be prepared to do a collective CD Yuck, but a friend of mine takes in student lodgers and one of them offered me a half-empty box of Bakers for my dog. I politely declined (yes, I was polite!) but asked why he had it - well he played hockey at Uni level and apparently they all munch it during games to keep their energy levels up and yes it tastes very very sweet (or so he said). One of them student things I spose...

> Do you?

I don't know that's why im asking!

I have always fed mine on branded tin dog food & mixer meal which they love & sometimes complete dried food. I did try raw mince chicken for a week as was suggested to me but as one of my dogs has epileptic fits which he is being treated for by the vet, on the 5th day of eating the raw chicken he had 5 fits in one day, of course i contacted the vet and he said chicken contains a lot of protein which he mustn't have because of his condition, so i feel a bit nervious about feeding raw again.

Then there is the question of the treats we give them, i have tried making my own but i don't like the smell, so i have been on the look out for home made treats i can buy, can anyone point me in the right direction?

Discovered through trial and error that if Rott had any food containing 'EC permitted.......antioxidents....colouring (E numbers)' within about 48 hours we had an 8stone Rott on the end of a lead flying like a kite , it took about 4-5 days for her to get properly grounded and sane again :-D
Not co-incidence as we tried several times -well spaced out -with various foods and same thing every time the bag said EC permitted...

I don't know that's why im asking!
Thank you for your reply, I did wonder as it seemed such a stupid all encompassing statement and as you asked a straight question with no comment I wondered if you agreed (would have been very surprised if you did)

The only answer can be of course not, if it did the world would be over run with obedient dogs with behaviour problems and it blatantly is not. Sound very much like a 'trainer' who blames their lack of success and ability on the food the dog is being fed,  now this may on occasion be true it is hardly universal.

> Does anyone agree with this?

Nope.  Even millions of years ago when I kept dogs, and didn't have the nutritional knowledge that I now have, I never had behaviour problems.  I do now try to go for more natural completes, and don't purposely buy food high in sugar or colours, but I have (recently) mixed a very cheap food with my decent stuff, as someone gifted me a 15kg sack.  My dogs didn't leave home or make me walk the gang plank. 

I have always joined obedience classes, since the 70's (with Toy Poodles then, cause I couldn't have a Collie at the time.)   It wasn't any more difficult to train then, as it is now.  So, with all the assortment of breeds I've kept over the years, I can't honestly say that food makes a huge difference.

I realise that some will say that the 'E' numbers to blame, so I emphasise that this is my own experience.

One Christmas the kids had bought a dog stocking for our then 6 month old pup.  I've no idea why I said yes but you live and learn! He had one bright green twisty thing and one bright red lolly shaped thing.  For the next hour he became increasingly manic and after an hour he crashed in a heap.  It's a bit hard to describe but it was the usual puppy zoomies but supercharged so that everything he normally did was heightened and faster.

I always attributed it to colourings - a bit like the kids on fizzy pop!  It didn't change his behaviour so much as just accelerate it.  He still did as he was asked but with rolling eyes and at 90 miles per hour.  Very odd, but also quite amusing at the time and I suspect that the children getting the giggles didn't help restore calm either.  Was it his stocking treats?  Probably, but I've never risked those kind of foods again so I cannot say a definite yes :)

Well it's complex but the short answer is yes, they can, but it depends... I had first hand experience of this with my second GSD who as a puppy and on puppy food was hyper, clearly out of (self) control.  My first puppy so it was difficult as I had nothing to compare with, but I knew it wasnt 'normal' puppy behaviour.  Most people said I was imagining it and it was 'normal' behaviour, but it wasn't like anything I'd seen.  The vet suggested taking her back, which wasn't an option, so suggested changing the food, which I did - at the next meal, no gradual change.  The difference was immediate and I had a lovely pup again - she was thereafter a real goody fourpaws the only relapse came when she helped herself to the dried cat food.  She was certainly 'sensitive' and I've not had anything the same - BUT a number of people told me of very unruly pups who 'grew up' when they switched to adult food, so maybe to a lesser extent quite a few other dogs ARE sensitive.  Exactly what it was that drove her wild - racing around biting everyone and everything until exhaustion set in - I've no idea.

My findings are each dog is individual. Can throw anything down the necks of 3 of my dogs but feed Todd too many frolics or too many cheapo dog treats and he becomes aggressive and wired.Someare food sensitive and some aren't. I can spot a butchers orbakers dog a mile off, literally bouncing off the walls but am also finding lately wainwrights causing issues together with royal canin. I make most ofmy own training treats or stick to meat/fish based products for Todd but anything for the others.

Todd is the only dog i have owned who seems to be affected, had plenty go through my hands and was always wary about food causing issues till Todd entered my life. We feed commercial dog food but I closely look at ingredients and stick to rice and chicken/lamb/salmon based products. Todd not an easy dog to own fullstop but food defo affects him.

Yes, it can. Certain artificial colours can have the same effect on dogs as on kids (hyperactivity, aggression, learning inhibiting etc).

I also have a dog that used to have major behaviour changes due to food allergies. Once the diet was sorted out and all allergens excluded he was a different dog.

Which butchers Food seems to have negative effects, as I have always liked to give mien the Tripe mix as ti seemed to be far less mucked around than any other tinned food. 

Never been tempted to try any of the other kinds, as if I want to give meat then I give meat. 

The only other tinned food I have ever given is Chappie original for oldies with upset tummies.

I think it depends on the dog, like people some dogs can have a reaction to certain ingredients, be it corn, or additives or whatever, and some you could feed Bakers till it was coming out their ear holes with no effects.

If your looking for a natural training treat without making it yourself, try Natures Menu treats or I think The Company of Animals do dried liver treats, have a look on Zooplus, they normally have a natural treat selection.

My neighbour who's into dogs told me there is someone in Ferndown who makes dog treats, but without a name i can't find them.
Has anyone else bought treats from them if so have you any contect details please?

Thanks celli i will look into where you suggested.

I saw their advert in our vets today and they are called Dog Delicious, i went round and saw the lady who makes them and bought some treats from her and our 2 dogs do like them. So if anyones interested here is the website.

http://tastydogtreats.weebly.com