Should we Reinforce Effort or the Results?” By Roger Abrantes

Dog using its nose to search a target scent (photo from http://www.houndcrazy.com).

If you ask, “should we reinforce effort or the results?” you are liable to get as many answers supporting one idea as the other. Supporters of reinforcing effort sustain that reinforcing results creates emotional problems when one doesn’t succeed and decreases the rate of even trying. Supporters of reinforcing results maintain that reinforcing effort encourages sloppiness and cheating.

I shall proceed to argue for and against both theories and prove that it is not a question of either/or, rather of defining our criteria, processes and goals clearly.

I shall compare the learning of some skills in dogs and humans because the principles are the same. The difference between them and us is one “of degree, not of kind,” in the words of Darwin.

I will use SMAF to accurately describe some of the processes whenever I consider it advantageous. If you are not proficient in SMAF, you can read the free SMAF manual at http://wp.me/p1J7GF-8Y.

The main difficulty in some learning processes isreinforcing the right behavior at the right time,which bad teachers, bad parents and bad trainers do not master (here bad means inefficient, it is not a moral judgment).

Much of my personal work with dogs (and rats) is and has been detection work, mainly of narcotics and explosives, but also of people tobacco and other items. One of the first signals I teach the animals is a disguised reinforcer.

With dogs, I use the sound ‘Yes’ (the English word) and with rats a ‘bip….bip….bip’ sound produced on their backpacks and triggered by me.The signal part of this signal/reinforcer means “continue what you’re doing” and the reinforcer part “we’re OK, mate, doing well, keep up.” This is a signal that becomes a reinforcer: Continue,sound(yes) that becomes a “!+sound”(yes).

The difference between the most used “!±sound”(good-job) and “!+sound”(yes) is that the former is associated and maintained with “!-treat”(small food treat) and “!-body(friendly body language) and the latter with a behavior that will eventually produce “!-treat”. The searching behavior does not produce a treat, but continuing searching does, eventually (find or no find). This is why “!+sound”(yes) is a disguised Continue,sound(yes) or the other way around.

Why do I need this interbreeding between a signal and a reinforcer?

Because the signal ‘Search’ (Search,sound) does not mean ‘Find the thing.’ Sometimes (most of the time) there’s nothing to find, which is a relief for all of us (airports and the likes are not that full of drugs and explosives).

So, what does Search,sound mean? What am I reinforcing? The effort?

No, I’m not. We have to be careful because if we focus on reinforcing the effort, we may end up reinforcing the behavior of the animal just strolling around, or any other accidental and/or coincidental behavior.

I am still reinforcing the result. ‘Search’ means, “Go and find out whether there is a thing out there.” ‘Thing’ is everything that I have taught the dog to search and locate for me, e.g. cocaine, hash, TNT, C4.

“Go and find out whether there is a thing out there” leaves us with two options that are equally successful: ‘here’ and ‘clear.’ When there is a thing present, the dog answers ‘here’ by sitting as close to it as possible (I have taught it that behavior). When there is no thing, I want the animal to tell me exactly that: the dog answers ‘clear’ by coming back to me (again because I have taught it to do that). We have two signals and two behaviors:

Thing,scent => dog sits (‘here’ behavior).

∅Thing,scent => dog comes back to me (‘clear’ behavior).

The signals are part of the environment, they are not given by me, which does not matter: a signal (SD) is a signal*. An SD is a stimulus associated with a particular behavior and a particular consequence or class of consequences. When we have two of them, we expect two different behaviors and when there is none, we expect no behavior. What fools us here is that in detection work we always have one and only one SD, either a scent or the absence of one. It is not possible to have none. Either we have a scent or we don’t, which means that either we have Thing,scent or we have ∅Thing,scent, each requiring two different behaviors as per usual. The SD is the absence of the other.

Traditionally, we don’t reinforce a search that doesn’t produce a find. To avoid extinguishing the behavior, we use ‘controlled finds’ (a drug or an explosive, we know it is there because we have placed it there to give the animal a possibility to obtain a reinforcer).

This solution is correct, except that it teaches the dog that the criterion for success is ‘to find’ and not ‘not to find,’ which is not true. ‘Not to find’ (because there is no thing out there) is as good as ‘to find.’ The tricky part is, therefore, to reinforce the ‘clear’ and how to do it to avoid sloppiness (strolling around) and cheating.

Let us analyze the problem systematically.

