Scott Haiduc is the Director of Publishing for iHeartDogs, iHeartCats and The Hero Company. When not working, Scott spends his time on the farm, taking care of his animals and crops.Read more
With the recent recalls on dog food and treats, many pet owners are thinking it might be safer to just make their own. It can also save you money and for dogs with allergies, it can be easier than trying to find a commercial treat. But, if you are not a natural chef for a dog nutritionist, you may feel unsure about what ingredients to use or how to bake something for your pet. Here are some simple tips to help you get started, along with resources that will help you bake for your best friend.
Drying
By far the easiest way to create healthy treats and snacks for your dog is by drying fruits and vegetables. You do not even have to turn the oven on (unless you want to pasteurize for longer storage time). Check out the Seasonal Chef for an easy step by step on how to dry fruit.
For your dog, some of the best fruits and veggies to dry are:
Apples
Banana
Blueberries
Carrots
Green Beans
Sweet Potato
Jerky is easy and inexpensive to make
Dehydrator
After you have played around with drying some fruits and veggies, take it a step further and invest in a dehydrator. They can be quite inexpensive, and you can also make snacks for yourself. All the fruits and veggies listed above can be dehydrated, as well as meat and poultry for jerkies. The nice thing about these treats is it makes carrying pure meat easy. Freeze dried treats crumble and cooked meat does not last long, plus its gross in the pocket. Jerky, on the other hand, lasts a long time and is easy to stuff in your bait pouch or jeans. Just follow the directions that came with your dehydrator for making human jerky, leaving out any flavorings (garlic, onion, etc) that are harmful for dogs and do not add more than a pinch of salt.
Some good meat choices:
Chicken
Turkey
Beef
Lamb
Baking
Now that you are a gourmet doggy chef, it’s time to fire up that oven! The skies the limit when it comes to baking dog treats. From pupcakes to dog biscuits, you can make just about anything for your dog in the oven. If you want to make jerky but don’t want to buy a dehydrator, try this recipe for baked jerky. With the recent popularity in baking for our pets, there are a lot of resources that can help you, including printed cookbooks and online recipes from human baking sites such as Food.com and Allrecipes.com. Another favorite is the Dog Treat Kitchen, where you make your own from their amazing selection of recipes.
Create Your Own Recipe
Now that you have tried other people’s recipes, it’s time to experiment on your own and create some custom creations. But, what ingredients to use? We all know chocolate is bad for dogs and that they shouldn’t have a lot of real sugar or any artificial sweeteners. But knowing what is a safe ingredient to use while creating treats can be difficult. Here are several resources for learning what you can and cannot add to your dog’s snacks.
Check out these resources, find your own, and have fun baking something special for your dog. Just be prepared to share with your friends!
About the Author
Based in Tustin, Calif., animal lover Kristina N. Lotz is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and works as a full time trainer. She also owns her own custom pet products company, A Fairytail House, where she makes personalized collars, leashes, beds, keepsake pillows and blankets, and anything else your imagine can think up. In her spare time, she trains and competes in herding, agility, obedience, rally, and conformation with her Shetland Sheepdogs.
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