Barking for Broccoli The Rise of Organic Eating for Dogs
Can Dogs Eat Broccoli?
NOTE: Always check with your veterinarian first before giving your dog any new foods, especially people foods. What might be okay for one dog might not be good for your dog, depending on multiple factors, such as their age, health history, health conditions, and diet. Dogs on prescription diets should not be fed any food or treats outside the diet.
Yes, adult dogs can eat broccoli. Its not toxic to dogs and contains health benefits, so its safe in small portions.
Puppies have different dietary needs than adult dogs, and their digestive systems arent as developed. The high fiber content in broccoli could cause problems for puppies, so its best to avoid feeding them broccoli.
Whether you want to give broccoli to your adult dog as a snack, or if they ate some when your back was turned, here are some safe feeding portions, health benefits, and concerns about dogs eating too much broccoli.
Is Broccoli Good for Dogs?
Broccoli is not just safe for dogs to eat; it contains many health benefits and nutrients for your dog, just like it does for you. In fact, some dog foods even contain broccoli. It is full of fiber, antioxidants, and digestible plant protein, and it provides vitamins and minerals like:
Vitamin C
Vitamin K
Folic Acid
Magnesium
Sodium
Potassium
Chromium
Although broccoli provides a lot of great health benefits, your dog cannot rely on broccoli alone for their vitamins and minerals. Additionally, you should be careful not to feed your dog too much broccoli because it can cause intestinal upset.
Can Dogs Eat Raw Broccoli?
Yes, dogs can eat raw broccoli florets. If you make sure to wash them first, then cut them into small, edible pieces, they are safe and nutritious. In fact, eating broccoli raw or steamed is the best way to keep the most nutrients in the broccoli.
Can Dogs Eat Cooked or Steamed Broccoli?
Dogs can also safely eat cooked and steamed broccoli. If you steam broccoli for just a few minutes, it will retain more nutrients than if you cook it. But either way, its safe for your dog to eat.
Just make sure that its not too hot so they dont burn their tongues. And be sure to only feed your pup plain broccoli. That means no butter, oils, or seasonings. Not only are these added ingredients unhealthy for your dog, but certain seasonings like garlic and onion are toxic to dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Broccoli Stems?
Broccoli stems are not toxic for dogs, but they arent the best part of the broccoli to feed to your dog. The stems could become a choking hazard or cause an intestinal blockage. If you do feed stem pieces to your dog, make sure they are cut up into very small, easily edible pieces.
If your dog seems to be choking, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Can Dogs Be Allergic to Broccoli?
Dogs can develop allergies from repeated exposure to a food. Food allergies in dogs usually cause skin issues, rashes, and ear infections. If this is the first time youre feeding your dog broccoli, you could see signs of food intolerance, which is different from an allergy. Signs of food intolerance include vomiting or diarrhea.
Does Broccoli Make Dogs Fart?
If youve wondered whether broccoli can make a dog fart, the answer is yes! Not only does broccoli contain a high amount of fiberwhich can cause an upset stomach and intestinal gasbut the broccoli florets also contain isothiocyanate.
This organic compound is thought to help prevent cancer. But it can also cause gastric irritation in dogswhich can also cause your pup to pass gas.
And although broccoli contains plant protein that dogs can digest, too much protein can also cause flatulence.
How Much Broccoli Can Dogs Eat?
If youre wondering how much broccoli is okay to feed your dog, check out our chart below. And remembereverything in moderation. That means that even healthy treats like broccoli should only make up 10% of your dogs diet. The other 90% should come from a well-balanced dog food diet.
Below are some general guidelines for safe portion sizes to feed your dog broccoli, based on your dogs weight and breed size:
Examples: Yorkies, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Pugs
Examples: Basenjis, Beagles, Miniature Australian Shepherds
Examples: Basset Hounds, Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs
Examples: Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Australian Shepherds
Examples: Newfoundlands, Bernese Mountain Dogs, St. Bernards, Great Pyrenees
If your dog ate some broccoli when you werent watching, or you accidentally fed them too much, keep an eye out for the following symptoms of an upset stomach. If you do notice any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian right away.