The following process does not give us any problems:

{Search,sound ⇒ b1(dog searches) => “!+sound”(yes) or Continue,sound(yes) ⇒ b1(dog searches) ⇒ dog finds thing (Thing,scent) ⇒ b2(dog sits=’here’ behavior) => “!+sound” + “!-treat”};

No problem, but what about when there is no thing (∅Thing,scent)? If I don’t reinforce the searching behavior, I might extinguish it. Then, I reinforce the searching with “!+sound”(yes):

{“Search,sound” ⇒ b1(dog searches) => “!+sound”(yes) ⇒ b1(dog searches) => ∅Thing,scent ⇒ b3(dog comes back to me=’clear’ behavior) => “!+sound” + “!-treat”};

It all looks good, but it poses us some compelling questions:

How do I know the dog is searching versus strolling around (sloppiness)?

How do I know I am reinforcing the searching behavior?

If I reinforce the dog coming back to me, then next time I risk the dog having a quick sniff round and coming straight back to me. That’s the problem. I want the dog to come back to me only when it finds nothing (as in it didn’t find anything).

Problems:

Reinforcing the searching behavior.

Identifying the searching behavior versus strolling around (sloppiness). How can I make sure that the dog always searches and never just strolls around?

Solution:

Reinforcing the searching behavior with “!+sound”(yes) works. OK.

Remaining problem:

I have to reinforce the ‘clear’ behavior (coming back to me), but how can I ensure the dog always searches and never just strolls around (avoid sloppiness)?

How can I make sure the dog has no interest in being sloppy or cheating me?

Solution:

To teach the dog that reinforcers are only available if and only if:

1. the dog finds the thing. {Thing,scent ⇒ b2(dog sits) => “!+sound” + “!-treat”};

2. the dog does not ever miss a thing. {∅Thing,scent ⇒ b3(dog comes back to me) => “!+sound” + “!-treat”};

Training:

I gradually teach the dog to find things until I reach a predetermined low concentration of scent (my goal). In this phase of training, there is always one thing to find. After 10 consecutive successful finds (my criterion and quality control measure), all producing reinforcers for both the searching (“!+sound”(yes)) and the finding (“!+sound” + “!-treat”), I set up a situation with no thing present (∅Thing,scent). The dog searches and doesn’t find anything. I reinforce the searching and the finding (no-thing) as previously. Next set-up: I make sure there is a thing to find and I reinforce both searching and finding.

I never reinforce not-finding a thing that is there, nor finding a thing that is not there.

Consequence: the only undesirable situations for a dog is

(1) not-finding a thing that is there (the dog did not indicate Thing,scent), or (2) indicating a thing that is not there (the dog indicates ∅Thing,scent).

(1) {Thing,scent ⇒ b3(dog comes back to me=‘clear’ behavior) => [?+sound] + [?-treat]};

Or:

(2) {∅Thing,scent ⇒ b2(dog sits=‘here’ behavior) => [?+sound] + [?-treat]};

This is (negatively) punishing negligence, but since it proves to increase the intensity of the searching, we cannot qualify it as a punisher. Therefore, we call it a non-reinforcer: “∅+sound”, “∅-treat”.

In the first case: Thing,scent => Dog comes back to me => [?+sound] + [?-treat].

Becomes:

Thing,scent => Dog comes back to me => “∅+sound”, “∅-treat”.

Then:

{Thing,scent ⇒ b3(dog comes back to me) => “∅+sound”, “∅-treat” ⇒ b1(dog searches–more intensively) => Thing,scent ⇒ b2(dog sits=‘here’ behavior) => “!+sound” + “!-treat”};

In the second case, I have to be absolutely sure that there is indeed no thing. The training area must be free from any scent remotely similar to the scent we are training (Thing,scent). This is an imperative, especially in the first phases of the training process, and the trainer that misses this point is committing major negligence.

Nevertheless, should the dog, show ‘here’ for ∅Thing,scent, then we can use the same procedure as above:

{∅Thing,scent ⇒ b2(dog shows ‘here’ behavior) => “∅+sound”, “∅-treat” ⇒ b1(dog searches–more intensively) => ∅Thing,scent ⇒ b3(dog comes back to me=‘clear’ behavior) => “!+sound” + “!-treat”}.

What if later the dog doesn’t find a thing that is there in a lower concentration than the one I used for training, or is masked by other scents?

That’s no problem, it’s not the dog’s fault. I didn’t train for it. The dog doesn’t know that it is making a mistake by giving me a wrong ‘clear.’ As far as the dog is concerned, the room is clear: {∅Thing,scent ⇒ b3(dog comes back to me => “!+sound” + “!-treat”}; The dog was not strolling around and is not cheating me.

