Healthy Homemade Dog Treats

Summary

• Why Add Fresh Ingredients to Your Dog’s Diet
• How About Homemade Treats
• Three recipes to Try
  • Meat and Sweet Potato Stuffed Apple
  • Fun with Squeeze Tubes
  • Amazing Liver Treats

Today’s post will focus on introducing you to the idea of adding some variety into your dog’s daily diet whether in the form of training treats, variety in the food used to grow calmness, or by adding interest to your dog’s meal.

Why Add Fresh Ingredients to Your Dog’s Diet

Whether you make your own treats, or just add some fresh food into your dog’s daily diet:

• Your dog will appreciate the new flavours which will make their mealtime more interesting and enjoyable
• You will appreciate the increase in nutritional value

Adding fresh food is one of the best ways to improve the quality of whatever diet you feed your dog, and the introduction of variety is always better than feeding the same thing.

How About Homemade Treats

When it comes to treats, making your own is both easy and affordable.  Store bought treats might be convenient, but they are expensive, often have sugar as a top ingredient, and may be made in China. 

If you want to ensure that your dog gets the best food you can afford, how about some easy to make, tasty, healthy, wholesome, and nutritious (!) homemade options.

When you make your own treats, not only will you save money, but you can control the ingredients, adjust for any allergies, and modify based on what you have in the house.

Best of all, your dog will find them irresistible! 

Three Recipes to Try

1) Meat and Sweet Potato Stuffed Apple

If you don’t want to give your dog a whole apple, you can chop up the apple and stuff the ingredients into a Kong.  You can also mix the ingredients together and spread them on a lickmat.  Both are tasty ways to enhance your dog’s mealtime or calmness time.

• Apple – core removed
• Sweet potato cooked and mashed
• Raw or cooked meat
• 1 tsp Golden Paste
• Bone broth
• Carrot sticks
• Mint
• Parsley

Make sure all the seeds and core are removed from the apples.  Mix the ingredients together except for the carrot sticks.  Stuff the mixture into the apples.  Insert a carrot stick in the top.  Wrap up and freeze for your dog to enjoy later.

2) Fun with Squeeze Tubes

For those of you with small dogs, dogs needing to lose weight, or if you just want to add variety to your reinforcement options, you can use squeeze tubes filled with yummy ingredients.

There are a variety of different squeeze tubes available but my favourite is the Coghlan’s squeeze tubes because they are easy to fill and easy to clean.  You can buy these online (of course!) or at any store that sells camping supplies.

The following will give you ideas for creating a great squeeze tube filling. 

Using a combination of:

• Raw or cooked meat
• Plain cream cheese
• Cooked pumpkin, mashed banana, or peanut butter (xylitol free)
• Eggs, yoghurt, or kefir
• Apple
• Coconut oil, herbs, greens, or supplements

Blend or mix your chosen ingredients together in a bowl, food processor or blender

Fill your squeeze tube.You want to adjust the consistency so that the contents can be easily squeeze out of the tube.  You don’t want it to be too runny or too thick.  Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears……you want it to be ‘just right’!

Serve immediately, chill in the fridge, and freeze any excess to use later!

Watch this video to see how I use a squeeze tube to reinforce Piper while I brush poplar seeds from her coat.

3) Amazing Liver Treats

I made this recipe for Piper, and it received her stamp of approval!

• 400 g liver
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, +diced & cooked
• Broccoli
• Handful of blueberries
• 2 cup oat flour
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C).  Dice and cook the mushroom in olive oil.  Mix all wet ingredients in food processor or blender.  Add flour and mix together.

Adjust consistency by adding liquid or flour. Texture should be between pancake mix and cake mix

Spread in silicon molds (mini-ice cube/pyramid pan etc.) or cook it like a pancake.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes (keep an eye on them!)

Treats are ready when they puff out of the top of the molds.

Pop out of molds and let cool.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

Conclusion

Adding fresh food to your dog’s diet is a win for both you and your dog.  The addition of variety to your dog’s diet will increase interest in their food, add a nutritional boost, and homemade treats will save you money.

References:

Great Treat Ideas   (scroll to the bottom to request my ebook)

The AMAZING Dog Treat Recipe by Devon Dogs

The Secret to Filling a Food Tube by Eileen Anderson

Additional Resources:

Dog Aware has great information on how to augment a commercial (kibble) diet. 

Recipe Maker:  Even if you don't feed a raw diet, this tool gives you a nice visual for what type of food is good for your dog and what to stay away from.  The raw food portions can easily be served cooked.

Sexier Than a Squirrel Podcast:  Help My Dog Just Isn’t Food Motivated

Sexier Than a Squirrel Podcast:  Creating Food Drive in Your Dog

Help! My Dog Podcast:  My Dog’s Not Foodie Episode 8

To learn more from Proud of My Dog, check out our Upcoming Classes webpage for dates and times of scheduled classes.