When it comes to keeping your dog healthy, you might be thinking that tempting doggy treats are a big no-no, but rather than deny your pet some delicious snacks, why not make your own?
That way, you can control exactly what goes into everything your dog eats, not to mention ensuring you use only fresh and healthy ingredients, all the while saving yourself some pennies as well.
Making your own dog treats isn’t particularly difficult and for this guest post we asked our friend Jane of MyItchy Dog for her take on how to make your own dog treats delicious and healthy, here are her 10 easy recipes you can make quickly at home:
- Peanut butter temptation
Many dogs love peanut butter so why not make some dog treats with this easy household ingredient? All you need to do is mix together half a cup of peanut butter with two eggs and two cups of flour. You might need to add some water until you can make it into a dough. Then simply roll it out and cook for 20 minutes. Make sure it has cooled down before giving a piece to your dog.
- Chicken snacks
Chicken is another firm favourite for most dogs so these chicken snacks will be snapped up by your pet. Mix a cup of diced chicken with an egg, half a cup of cooked rice and three spoons of rice flour. Add in a spoon of parsley, mix together and cook for around half an hour.
- Your own recipe dog biscuits
To make your own dog biscuits is really easy and your dog will love them. You can adapt the recipe to include their own favourite flavours as well. You just need to mix together some whole wheat flour, with beef broth and peanut butter. Add in oats and flaxseed and mix together, before rolling out and cutting into biscuit sizes. Then cook for 20 minutes.
- Oaty apple treats
If your dog has a sweet tooth, you can try making these oaty apple treats which your dog will love. Simply cook up a cup of oatmeal, mix with apple sauce and an egg, then bake for around 20 minutes to create some tempting sweet cookies for your dog.
- Carrot cake
While it’s not really a cake as such, this is another healthy sweet treat that most dogs enjoy. Simply mix together a cup of grated carrot with an egg, apple sauce and a cup of flour, to create a cake mix. Then spoon into individual portions and bake for around 30 – 40 minutes.
- Pumpkin cookies
These cookies are great training treats so make sure they are cut into small sizes to provide that yummy treat he will look forward to getting as a reward for good behaviour. Canned pumpkin is easiest, so mix it with an egg, a cup of grated carrot and a cup of flour. Cut the mixture into bite-size cookie pieces before baking in the oven for half an hour.
- Salmon treats
If your dog prefers soft treats rather than crunchy ones, then try these salmon and sweet potato bites. All you need is a tin of salmon and a sweet potato that has been peeled and diced. Mix them with two eggs and some coconut flour, then bake in a greaseproof tray for around 60 minutes.
- Cranberry snacks
If your dog loves fruit, then he will really enjoy these cranberry snacks which are really simple to make. Take two eggs and mix them with a spoon of coconut oil, half a cup of cranberries, and one and a half cups of flour. Cut into snack-sized pieces and bake for 20 minutes.
- Chilled fruit snack
The perfect snack for a hot summer’s day, if your dog needs to cool down, is a frozen fruit popsicle to suck on and these are so simple to make. Just mix together some watermelon with raspberries and yoghurt and freeze them. You can always swap them out for other fruit if your dog has a different taste.
- Peanut butter bake
For dogs who like peanut butter but prefer savoury snacks, try this baked recipe. You need to mix half a cup of peanut butter with mashed sweet potato and a cup of flour, and then bake it for 10 minutes before cutting it into snack-sized pieces and allowing it to cool down.
Conclusion
All of these recipes are very simple to make and will ensure your dog has a continuous supply of healthy homemade snacks which won’t break the bank as they only require regular household ingredients.
You can also control exactly what goes into them, giving you control over your dog’s diet intake and helping you to make sure he only eats fresh and healthy snacks unlike shop-bought ones where you don’t know what has been included, or just how calorific they might be.
Photo by James Lacy on Unsplash