A human example:

I reinforce the child trying to solve a math problem. ‘Well done, but you got it wrong because…” The solution is wrong, but the method was correct. Therefore, it is all a question of training. The ‘wrong’ will be eliminated with more or better training, or maybe it was caused an excessive increase in the difficulty curve of the problem (the teacher’s problem). We are not reinforcing trying; we are reinforcing the correct use of a method.

Why reinforce the process?

We must reinforce the process because of itsemotional consequences. The dog and the child must accept the challenge, must want to be challenged, and be able to give their best in solving the problem. The exercise in itself will eventually end up being self-reinforcing.

Are we reinforcing the effort rather than the success?

No, we are not. Reinforcing the effort rather than the result can even lead to false positives. The animal indicates something that it is not there because it associates the reinforcer with the behavior, not the thing. Children give us three-four quick, consecutive, wrong answers if we reinforce the trying, not the process (thinking before answering).

We reinforce result (success) only.

When the dog doesn’t find because there’s nothing to find, that is success. When the dog doesn’t find because the concentration was too low, that is also success because ‘too low’ is here equal to ‘no thing.’ When the child gets it wrong, it is because the exercise exceeded the capacity of the child (he or she has not been taught to that level).

We are still reinforcing success and exactly what we trained the dog and the child to do. We don’t say to the child, “Well, you tried hard enough, good.”

We say, ” Well done, you did everything correctly, you just didn’t get it right because you didn’t know that x=2y-z and there was no way of you knowing.”

Next time, the child gets it right because she now knows it; and if not, it is because x=2y-z exceeds the capacity of that particular child in which case there’s nothing you can do about it.

The same goes for the dog: the dog doesn’t indicate 0.01g of cocaine because I trained it to indicate as low as 0.1g. When I reinforce the dog’s ‘clear,’ I say, “Well done, you did everything correctly, you just didn’t get it right because you didn’t know that 0.01g cocaine is still the thing.”

Now, I train the dog that ‘thing’ means ‘as low as 0.01g cocaine’ and either the dog can do it or it cannot. If it can, good; if it cannot, there’s nothing you or I, the dog or the child can do about it.

Conclusion:

We reinforce result, success, not the effort, not the trying. We must identify success, have clear criteria for success, plan a successive approach to our goal and gradually increase difficulty. We must be able to recognize limits and limitations in ourselves, in the species we work with, in the individuals we tutor, in the particular skill we teach. We must know when we cannot improve a skill any further and when an individual cannot give us more than what we are getting; and be satisfied with that.

Have a great day!

R-

Footnote: * Strictly speaking, the scent that the detection dog searches is not a signal, but a cue, because it is not intentional. In this context, however, it is and SD because we have conditioned it to be so and, therefore, we can call it a signal. Please, see “Signal and Cue—What is the Difference?” at http://wp.me/1J7GF.

Related articles

• Abrantes, R. (2011). Mission SMAF—Bringing Scientific Precision into Animal Training.
• Abrantes, R. (2011). Signal and Cue—What is the Difference?
• Abrantes R. (2011). Commands or Signals, Corrections or Punishers, Praise or Reinforcers.
• Abrantes, R. (2011). Unveiling the Myth of Reinforcers and Punishers
• Schedules of Reinforcement and Punishment – Week 12 (31 Jan – 3 Feb) (tuele.wordpress.com)
• Operant Conditioning (cheerfulappsych.wordpress.com)

How to use kong... A great training tool....

RECIPE FOR THE "ALMOST PERFECT" DOG It is reassuring to know that the ingredients for an "almost perfect" dog are available to any responsible dog owner. You can enjoy the wonderful benefits of an "almost perfect" dog. The ingredients are: 1. One clean bill of health. You can help ensure this vital ingredient with current vaccinations and regular veterinary check ups. 2. One proper I.D. Make sure your dog has a license and/or I.D. (dog tags, tattoo, canine microchip). 3. One well-nourished, well-exercised dog. Feed your dog as recommended by your veterinarian, professional trainer or breeder. Exercise your dog as often as possible. 4. One safe, secure, comfortable environment free from abuse and neglect. If your dog spends much time outdoors, a well-insulated dog house in a fenced area should be provided. Inside, a crate (dog den) is recommended by most trainers. Start crate training early - ask your veterinarian! 5. A full measure of time. Time spent with your dog should include training flavored with reward, correction/positive reinforcement, petting, grooming and exercise such as walking, playing, fetching, and just being with you and your family. Missing ingredients result in behavior problems. Over 60% of dogs in shelters are there as a result of behavior problems or lack of identification. MOST BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS ARE CORRECTABLE! Don't despair! Make sure your dog has a clean bill of health, then contact your professional trainer and/or animal behaviorist for help. Prevention is always the best cure for behavior problems! Lack of training and physical and mental understimulation (boredom) are primary causes of misbehavior. They can be easily prevented by enrolling in basic training classes (contact your veterinarian for a referral) and using Kong Dog Toys for healthy physical and mental stimulation. Kong Dog Toys are widely used and recommended for therapy and prevention of understimulation, boredom, separation anxiety and other behavior problems. Following are some simple ways Kongs can be utilized to promote good behavior in your dog. It is important for dogs to succeed at their "work". Make it easy to remove the kong stuffing at first. AS THEY BECOME MORE EXPERIENCED, YOU MAY WANT TO MAKE THEIR JOB MORE CHALLENGING - HERE'S HOW: 1. Pack stuffing tighter. 2. Wedge biscuits inside the cavity using the inside rim of the opening to secure them. 3. FREEZE IT! Very Popular! Try various combinations of canned food, gravy, noodles, rice and mashed potatoes mixed with food nuggets and freeze. KONGSICLES are a favorite with many hot dogs! Put a dab of peanut butter in the small end of the Kong to plug it. Turn it upside down in a cup. Fill it full of water, chicken broth or fruit juice and freeze. Cool doggies! Kongsicles are recommended for outdoor use. 4. CHEESE IT! Mix cheese pieces or cheese spread with food nuggets and microwave until cheese melts. Let it cool to a safe temperature. NOTE - Use a cup to contain the Kong when freezing or microwaving. KONG STUFFING RECIPES As you create recipes, be sensitive to your dog's tummy as you experiment. Following are recipes created by veterinarians, dog trainers and dog lovers worldwide. BANANA RAMA: 1 fresh banana · 2 tbs wheat germ · 1 tbs plain yogurt (can use your pet's favorite flavor as well) · Kong Toy that best fits your pet's chewing temperament In a bowl, mash up banana. Then, add wheat germ and yogurt. Mash all ingredients together and use spoon to add to Kong. Freeze for 4 hours. Makes 1 serving for Medium Kong. Double for every Kong Size that is bigger. CHEESY DENTAL KONG DELIGHT: 3 slices of your pet's favorite cheese · Dental Kong Toy A very simple and creative way to make any pet drool in delight. Just place the 3 slices of cheese directly onto the grooves of your pet's Dental Kong (if model has rope - make sure cheese does not get onto it). Melt in microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Give to pet after it cools. PHILLY STEAK: steak scraps · 1 ounce cream cheese · appropriate Kong Toy Place small scraps of the steak inside Kong toy. Spread cream cheese in large hole to hold scraps. FRUIT SALAD: apple and carrot chunks · 1/4th of a banana · appropriate Kong Toy Place apples and carrots in Kong Toy. Mush the banana in large hole to hold fruit in place. You can include other fruits and veggies: orange slices · peach and/or nectarine chunks · celery sticks · broccoli and/or cauliflower · tomato and black olive mixture. VEGGIE KONG OMELET: 1 egg · your choice of shredded cheese · any vegetables that your pet may like · appropriate Kong Toy Scramble egg and fold in vegetables. Put into Kong toy. Sprinkle some cheese over the top and microwave for about 20 seconds. Cool thoroughly before giving to dog. MAC 'N CHEESE: Leftover macaroni and cheese · small cube of Velveeta · appropriate Kong Toy Melt Velveeta in microwave until gooey. Add mac 'n cheese to Kong Toy. Pour heated Velveeta into Kong. Make sure it has cooled before giving to your pet. FAMOUS RECIPES AUNT JEANNIE'S ARCHEOLOGY KONG (for advanced dogs) LAYER ONE (deepest): roasted, unsalted cashews · freeze dried liver bits LAYER TWO: dog kibble, cookies or liver biscotti · Cheerios · sugar-free, salt-free peanut butter · dried banana chips, apples and apricots LAYER THREE: carrot sticks · turkey or leftover ravioli or tortellini · Kong Toy (the larger the better!) Pack as tightly as possible. The last item inserted should be an apricot or piece of ravioli, presenting a smooth "finish" under the main opening. LIGHT VERSION: substitute crumbled rice cakes for cashews, Caesar croutons for freeze-dried liver, fat free cream cheese for peanut butter. - by Jean Donaldson KONG ON A ROPE: Dry dog kibble · appropriate Kong Toy · Rope Take the rope, pull it through the Kong Toy and knot it. Hang this upside down from a tree, deck or post. The small hole should be facing the ground. Take the kibble and fill the Kong Toy. Make the toy hang just low enough that it is out of your dog's reach. The dog will spend hours trying to retrieve the kibble from the Kong Toy. At the end of the day, take the remaining kibble and give to your pet as a reward. This is advanced work for your dog. - by Ian Dunbar FROZEN JERKY POPS: Peanut butter · bouillon · Jerky Strips · Water · appropriate Kong Toy · muffin tin Smear a small amount of peanut butter over small hole in your Kong Toy. Fill the cool water and add a pinch of bouillon. Place a Jerky Stick inside Kong Toy and freeze. This can also be put (once frozen) in a children's size swimming pool for a fun day of fishing for your pet. - by Terry Ryan SIMPLE, TRIED AND TRUE: Peanut butter · appropriate Kong Toy Smear peanut butter inside the cavity of your Kong Toy. It's that easy! - by trainers and vets worldwide TRIXIE'S FAVORITE: Trixie, a 50 pound Aussie/Springer mix, loves turkey, chicken or marrow bites mixed with slightly moistened food nuggets frozen inside her Kong. She is very clean about unstuffing - some dogs are not! - by Joe Markham Every dog has a favorite recipe - finding your dog's will be fun! REMEMBER: Some foods are not healthy for dogs. Check with your vet first. KONG HUNTING Hide stuffed Kongs indoors and/or out. The hunt is great fun and rewarding. IMPORTANT! a. Provide stuffed Kongs randomly so they won't always be associated with you leaving. b. If your dog is unstuffing several Kongs per day, you should appropriately reduce the amount of bowl feeding. c. CLEAN KONGS THOROUGHLY AFTER USE! Dishwasher is recommended. Your dog's job will last until the Kongs are unstuffed. You can keep your dog "working" all day if you provide enough stuffed Kongs! IMPORTANT! Use Kongs Safely! Your dog's safety is your responsibility! ALWAYS supervise your dog's use of Kongs until you are confident they can be used safely without you! Read Kong Toy User Guide!

