Tasty Gourmet, Homemade Dog Treats
A Healthy, Fun, and Tasty Alternative to Store-Bought Treats
What dog can resist a scrumptious treat?
Dog treats can be used as a reward
when training or just as a tasty little snack. Even pet owners who don't usually
bake may discover they love to create homemade little goodies for their dogs!
Baking dog treats at home can be a fun past-time... plus who can help but smile when they see their dogs, alert and waiting anxiously, for the cookies to come out of the oven? Homemade dog treats can be made by nearly everyone - they're easy, they're tasty, and you can choose the ingredients you put into them. No weird, unpronounceable chemicals that you often find in store-bought treats! Baking dog treats means that you can make them with fresh, nutritious foods and customize them to your dog's tastes.
Creating your dog's treats from scratch has the advantage that you know what goes into it. If you've ever read the list of ingredients for a bag of commercial dog treats, you know that often times you'll find a bunch of unpronouceable, unrecognizable ingredients. Homemade dog treats, on the other hand, contain only what you choose to put into them. And there are plenty of recipes for gourmet dog treats readily available for pet owners who want to try their hand at a fun new project.
Foods to Exclude from Dog Treats
There are a few foods that you do NOT want to use. Dogs can become very ill if they consume chocolate or cocoa (use carob
as a substitute), grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts,
alcohol, onions, coffee grounds, and potato leaves/stems/sprouts.
"Safe" and common foods used in homemade dog treats include whole wheat flour, carrots, peanut butter, liver, peas, and potato flesh. You'll be surprised at how many different combinations you can concoct with these household ingredients.
What You Need to Bake Dog Treats At Home
Baking dog treats requires the same sort of stuff you'd use in making any baked goods. You'll need things like:
- Cookie sheets
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing spoons
- Vegetable grater (handy, but not required)
- Dog-themed cookie cutters
(optional but cute! And it helps to 'mark' the dog treats as, well, dog treast so that you don't accidentally snarf one up).
By the way, "dog treats" doesn't mean just biscuits, but also jerky, cakes (yes, really!), and other delectable goodies. You can use a variety of flavors such as chicken, cheese, beef, peanut butter, liver, bacon, and others too. If you're not up to making the treats yourself, there are stores (and even specialized bakeries for dogs!) that sell homemade snacks for your dog. So even if you don't have any extra time for baking, your dog can still enjoy his gourmet treats!
RECIPES / MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DOG TREATS: