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Do you make your own dog treats? It may at first seem overindulgent to make treats for your dog. In reality, it’s so much less expensive and healthier to make them instead of buy the overpriced, non-nutritive snacks you find in the pet store aisles. Not convinced? You will be when you follow the recipes for any of these easy and tasty homemade dog treats!
I regularly make all of the treats my boy, Ozzie, munches on. For one thing, he’s got a very sensitive stomach so I have to be super-careful about what he eats, even his treats. I’ve also found that I can whip up a batch of treats with ingredients I mostly always have around the house. Sometimes I can make treats faster than I could run to the store and buy them!
Where Are The Dog Treats?
This morning, as Ozzie and I were heading out for our first walk of the day, we ran into a neighbor who was just returning home from walking her dog. She told me they had spotted a peacock wandering the streets! It’s not every day in suburban California that you see a peacock, so off we trotted in the direction she pointed.
Well, unfortunately, even though we saw plenty of interesting things on our walk, the peacock was nowhere to be found. I felt vaguely disappointed, but Ozzie honestly didn’t seem to care much. Just one more big bird (we regularly see geese, herons, gulls, crows) that flies too high for him to catch.
What was Ozzie disappointed about? No treats for his post-walk snack! The canister was empty! This was a major tragedy for him, because he always gets a treat or two after his walk. Ozzie likes his life to be consistent, so he just did not understand when I said the treats were gone.
“If you think dogs can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them.”
Phil Pastoret
Fortunately, I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand to whip up some new snacks pronto. And I can share with you that my dog loves me again.
I like to rotate between different recipes for treats. They all have a few things in common, however. Making the treats must be quick and easy. They must use very few ingredients. They’ve got to be healthy and easily digested, even for my pup with a sensitive stomach. Most important, Ozzie has got to really, really love the taste of them.
Because if they aren’t absolutely delicious, are they even a treat?
Recipes for Easy and Tasty Homemade Dog Treats
DISCLAIMER: Because every dog is unique, please consult your vet before introducing any new foods into his/her diet.
Crunchy Sweet Potato Dog Treats
The treats I make most often for Ozzie are these Sweet Potato Dog Chews. All you do is thinly slice a sweet potato or two and dehydrate them in the oven. Easy-peasy! The hardest part is just checking them every now and again to make sure they dry nice and evenly.
They are thin, crispy, crunchy, and apparently quite delicious. I make these at least once every two weeks. Did you know that sweet potatoes are good for dogs?
Spinach, Carrot and Zucchini Dog Treats
Ozzie’s second favorite treats are these Spinach, Carrot and Zucchini Treats from DamnDelicious.com. They have lots of veggie goodness, plus eggs for protein. I’ve thought about feeding them to my husband as cookies, but I guess the cute little bone shape would give it away. These are also easy to make, even including rolling and cutting them with a cookie cutter.
3-Ingredient Dog Treats
3-Ingredient Banana Oat Treats from Floraandvino.com go together in a flash – in about 1/2 hour, to be precise! We always seem to have bananas, rolled oats and peanut butter on hand, so I can make these any time (like I did this morning!!) The riper the banana, the better, so if you have any that are too mushy for humans, this is a great way to use them up and cut down on food waste. And again, that adorable bone shape just gets me!
“I see you have cheese. I, too, enjoy cheese.”
Every Dog Everywhere
Easy No-Bake Dog Treats
These are so quick to put together because there’s no baking involved! No-Bake Treats from ShowMeTheYummy.com are filled with all sorts of good, organic ingredients plus bacon! Everybody loves bacon, especially dogs!
These get rolled into a ball, which is also a big time-saver. I recommend you store these in the fridge or freezer, because they are unbaked.
Frozen Dog Treats
Yes, I live in California, but no, it’s not always hot here. Common misconception! I save these Blueberry Banana Frozen Treats from BruceBradley.com for the warmer weather, and give them to Ozzie outside when he needs a little frosty fun. Once again, they are quick to make (do you sense a theme here?). Simply puree 3 ingredients together and freeze them in individual servings.
Chicken and Biscuit Dog Treats
Were you wondering when I would share a dog treat recipe that actually has meat in it? Because of his sensitivities, we try to really watch Ozzie’s protein intake, so his treats don’t often include animal products (except eggs).
When we do give him the occasional meaty snack, it’s these 4-Ingredient Chicken and Biscuits Treats from TwoHealthyKitchens.com.
Peanut Butter Pupcakes
These take just a bit more effort than the other treats in this list. Are they not adorable?
This recipe for Peanut Butter Pupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting comes from PeelWithZeal.com, and they are great for a pup birthday, adoption day, or anytime you just want to create something wonderful for your favorite dog!
Tip: I like to use a mini-muffin pan for these. Even though Ozzie is a big dog, I prefer to give him smaller treats! Think about containers that will make the best size treat for your dog.
Read More About Simple Living with Dogs:
Final Thoughts on Easy and Tasty Homemade Dog Treats
I know there are a zillion brands of dog treats on the market. Some of them are very high-quality, but some are not. Most of them get to be very expensive, especially if you spoil your dog as much as we do!
Making your own dog treats can be fun, easy, and much more cost-effective than buying them from a store.
They can be an especially good option if your dog has a sensitive stomach, allergies, or other medical concerns.
And although your pup may not help with the preparation, he is sure to show you his appreciation of your efforts with extra wags and slobbery kisses!
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Since I am a new dog mom – I keep looking for ways to treat my little puppy who quickly became my new best friend (surprising me in the process, never thought I was a dog person) these banana peanut butter snacks sounds like a great way to do that – I am going to try theses since I always have ripe bananas at home. Thank you for sharing these Lori.
Enjoy your pooch and let me know how he likes the treats!