Where is the Beef...

When I read this article my jaw hit the floor. While I knew many of these treats where unhealthy I had no idea they where deadly. Please share this with your friends and family. These companies making theses treats are only concerned with the bottom line: MONEY! If we all boycotted these products there bottom line. Stop the poisoning....

Where’s the beef? Read the label on one of the popular dog treats and you’ll be asking yourself that same question. Milk-Bones and Beggin Strips are the #1 and #2 top selling treats respectively and I’d sooner have my dog stick her head in the curbside garbage on a hot day than eat that stuff.

Where’s the conscience of Del Monte and Purina when they put toxins and animal waste in our pets’ food? And they’re not the only ones. Anyone that hides behind “Natural Flavors” on their label instead of telling us exactly what those flavors are (ADI, Waggin’ Train) needs a firm kick in the caboose. Just because the FDA allows manufacturers to do it, doesn’t mean they should.

BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, Sodium Metabisulfite and TBHQ.

These are chemical preservatives known to cause things like: cancer, liver and kidney problems, weakness, loss of consciousness, brain damage, and life-threatening asthma. One or more of these chemicals are in the top two selling treats and numerous others. The chemicals also are used to manufacture things like rubber and petroleum products, and embalming fluid.

Treats containing at least one of these chemicals These chemicals are used to manufacture:

Milk-Bones (Del Monte)

Embalming Fluid

Beggin Strips (Purina)

Jet Fuels

Pup Peroni (Del Monte)

Rubber Products

Busy Bones (Purina)

Pesticides

Moist n Meaty (Purina)

Electrical Transformer Oil

T-Bonz (Purina)

Petroleum Products

Ethoxyquin is so toxic that the FDA has prohibited it from human consumption except for minute quantities in certain spices (e.g. cayenne pepper). The FDA, despite the behest of veterinarians, has done nothing but suggest to pet product manufacturers they reduce its usage. Who knows if any of them have reduced it, but Purina still adds it into their Moist ‘n Meaty as disclosed clearly on their label. (See Sidebar about how tough it can be to spot ethoxyquin and other toxins.)