How to Feed Your Dog Broccoli
Ready to feed your pup some broccoli as a treat? Wash the broccoli thoroughly, cut it into small, edible pieces, and remove the stems to avoid any choking hazards.
Raw
Raw pieces of broccoli are the easiest and quickest way to share them with your dog while preserving the nutrients.
Steamed
Steamed broccoli takes just a few minutes, but this method also helps maintain the highest nutrient levels. Do not add other ingredients or seasonings.
Cooked
Cooking broccoli takes a little longer and may take strip away some of the natural nutrients, but its still very healthy! Dont add extra ingredients or seasonings to cooked broccoli either.
Smoothie
If youre feeling fancy, you could blend together a little bit of broccoli with some dog-safe fruits like blueberries and bananas, plus a scoop of completely plain, sugar-free, xylitol-free yogurt. You can add this on top of your dogs food, or even freeze it in your dogs KONG toy as a cold treat for later.
Featured image: iStock.com/petesphotography
Can Dogs Eat Broccoli?
How to offer broccoli to dogs?
If your dog has developed a taste for vegetables and you want to offer them broccoli as a snack, small portions can be fed either raw or cooked. However, large pieces can become a choking hazard, so make sure you offer it in chunks that can be easily handled by your pooch, particularly if feeding it raw. Dont forget to keep an eye on them until theyve finished munching on their last bite. This way, if the dog gets into trouble you can react quickly and help them.
Broccoli can be steamed in water, without any seasonings or flavourings. It may not sound like the best dinner ever for our human taste buds, but when it comes to a dogs treat, it is better to keep it simple.
Can broccoli be dangerous for dogs?
Due to the presence of the isothiocyanate component, broccoli is not a good treat to give often or in large quantities. If youre worried your dog might have eaten too much broccoli, the symptoms you need to watch out for include an upset tummy or any other sign of digestive distress.
Another reason why you should stay near your dog when theyre enjoying their broccoli is the choking hazard posed by the stems. You can reduce the risk significantly by cutting the vegetable into bite-sized chunks for your dog.
If you notice an unusual reaction, be prepared to contact the vet and ask for help if you fear your dog is in distress and you cant help them.
Do you want to know more about what dogs eat? Learn if dogs can eat blueberries, or discover more about feeding your dog pork.
Excessive Dog Barking: Reasons & and How to Stop It
Barking is natural for dogs, but sometimes barking can be a thing of excess, which can lead to frustrated owners, and sometimes neighbors. Generally, excessive or nuisance dog barking involves a dog repeatedly barking for prolonged periods of time that interfere with neighbors engaging being able to enjoy their own property. Everyones definition of what excessive barking is will look different but if you have a dog who is barking excessively there are things you can do to bring peace to your dog and quiet to your home.
Why Dogs Bark So Much
If you are struggling with a dog who barks excessively, its important to try and understand what is causing the barking. Vocalizations are one way that dogs can communicate about how they are feeling and what they want. Dogs may bark to get attention, because they are alerting to something going on around them, because they are bored, anxious, frustrated, or feeling defensive of their homes or families.
Some barking is normal, but when barking becomes excessive not only is it frustrating for owners, but its also a sign your dog may be stressed, or their needs arent being met. Dogs use their barking as a means of communicating with us when they need things: to go outside, to play, because they are hungry, or because they are concerned about things. There is always a reason for the barking, and its our job to figure out what our dogs need.
A common reason for excessive barking is in response to things going on in your neighborhood. Historically, many breeds of dogs were kept guarding their owners homes and properties, or to alert owners about the presence of intruders. Although today many owners find alert barking frustrating, its important to remember that this behavior is natural for dogs.
Removing Distractions
If your dog is spending their day looking out the window and barking at people, dogs, and vehicles in your neighborhood a key step to stopping the barking is to remove the distraction. By managing your dogs environment and their access to distractions you may be able to reduce or even eliminate excessive barking.
