2 Homemade Dog Treat Recipes You Can Make Today
Everyday we feed our pets the best of the best. Some choose a fancy diet of elaborate food and others feed the best dry dog food they can find, but what about the treats? Commercial treats are alright, but if you are looking for something a bit more special for Fido, a homemade treat baked with love just might be the ticket. Making these homemade dog treats may seem like a task in itself, but with the right recipe, you can make delicious treats that will be loved by your dog with items you already have at home. Grab your cookie cutters and get ready to bake.
Easy Peanut Butter Treats
It is not a mystery that dogs love peanut butter. This homemade treat is sure to please. They are even so cute that you can gift them to doggie friends for the holidays. These treats use real, delicious ingredients, so you never have to worry about what your best friend is eating. Here is how to make these simple, delectable treats:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of flour (whole wheat is more nutritious, but any all purpose flour works great)
- 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce or a mashed banana
- 1/4 cup vegetable, chicken, or beef stock
- cookie cutters
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients and mix well. It works best to mix them with your fingers to really get all the lumps out. The dough will be thick. Use your flour covered hands to roll the dough into a ball and place it on a silicone mat.
- Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. It may be easier if the dough is refrigerated for an hour or so. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into desired shapes and place on an ungreased baking sheet. You can line it with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 120 mini bones (more or less depending on size and shape of the treats).
These treats are great for a special treat or as a distraction when you are leaving the house.
Another doggie favorite are rawhide chews. These chews keep them entertained for hours at a time, but can be very rough on the stomach and gums. Some of these chews are coated with enzymes to help reduce tartar buildup for your pup, but even these are still very tough on the digestive systems. Rawhides that are not properly chewed or digested can cause issues later when it is time for your pet to go to the bathroom. In addition, rawhide bones could be an inadvertent source of harmful chemicals.
A wonderful alternative to these raw hide chews would be a sweet potato chew. These are easier on the digestive system but maintains the satisfaction of chewing on something for a longer period of time. These dried treats are hard and chewy and will be loved by your dog. If you do make these chews and give them to your dog, make sure that they are always supervised to reduce the risk of tragedy.
Sweet potato chews are the easiest treat to make. These chews only require one ingredient and a bit of time. It is best to make these when you have something else to do at home, since they require about 3-4 hours of baking time.
Easy Sweet Potato Chews
Ingredients:
- 1 Large Sweet Potato, washed
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
- Slice the potato into 1/3 inch thick slices. For larger dogs (or longer lasting chews), slice the potato lengthwise.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay each slice flat. Do not overlap the slices.
- Bake for 3 hours. Turn the slices over about halfway through baking.
- Allow the chews to cool completely on a wire rack before serving them.
- Store for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
For a crispier treat, bake an additional 30 minutes. These chews may appear soft when removed from the oven, but they will continue to harden and dry as they cool. (Find the recipe here). For an extra special treat for your beloved pup, spread peanut butter on the top of the chew as icing and watch them devour it.
If you have commercial pet treats today, take a quick look at the ingredients. For some of the higher priced treats, the fewer ingredients, but most dog treats have so many unnecessary ingredients that even dog owners have a hard time reading the list. The above homemade treats are so easy to make with real ingredients that your pup loves in just a few simple steps, using items you likely already have at your disposal.