Toxins in pet food

So what’s the deal with all these other chemical preservatives? Sodium Metabisulfite (the preservative in Milk-Bones) is harmful if ingested or inhaled (as in sniffed). It reacts with WATER and acids (like those in your dog’s stomach) to release toxic sulfur dioxide gas. It can cause life-threatening asthmatic reactions after ingestion as well as gastrointestinal, circulatory and central nervous system problems. The people who handle this stuff are required to wear hazmat suits and respirators. And believe it or not, there’s more written about the harmful effects and cancer-causing properties of BHA and BHT than sodium metabisulfite. BHT is actually banned in England. And BHA is thought by the National Institutes of Health to cause stomach cancer.

TBHQ (a butane derivative) can cause death from ingestion of as little as 5 grams. Ingestion of a single gram (1/13 of an ounce) causes nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation and collapse. The FDA puts strict requirements on uses of all these toxic chemical preservatives in human food, but pet foods have few if any requirements and often contain much more.

So what’s the good news? There are many better, natural solutions for preserving food. Dehydration is the first one. Take the moisture out of something and bacteria cannot grow. Ask any caveman. It’s been around that long. And, no self-respecting cowboy would go hungry when he has a piece of dried meat in his pocket. Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and rosemary and sage extracts also make good, natural solutions. The problem for Purina and Del-Monte and others is that dehydration, vitamins and herb extracts are more expensive than sodium metabisulfite, BHA, BHT, TBHQ or ethoxyquin.

Dehydration, for instance, produces a treat with a lower water content (but denser nutritional profile) that hence weighs less. Dehydration also takes time and electricity – which cost money. Since treats are sold by net weight, massive commercial manufacturers want to keep the moisture content high so they can sell you the weight in water. But then they have to toss in chemical preservatives to keep the treats from spoiling.

“Natural Flavors” and Animal Digests

Here’s the scoop on natural flavors and animal digests: the FDA allows digestive tract contents to be processed into animal feed.

The FDA says:

“With respect to flavors, pet foods often contain digests, which are materials treated with heat, enzymes, and/or acids to form concentrated natural flavors. Only a small amount of a chicken digest is needed to produce a ‘Chicken Flavored Cat Food,’ even though no actual chicken is added to the food…” [emphasis added].

“Natural Flavors” and “Animal Digests” are on the labels of these popular products among others:

Beggin Strips (Purina)

Waggin-Train Jerky Tenders (made by ADI Pet in China)

Busy Bones (Purina)

T-Bonz (Purina)

The Goodlife Recipe (Mars, Inc.)

Meat and By-Products

Ever glance at a pet food label and see an ingredient called “meat?” Would you buy anything in the grocery store’s meat section that’s just identified as “meat” on the label? What exactly qualifies as “meat” and “by-products”?

Here’s a hint: The FDA has found pentobarbital (the euthanasia drug) in our pet’s food.

According to the FDA, “meat” for animal feed comes from:

“independent [rendering] plants that obtain animal by-product materials, including grease, blood, feathers, offal and entire animal carcasses from the following sources: butcher shops, supermarkets, restaurants, fast-food chains, poultry processors, slaughterhouses, farms, ranches, feedlots, and animal shelters.” [emphasis added]

AAFCO, the organization that works with the FDA to standardize definitions of ingredients and other things for the pet food industry, broadly defines “byproducts”. Poultry byproducts, for instance can include: “the carcass of slaughtered poultry such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines exclusive of feathers except… as might occur unavoidably…”

But it’s not the feathers – or even the addition of McDonald’s used grease – that’s most worrisome. It’s well documented that the FDA also allows 4D animals – that’s dead (as in roadkill dead), dying or diseased (as in anthrax) or disabled (as in mad-cow paralysis) as well as spoiled or contaminated meat to be used in pet food.

Recall the mad-cow epidemic in the late 1980s? It was determined that the cause of it was cattle (normally herbivores) being fed the remains of other diseased cattle (in the form of rendered down meat and byproducts). Nearly 4.4 million cattle were slaughtered in the eradication program that followed. But in October 2009, Mad Cow disease infected and killed another person showing that the disease is still lingering in the human food chain. So you would think your pet has got to be at much greater risk.

“Meat” and “By-Products” are in these popular treats:

Milk-Bones (Del Monte)

Pup-Peroni (Del Monte)

Busy Bones (Purina)

Moist n Meaty (Purina)

T-Bonz (Purina)

Beneful Snackin’ Slices (Purina)

Wheat, Corn, Soy, MSG, Refined Sugars & Artificial Sweeteners

Ever ask your vet why your seven year old dog is developing all these skin irritations and bumps? Or why she seems to have frequent bouts of intestinal upset? Here’s one good reason: she can’t digest the stuff she’s eating. Many dogs can’t digest wheat, corn and soy and some are allergic to these ingredients. Yet they’re included in food because they are cheap. Next time you pick up a 12 oz box of dog cookies for $3.99 retail consider how the manufacturer can make 12 oz of those treats for under $0.50.

