4 Homemade Treats Your Dog Will Love
Every dog deserves a treat. Whether they’ve earned one by doing well in their training, performing a trick, or just simply look too cute to not give them one, treats are an essential part of a dog’s life. However, not all treats are created equal.
When it comes down to it, there’s a lot of processing that goes into the treat bags you buy from the store. Some are packed full of unidentifiable ingredients, others contain chemical additives, and more often than not, the healthier options cost an arm and a leg. If you want the best for your dog, making your own treats can often be the best option.
Homemade treats have a lot of benefits for your dog, chief among them, that when you make it yourself, you know exactly what’s going into the food your dog is eating. On top of that though, it’s often cheaper to make your own because you can use ingredients you already have lying around your kitchen for yourself.
Dog treats don’t need to be complicated. They can even be a treat that both you and your dog enjoy if you choose the right ingredients. Making your own treats allows you to experiment and test out different types of treats without the worry of wasting your money on expensive treats your dog may or may not like.
To get you started on your homemade dog treat journey, we’ve compiled four healthy and simple snack recipes that are sure to be a hit with your canine companion. So check out the below recipes and bake the night away!
Peanut Butter Power
If you’re searching for a delicious dog cookie with some peanut butter punch, look no further!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/8 cup peanut butter (ensure the brand you choose is xylitol-free)
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet. Line the sheet with parchment paper if you want a quicker clean-up.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine pumpkin, peanut butter, and eggs until well-combined.
- Add in the flour ½ cup at a time until it’s fully mixed. Once all the flour has been added, the mixture should no longer be sticky.
Depending on how creative you want to get, you have two options for how to create your cookies:
- Create balls of dough (roughly half an inch in size), place on your baking tray, and flatten with a fork
- If you want points for presentation, roll the dough into until it’s no more than a ¼ inch thick, use a cookie cutter of your choosing to cut the dough, and place on the baking sheet.
- When ready, put your baking sheet into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Once cooled, place the treats in an airtight container and store in the fridge for best keeping.
BONUS: If your dog can’t get enough peanut butter, you might want to check out this peanut butter dog treat recipe as well!
Meat Treats
If you’re looking for something simple that your dog will adore, this one-ingredient jerky treat is a sure-fire success!
Ingredients
- 1 lb meat of choice
TIP: solid meat is the best choice for this recipe. Something like beef shank, chicken hearts, or any kind of game meat.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 165 degrees and prepare a baking sheet. Line the sheet with parchment paper if you want a quicker clean-up.
- Cut the meat into small pieces, keeping in mind that as it cooks and dries out, the meat will shrink in size.
- Place the meat pieces onto a baking tray and put into the oven.
- Bake for 60 minutes, then lower the temperature to 140 degrees and dry out in the oven for 8 hours.
- Once cooled, place the treats in an airtight container and store in the fridge for best keeping.
BONUS: if you’re looking for a no-bake option with a few more ingredients, this frozen meat treat might be for you!
Veggie Delight
Who says dogs don’t eat vegetables? These biscuits may be the perfect treat to prove everyone wrong!
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potatoes (mashed)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 carrot (peeled and shredded)
- 1 zucchini (shredded)
- 1 cup spinach (chopped)
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 3 cups flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet. Line the sheet with parchment paper if you want a quicker clean-up.
Wash and prepare your vegetables:
- Peel the sweet potato, cut into medium-sized pieces, and set aside.
- Peel and shred the carrot. Alternately, you can use a ½ cup of pre-shredded carrots from your grocery store. Set aside for later.
- Shred the zucchini and squeeze as much excess liquid out of it as you can. You can do this by placing the shreddings on a paper towel and squeezing until no more liquid comes out. Set aside.
- Remove stems from spinach and chop leaves with a sharp knife. Set aside.
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, add the sweet potato pieces and leave in for 15-20 minutes, or until the potato can be pierced easily with a fork.
- Drain the water from the pot and use a masher to turn the sweet potatoes into a mash. Try to remove as many lumps as you can so it is smooth.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sweet potato, and eggs until well-combined.
- Alternately add in the flour and rolled oats until they are fully mixed in with the wet ingredients. Once all the flour has been added, the mixture should no longer be sticky.
- Fold in the shredded carrots, zucchini, and chopped spinach until evenly dispersed through the mixture.
- Lightly flour a surface and knead the dough on it until it forms a solid lump. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into until it’s no more than a ¼ inch thick, then use a cookie cutter of your choosing to cut the dough.
- When ready, put your baking sheet into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Once cooled, place the treats in an airtight container and store in the fridge for best keeping.
BONUS: If you want to add a bit more sweetness into your dog’s treats, try these apple-carrot biscuits too!
Flavourful Fruits
Keep your dog cool this summer with this icy frozen fruit treats you can both enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt (ensure the brand you choose is xylitol-free)
- 1-2 cups fruit of choice (diced)
TIP: Strawberries or blueberries carry their flavour really well when frozen, so these are great options to include. But feel free to throw in your dog’s favourite fruit for a special treat.
Instructions
- Evenly distribute diced fruit into the bottom of a freezer mold or ice cube tray.
- Spoon the yogurt over the fruit, making sure to completely cover the fruit.
- Even out the liquid by tapping your mold/tray on your counter a few times. This should result in a flat surface for the top of your treats.
- Cover molds and freeze overnight. If your dog is a little too eager though, they should be solid enough in about 3–4 hours depending on the thickness of your molds.
- These treats can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
BONUS: if you’d rather have some fruity baked treats, these strawberry-banana biscuits are a great choice!
Fun Tools to “Dogify” Your Treats
If you want to go the extra mile and give your dog something truly special, why not go all in with dog-themed equipment for all your baking needs? Amazon has some great dog-themed cookie cutters and silicone molds for all your baking needs. You can also shop for some air-tight dog treat containers to keep your pup’s food fresh for longer.
