Making Homemade Dog Treats

What makes making homemade dog treats so inexpensive is that you can use leftover ingredients and a small amount of food can go a long way.

Not only that, but a treat is supposed to be something extra. Since most dogs weigh less than humans, only a little bit of food is needed to qualify as a treat. (If your dog is gaining weight or ends up with flatulence, check how many treats your dog is getting from everyone in the family and determine whether your dog needs fewer treats, less food, more exercise or a combination.)

The type of foods you use in making homemade dog treats will depend on several things:

What foods can your dog tolerate?
What do you have on hand?
What types of foods does your dog prefer?
How much time do you have?
Do you want to bake or cook or not?
Do you plan to feed them to your dog or give them as a gift?

The variety of choices is wide so you are sure to be able to make treats that fit your particular circumstances. You control the ingredients, so you can feed your dog all organic or at least know exactly what nutrients your dog is getting.

Some of the possibilities for making homemade dog treats include baked items in the form of homemade dog biscuits or a casserole that is then divided into small portions. Biscuits and casserole helpings can often be frozen. Sometimes dogs even enjoy these items in their icy state since they are crunchy and bring cool relief on hot days!

Speaking of cooling a dog down, consider freezing chicken, beef or vegetable stock in ice cube trays, then feeding one to your dog at intervals throughout a broiling day. Just remember to minimize salt, leave out onion powder, and use other spices to flavor them. (Make sure your dog does not choke - if an ice cube is too big, simply smash it up into smaller bits inside a plastic bag before feeding it to your pooch.)

Another idea for making homemade dog treats is to make smoothies. If you're making yourself a yogurt-and-fruit concoction, why not give a small amount to your dog? Most dogs I know think that the foods a person eats are special, and they usually want some too.

Vegetable purees are a different type of smoothie - creamed spinach, cooked and mashed yams or potatoes, carrot-and-potato or carrot-and-broccoli mash are all things that could be cooked for dinner with a smidgen set aside as a dog treat - or given while you're cooking.

Some ideas for making homemade dog treats that don't require baking include canapés made from crackers or pieces of bread. So many things can be added as toppings, such as different types of cheeses, peanut and other nut butters, fruit and vegetable purees, plain butter, meat or fish, fruit and more. You may want to divide a cracker up into small bit and just swipe it into a dip as a treat for a small dog. We suggest avoiding items with added salt or sugar.

Chunks of vegetables and slices of fruit can be used in place of crackers or bread, with all sorts of toppings added. Celery, carrots and pieces of peeled broccoli stalk are good with peanut butter and cottage or cream cheese.

Of course, you're not limited to these ideas for making homemade dog treats. Be as creative as your dog will let you, remembering to avoid foods that are considered toxic, dangerous or unhealthy for dogs. For more information on those, see the link below.