MSG is included because it’s addictive, but like ethoxyquin you probably won’t find it on the label. If you see any type of “hydrolyzed” protein though, it likely contains MSG. MSG is believed to be a big culprit in the obesity epidemic in our pets (and ourselves). More than 50% of US dogs and cats are reportedly obese. MSG can more than triple insulin levels making even the most physically active animals fat.

The FDA says: “hydrolyzed proteins, used by the food industry to enhance flavor, are simply proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. In this case, the presence of MSG does not need to be disclosed on labeling.”

Refined sugars are added to pet food because dogs can taste sweetness. Yet sugar can cause obesity, dental problems and possibly diabetes. Artificial sweeteners are no good for dogs either and some are known toxins. The FDA still allows cancer-causing saccharine to be sold to humans and genetically modified ingredients to be undisclosed on labels. So chances are they’re not looking out for your pet.

Admittedly, artificial sweeteners and sugars can be hard to identify on a label when there’s a laundry list of six syllable words. But this can be our “‘Aha!’ moment.” If we don’t recognize it, should it really be ingested?

Here are a couple to remember: glycerin (aka glycerol) is a sugar substitute and filler, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate is an artificial sweetener with similar chemistry to Xylitol – and that one is known to be toxic to pets.

Wheat is in countless dog treats from the toxic ones to the junk-food treats. Here are a few of the popular treats that contain wheat and/or at least one of the other unhealthy ingredients in this category.

Milk-Bones (Del Monte)

Pup-Peroni (Del Monte)

Beggin Strips (Purina)

Waggin Train Jerky Tenders (ADI in China)

Busy Bones (Purina)

Moist n Meaty (Purina)

T-Bonz (Purina)

Beneful Snackin’ Slices (Purina)

The Goodlife Recipe (Mars, Inc.)

The Cancerous 5 Food Colorings, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Nitrite, Copper Sulfate and the Kitchen Sink

The list of additives from food coloring to artificial flavors and other preservatives is long. But why does there need to be food coloring in the treats we give our dogs.? Has a dog ever turn his nose up at a treat because it got a low score for plating and presentation?

Let’s do our dogs a favor; when we see red dye # this and yellow dye # that, let’s put the box back. It likely contains a ton of other toxins. The Cancerous Five Food Colorings, Titanium dioxide, copper sulfate, calcium proprionate, sodium bisulfite, propylene glycol, and zinc sulfate are just some of those hunks of junk. They can cause anything from gastrointestinal and skin disorders, to tumors and genetic disorders. And that’s just in the stuff humans and rats have reported. Who knows what our dogs feel.

Yellow #6, Blue #1 and #2, Red #3 and Green #3 are linked with cancer in animal testing. These are in Milk-Bones, Beggin Strips, Beneful Snackin Slices, and T-Bonz.

Titanium dioxide is a widely used white food coloring that’s also used for paints and plastics. Some prefer titanium in golf clubs not food. In food, it’s suspected of causing genetic disorders and lung tumors; in the clubs it simply causes humility.

Copper sulfate is an herbicide, fungicide and pesticide that’s also a known toxin no longer included in children’s chemistry sets because of health risks.

Calcium proprionate is a mold inhibitor. How did we get to be more worried about the mold than the chemicals?

Zinc sulfate will take the moss off your roof and kill the grass in your yard.

Sodium nitrite is linked with cancer and its in Beggin Strips and Pup-Peroni. Sodium nitrate is easily converted to cancer-causing compounds (called NOCs) and both sodium nitrite and nitrate have been linked with gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, and colorectal cancer. (Goodness Gracious uses uncured (nitrate/nitrite free) bacon in its bacon cheeseburger treats proving that manufacturers can make healthy and delicious stuff for dogs by simply choosing to do so.)

Sodium bisulfite (synthetic vitamin K also called menadione) is associated with liver toxicity, anemia, eczema, skin irritations, allergic conditions, and more and has been banned from food and supplements in Europe, and by the FDA in over the counter supplements.

And lastly, propylene glycol makes a darn good antifreeze and airplane de-icer, but any vet will tell you in the right amount it will kill your pet.

