Dog treats and Snacks

Dog Treats and Snacks

Just as you enjoy an occasional snack between meals, so does your dog, and it's fun to indulge him with tasty treats. But more than fun, treats can serve a variety of practical purposes. For instance, dog training treats are used as inducements for your dog to learn desired behaviors, while some healthy dog treats can provide necessary vitamin supplementation, aid in keeping your dog's breath fresh or clean his teeth, and assist in feeding pills or medication.

As with dog foods, there are many commercial brands of dog treats, as well as recipes for making them yourself. Most of the major brands of dog foods also carry one or more dog treats varieties. In addition, some other brands of commercially prepared dog treats include:

- Greenies dog treats contain chlorophyll, the green substance in plants, which helps to sweeten your dog's breath while helping to satisfy his natural desire to chew.
- Bellyrubs natural dog treats come in several flavors and meet USDA requirements for organic foods.
- Pill Pockets are healthy treats with a patented pocket to safely conceal pills and capsules.
- Pepperdogz dog treats consist of raw frozen meaty bones from free range buffalo.
- Merrick natural dog treats include varieties made from beef tendons, pork snouts and natural bones, as well as more traditional jerky and biscuit styles.
- Zuke's dog treats have a number of delicious specialty treats, for training, supplementation, and performance enhancement.
- Lakse Kronch Salmon Treats are healthy dog treats made from all-natural ingredients with no artificial additives or preservatives.
- Paw-Risian Bistro gourmet dog treats include such delectables as "Parisian Lamb Delights," "Apple and Cheese Training Bits," "Tasty Cheese Quichettes," and "Savory Cheese and Mushroom Canapes."
- Old Dog Cookie Company makes dog cookies pet treats especially for arthritic and diabetic dogs.
- Bow Wow Dog Bakery is another company that specializes in all natural gourmet dog cookies, treats and biscuits.

As mentioned, there are many dog treats recipes for making your own homemade dog treats or homemade dog biscuits, many of which are freely available online. There are also books of recipes for home made dog treats included with dog food recipes. Here are a few samples of easy homemade dog treats recipes:

Beef Liver Dog Treats

Raw beef liver (1 container or approx 1 lb. with juice - put this through a food processor to make it easy to work with.)
2 eggs
1 tsp. garlic salt
3 cups oatmeal (1 minute oats)

Place first 3 ingredients in blender or food processor and mix well.

Pour into a large bowl. Add oats a cup at a time-stir carefully after each cup. Spread mixture onto a large (10"x15") greased cookie sheet with a rubber spatula or wet hands with water and spread. It should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, (low heat). Remove from oven, cut spread in half or fourths and loosen with a rigid spatula. Turn it over and bake another 15 minutes. Remove and cool (away from dogs of course). Break or cut into chunks and place into baggies. Can be frozen and used pieces at a time.

Katherine DeBarnes Favourite Biscuit "for the dog biscuit connoisseur"

6 cups rice flour
6¼ cups water
2.5 cups corn meal
2.5 cups oat meal
2 eggs
3 tbsp. ground cinnamon
3 tbsp. alfalfa powder
3 tbsp. kelp powder

In a mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then add the water and mix. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and make into a dough. Roll the dough and cut some biscuits. Place biscuits on a tray and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Rolling the dough on cornmeal or bulgur, which can also be sprinkled on the baking sheet will prevent sticking.

This is a hard biscuit to roll as brown rice has no gluten. As a result you may need some practice to make this biscuit, but on the other hand this biscuit is good for gluten intolerant dogs and because it will break easily, and this biscuit is excellent for training purposes.

Microwave Doggie Biscuits

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup dry milk
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup shortening
1 tablespoon bouillon
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup hot water

Combine flour, cornmeal, milk, oats, and sugar. Cut in shortening; add egg, bouillon and hot water. Knead 5 minutes and roll 1/2 inch thick and cut into favorite shapes. Microwave at 50% power for 5 to 10 minutes, rotating plate. Makes 5 1/2 small shapes.

Here is the popular Three Dog Bakery "4 ingredient peanut butter recipe" from when they were on the Food Network.

Dog Biscuits

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup skim milk

Cooking Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll out to 1/4-inch thick and cut out shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on a rack then store in an airtight container. Makes 30 large bones

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