With so many seemingly delicious dog treats available, finding healthy dog treats online or in-store might be more challenging than you think. With artificial colours and fragrances in many manufactured dog treats, it pays to shop around or make your DIY dog treats. In this feature, we share three of our favourite homemade dog treat recipes for your dog.
Important Considerations for DIY Pet Treats:
Check that any additional ingredients you add are dog-safe, and if you are including peanut butter, make sure you choose a peanut butter that is safe for dogs. Avoid peanut butter with added sugar, xylitol, or salt; look for natural peanut butter.
As with introducing any new food to your dog, ensure that you introduce it gradually into your dog’s diet to ensure it doesn’t upset their tummy. Be careful not to substitute ingredients for others that may be toxic to your dog. If in doubt, speak to your vet.
Banana Dog Treats
You need dog-safe peanut butter (non-xylitol), browning banana and whole oats for this DIY Pet Treats recipe.
Cooking Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 300F (150C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the oats to a food processor and grind until they reach a fine powder. Add bananas and peanut butter and blend until it becomes a sticky dough. Roll the dough onto a lightly sprinkled whole wheat flour surface with a rolling pin. Use a cookie cutter or cut into squares with a knife.
- Add to a baking tray and cook for 25 – 30 minutes until they have risen slightly and turned golden brown underneath. Leave to cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature, fridge or freezer for healthy dog treats they will love!
Three Ingredient DIY Pet Treats
This recipe is delicious and easy to bake! You need three ingredients: oats, eggs and pumpkin puree.
Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (old-fashioned, not the quick-cooking kind)
1 cup pumpkin puree, unsweetened
Two large eggs* (if your dog is allergic to eggs, you can replace them with a cup of mashed bananas or applesauce.)
Optional: whole wheat or a dog-safe all-purpose flour, as needed for rolling.
Cooking Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Mix the dough. Add oats to a clean and dry food processor. Process oats on high speed for approximately 2 minutes until they resemble coarse flour. Add pumpkin puree and eggs to the processor and pulse until the mixture forms a stiff dough.
- Use a small cookie scoop to dollop dough balls onto the parchment. Press each ball down with a fork, creating cross-hatch marks.
- Bake the treats for 20-30 minutes or until the treats have stiffened up in texture. These treats won’t turn brown in the oven, so watch the oven timer. Cool them before storing and serving!
Storage. Since these treats are made with fresh ingredients, store them in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container or freeze them in a zip-tight bag for up to a month.
Extra Ingredients (to spoil your dog!)
3-4 bacon strips, chopped and added.
1/4 tsp cinnamon for a smell your dog won’t resist.
Sweet Potato Munchies
These DIY pet treats are super easy to make for your pup! Take 2 x cups of whole wheat flour and 8 ounces of sweet potato puree or pumpkin puree.
Cooking Instructions:
- Chop your (skinned) sweet potato or pumpkin into chunks, and boil a large pan of water. Add the chunks and cook for 15 – 25 minutes until soft. Drain and mash.
- Preheat oven to 350° F and coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. You could also line it with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk to blend the 2 cups of flour and sweet potato puree. Add a tablespoon of water if this mixture is too thick to stir effectively.
- Once you have a ball of dough, roll the dough out on a floured surface. Use a rolling pin, just like you would if you were making cookies. You’ll want the sheet of dough to be about 1/2″ thick. Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut out the biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on your prepared baking tray, with a space between each one. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and no visible moisture.
Cool and serve!
No Time To Bake? Here Are Three Of Our Favourite Brands;
Our absolute favourites are Soopa Pets, an award-winning ethical brand that is forever developing its range of tasty plant-based treats to embrace health and wellness for all dogs. Our office woof juniors love this brand!
The Innocent Hound are a delicious choice for dogs and offers air-dried complete food and treats. They are tasty and passionate about their eco-footprint.
If your dog likes to get their teeth into something a bit more taxing then Chomp & Chew are an excellent choice for keeping them occupied for a bit longer! Offering a range of natural dog chews and treats, they even have a variety boxes!