These popular treats contain these toxins:

Milk-Bones (Del Monte)

Beggin Strips (Purina)

Pup-Peroni (Del Monte)

T-Bonz (Purina)

Beneful Snackin’ Slices (Purina)

Moist n’ Meaty (Purina)

Busy Bone (Purina)

Wolves in captivity live 20 years. Their descendants – our dogs – live only a handful. Cancer is the #1 killer of our dogs; 50% of them die from it by some estimates. The toxins in their food are arguably a big contributing factor.

Our pets have a flaccid tongue; they can’t tell us that the Milk-Bones give them headaches or the Beggin Strips make their skin itch. They just know they’re hungry or they’ve done something good and this is their reward. Wag tail. Show belly. Give kisses.

So let’s make that reward something that they enjoy and that’s good for them. Today is the first day of the rest of your dog’s life. Remember, treat healthy and treat often. But if you can only do one of those things, then treat healthy. Your dog will make up the difference by living longer.

P.S. Do yourself a favor too. Spare yourself the gory details of what “mechanically separated meat” means on the label… Just stop eating the Slim Jims.

About the Author:

Amy Havens is the owner and founder of Goodness Gracious, LLC (www.GoodnessGraciousTreats.com). Goodness Gracious makes 100% human-grade dog treats and an all-natural tick repellent, and donates half of its profits to local animal shelters in communities where its treats are sold. You can find Goodness Gracious products in independent pet supply stores and upscale grocers in across the country and online . Amy lives in Marblehead with her husband, Tim, and their two red standard poodles, Grace and Lula.

Food Safety

Food Safety...what you need to know to keep your dog safe

One good thing about dogs is that they’re not especially finicky. One bad thing is that they’ll eat just about anything. Unfortunately, that can include foods or other substances that may be potentially toxic.

Virtually any substance can be toxic to your dog if consumed constantly or at high dosage. Even if no adverse effects are immediately seen, that does not mean a certain substance is safe.

There are many myths about what is or is not safe or healthy for pets. Before getting on the bandwagon, keep in mind the commercial motives of those perpetuating the myth. Demand scientific evidence for the claims.

Dog foods to avoid
The following lists some of the substances for which there is credible evidence of toxicity at dosages your dog could conceivably consume:



Alcoholic beverages: Alcohol can cause gastrointestinal irritation, drunkenness, tremors, difficult breathing and/or panting, coma and even death



Avocados: Avocados can result in respiratory distress and the accumulation of fluid around the heart



Chives: If fed in excess, these can lead to GI upset and perhaps damage red blood cells



Chocolate: Chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hyperactivity and increased thirst, urination and heart rate




Coffee: Coffee (including the grounds and beans) can cause the same symptoms as chocolate



Grapes and raisins: Depending on the amount ingested, clinical signs can range from vomiting to life-threatening kidney failure



Spices: If fed in excess, these can lead to GI upset and perhaps damage red blood cells



Spoiled food: Spoiled food may contain food-borne pathogens, molds, and mycotoxins that can result in GI irritation, tremors, seizures, and death. All food, regardless of shelf-life claims, loses value and may grow toxins over time. Dogs CANNOT tell if a food is spoiled.



Onions: If fed in excess, these can lead to GI upset and perhaps damage red blood cells



Salt and salty foods: Excess salt and purified salt can result in sodium ion poisoning with symptoms of regurgitation, tremors, excessive thirst, diarrhea, high temperature and seizures. On the other hand, moderate amounts of natural salt can be healthy.



Tomato: Fruit is not a problem in moderation, but the leaves, stem and unripe fruit are. Ingestion of these can cause GI upset, excess salivation, drowsiness, dilated pupils, and weakness. The same symptoms can be seen with the ingestion of any green plant parts of the potato and many household plants;



Xylitol sweetener: This sweetener in candies and gum can also cause a fairly sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression and seizures;



Yeast dough: Dough can be double trouble in that as it rises, the dough can expand the GI tract, possibly causing the intestine to rupture. The yeast can also form alcohol as it rises, leading to alcohol poisoning




Antifreeze, cleaning products and all household chemicals and drugs should be kept out of reach of pets. Some of these substances (such as antifreeze) actually taste good to pets and can cause serious illness and death.

Be sure to use caution with spicy foods, cooked bones, singular supplements, and virtually any commercial product fed continuously. Again, the principle to keep in mind is that variety is the spice of health. Since anything can potentially be toxic if fed in excess, varying the diet is the best safeguard. Even so-called 100% complete commercial diets have caused serious illness and death when fed exclusively.




If you think your cat may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, immediately call your veterinarian. Be sure to let them know what she has eaten and how much, the estimated time of ingestion, if you know it, and any problems she is experiencing.