Homemade dog treats: Create rewards with healthy ingredients

Homemade dog treats are suitable for your dog and an easy way for you to help control what your pup eats.

You can use any ingredients you and your dog like. If he has some preferences like, for example, blueberries, you can make him blueberry treats or doggy muffins with blueberries.

If he loves tuna, there are many great recipes for tuna cookies and dog treats. You can give him exactly what he likes best.

With homemade dog treats, you control the quality of the ingredients, too.

Ingredients for homemade dog treats

You can use the same ingredients you would use for your family — with a few exceptions.

Dogs can’t eat many foods, including grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions, garlic, avocado, and most nuts.

And while most dogs love peanut butter, check the label to ensure it’s not sweetened with xylitol or birch sugar, a sweetener also found in gum and candy that can be deadly for dogs.

Safe dog foods include carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and spinach. If you have a dog that tends to be nervous or fearful, consider mixing CBD oil for dogs with your peanut butter in homemade dog treats.

You know the ingredients are healthy and safe when you make your own treats. You can also use organic ingredients or buy from local farmers.

Another option to make it faster and easier to bake your treats is to consider using a dog treat mix.

Baking options

Produce as many or as few of the treats as you want to make. Quadruple a recipe and make lots of treats so you can freeze them. Or you can make a small batch to see how your dog likes them.

When you make homemade dog treats, you save money because you can buy ingredients in bulk or when they are on sale.

If your dog has allergies, you can ensure that you only use safe ingredients for your dog to eat and avoid using any items that might trigger a reaction in your dog.

And homemade dog treats are usually delicious. Dogs will love them.

You can give him treats right out of the oven. Nothing says, “I love you,” like baking for your dog.

Store-bought dog treats

There are some great store-bought dog treats, too. Of course, some commercial treats have questionable ingredients, and you will probably want to avoid them, just as there are some lower-quality dog foods.

You should avoid treats that use animal digest or bi-products, for example. But some delicious treats made by reputable companies use human-grade ingredients, organic ingredients, and good reputations. Need help finding healthy treats? Use this guide from Consumer Affairs.

Three Dog Bakery makes good treats using natural ingredients for dogs with many creative flavors. Old Mother Hubbard is a company that’s been around for a long time and is known for making healthy treats using human-grade ingredients for dogs, and there are others. If you feed your dog high-quality dog food, the company that makes the food probably makes dog treats, too, so check the store to see if they carry them.

Make homemade dog treats

If you have the time to make homemade dog treats, your dog will love them. They are always excellent. But don’t feel bad if you don’t have time or hate to bake. There are some excellent store-bought dog treats that your dog will love.

Nancy Cope is the owner of four rescue dogs and Pampered Dog Gifts.

Peanut Butter Doggy Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (smooth)
1 cup milk

Before you begin, preheat your oven to 375F. Lightly grease a
baking tray.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Use a separate bowl to
mix the peanut butter and milk to form a smooth paste, and then add this to the
flour mix. Mix these well until they form a thick dough.

Lightly flour a clean bench or surface and knead the dough lightly. Roll the dough
out until it’s approximately ¼ inch (1/2 centimeter) thick. Cut the dough into bite-sized
squares, or use a cookie cutter to create shapes if you wish.

Place the cookies onto the baking tray and bake them for around 20 minutes until
they turn a light golden brown. Watch carefully as they tend to burn easily.

Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely before offering them to your dog.
Store any unused cookies in an airtight container until needed.

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