Adding blinds, curtains, or adhesive privacy film (which comes in plain frosted or decorative patterns) to your windows can block the visual distractions from your dog. In addition to creating visual barriers from neighborhood distractions, it can be useful to use a white noise machine or to turn on a white noise playlist, radio, or television to help muffle distracting noises from outside your home.
Develop Alternative Behaviors
In addition to managing your space to reduce your dogs engagement with triggers that cause them to bark, its helpful to teach alternative behaviors for your dog to do instead of barking.
If you know your dog barks excessively when a package is delivered, you can teach your dog that when the doorbell rings they should run to another area of your home to get rewarded (instead of your dog rehearsing the barking behavior at the door.)
To start teaching this new behavior, have a friend or family member ring your doorbell (or use a doorbell recording online), and when the doorbell rings, get your dogs attention with a high-value treat and rush quickly with a lot of verbal encouragement to the area you want them to go. When you get to that area, jackpot your dog with lots of high-value treats. Repeat this interaction multiple times over several practice sessions. With practice, your dog will shift their behavior and anticipate running to that area of your home away from the front door to get treats instead of barking when packages are delivered.
Increasing Enrichment
Excessive barking can be a sign that your dog is bored. When dogs dont have enough enrichment in their day, they may develop destructive habits including too much barking.
In addition to making sure your dog gets enough physical exercise by walks, and active playtime if youre struggling with excessive barking, its helpful to increase the amount of mental and enrichment your dog gets during the day. If you know your dog barks while home alone, make sure to spend quality time with your dog before you leave and provide stimulating activities like a stuffed KONG for your dog to solve and eat while youre away.
Providing brain games for your dog can help alleviate boredom barking. If youre going for extended periods of time, its helpful to have a friend, family member, or professional dog walker come and visit your dog midday to get exercise and break up the alone time.
Barking At You
When frustrated or bored, some dogs will bark at their owners for attention. This is known as demand barking. Generally, this behavior is a result of your dog trying to get attention or another need met. If your dog is barking at you excessively, ignore your dogs barking and reward what you do want the quiet moments between barking, engaging with toys etc. When your dog stops barking, praise and reward your dog. While your dog is quiet, engage your dog in play or practice a trick. The idea is to give your dog engagement and attention while they arent barking.
Dont Punish
Having a dog barking too much can be stressful. The frustration can also be heightened if you have neighbors complaining about your dog. When youre stressed, it can be tempting to get loud yourself. However, getting into a yelling match with your dog doesnt solve the barking problem. The louder you yell, the louder your dog barks and generally ends up just escalating your dog instead of calming them down.
Instead of getting frustrated, try to recognize that your dog isnt actively barking to make you mad, rather they are communicating a need or desire in the only way that they know. Punishing your dog for barking through yelling or using an electronic (shock) bark collar, citronella collars, or ultrasonic machines that produce unpleasant sounds doesnt address the underlying issue of why your dog is barking excessively. In addition, being aversive doesnt help your dog learn anything it just punishes behavior without giving an alternative.
Breed Considerations
All dogs are individuals, and some will bark more than others. How much a dog barks can have a variety of causes including a dogs socialization and training. In addition, some dog breeds are naturally more vocal than others. Some breeds tend to bark more because of the jobs (like guarding) that they were bred to do.
Additionally, because of their size, some dogs will have larger and louder barks than other dogs. If you are sensitive to barking or live in an apartment, its important to keep in mind how large a dogs bark is, as well breed characteristics, before getting a dog. If you have a breed that is naturally very vocal, youll need to be especially attentive to supporting your dog to avoid issues with your neighbors.
Regardless of what type of dog you have, the key to changing your dogs behavior is recognizing and addressing the underlying cause for the barking. Once you know why your dog is barking, you can make lifestyle changes to prevent barking and you can teach alternative behaviors.
