Free How to Raise a Jewish Dog by Rabbis of Boca Raton Theological Seminary, Barbara Davilman

scraps, when selected and doled out judiciously, are harmless treats that please the dog and strengthen
     her affection for the owner.
    With regard to raising a Jewish dog, we have decided we are comfortable with the latter position, with an important qualification.
     First, though, we must reiterate: never give the dog anything chemically or physically dangerous.
    That being said, we advise that the presentation of a safe, modest portion of table scraps be accompanied by the appropriate
     verbal instruction, as set forth in the following table:

    “This is excellent lox, so I hope you appreciate it, although I’m sure you don’t.” Criticizing dog while giving him a special
     treat is for his own good.
    What to Say When Serving Table Scraps
Type of Table Scrap
Verbal Instruction
Meat, poultry (boneless)
“See how nice? From my own plate!”
Fish, shellfish
“[Name of seafood] is my favorite, so I hope you appreciate it.”
Potato, rice, pasta
“No, no, you enjoy it. I’ll have a piece of bread.”
Vegetables
“You think [Bessie/Scout/Dizzy] eats this well? I doubt it.”
Bread, roll, bagel, pizza crust, etc.
“I don’t know why I’m giving you this. It freezes very well.”
Eggs
“Of course I like it! But I’ll be all right . . .”
WATER
    Water is of course necessary for life itself, and normal dogs should have available to them, at all times, a bowl of clean
     drinking water. It is usually placed on the floor in the kitchen beside the dog’s food bowl.
    We recommend, for a dog being raised Jewish, that you leave a bowl of clean drinking water on the floor of every room in the
     house, as well as in the larger or most-trafficked hallways. True, your dog, if he is in another room of the house, is perfectly
     capable of traveling to the kitchen to drink water. But thank God he doesn’t have to! Why should your dog have to walk a long
     way to get precious, life-sustaining water?
OVERFEEDING
    As you would expect in a country obsessed with both eating and dieting, there is an ongoing debate in the United States over
     the question “What is overfeeding?” Should a dog be allowed to eat all she wants, on the assumption that she must still be
     hungry? Or does every dog have an optimum weight, mandating that the owner protect her from recreational (or, worse, neurotic)
     overeating?
    We find ourselves somewhere in the middle of this controversy. Our policy is: Don’t overfeed the dog. Still, if you do, is
     that so bad? At least the dog isn’t skin and bones, which people notice and which creates a bad impression.
EXERCISE
    It is essential, in raising a Jewish dog, that the dog and owner do absolutely everything possible together: eating, sleeping,
     socializing, and, yes, exercising.
    Interestingly, people and dogs approach exercise from two different angles. Most people exercise because they feel they have
     to; dogs exercise because they want to. Even lazy, indolent dogs who don’t particularly want to exercise are happy to go for
     a walk, which provides them with opportunities to smell new things. And who is to say that smelling new things isn’t, in some
     wonderful and mysterious way, a form of canine exercise? Not us!
    Then again, not all human forms of exercise are appropriate for the dog. Consult the following table to see what kinds of
     workouts will “work.”
    Exercising with Your Dog: Good and Bad Examples
Exercise
Appropriate for Your Dog?
Comment
Jogging
Yes
Keep comfortable pace for dog; resist temptation to take dog’s pulse
Hiking
Yes
Special equipment required; see “Exercise Apparel and Equipment,” p. 86
Walking
Yes
Maintain brisk pace; strolling, window- shopping, shpotziring, or shmying do not count as exercise either for you or dog.
Yoga
No
Strange positions (asanas) are frightening, provoking, to dog.
Free weights
No
Dog lacks opposable thumbs, cannot lift barbells. Clanking weights frightening to dog’s sensitive hearing
Weight machines, Nautilus, etc.
No
Bicycling — dog