How to make Homemade Dog Treats - Free All Natural Recipe!

First you need to know what type of treats you will be creating and keep in mind you are only limited by your imagination. There are frozen treats, birthday 'cakes', breads, cookies and more. However for the most part making your own dog treats will be no more complex than baking a batch of cookies.

Decide what type of treat you want to create and find a reputable recipe. What is a reputable recipe? A recipe created by someone who is knowledgeable about foods that are toxic to dogs.

Research your ingredients to ensure that you are not unknowingly feeding your pet something harmful.

Collect tools you will need: Cookbooks written specifically with canine health in mind, decorative cutters or molds, and all your ingredients.

Combine the ingredients together and follow the preparation instructions.

Serve! It's that easy! If I can make dog treats from scratch then anyone can!

Hmmm ... seems like a lot of work - were does the money saving come in? I have found that a few cups of flour and a mini cookie cutter can yield over 200 biscuits. This saves me money, cuts back treat portions to an appropriate size for my pup (a huge cookie every time they make good outside isn't necessary) and eases my mind - I know that the treats are completely nutritious. This means one batch can last a few months. Pour those treats into an air tight container and you're good for a while :)

So you need more ideas, more instructions ... and pictures? These are the two favorite fido cookbooks in my kitchen. See my notes for each book below.

Three Dog Bakery Cookbook:
Over 50 Recipes for All-Natural Treats for Your Dog

This book is packed with six chapters covering tasty appetizers, entrees, sweet treats, savory snacks and special goodies for holidays and celebrations. Everything from "Woof Woof Waffles" to "Poodle Noodles". This is a great overall cookbook to get you started baking for your pooch. **Some recipes include raisins, please omit the raisins from the recipes.** Other than that I give this book 5 stars.

The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook:
Over 100 "Tail Wagging" Recipes

Over 100 recipes. WOW. Written by a vegetarian couple who was researching the best diet for their dogs. All the recipes in this book feature organic ingredients and are free of wheat, corn and soy. (Common food allergies in dogs.) Excellent healthy recipes - with adorable names :) This is a great book to get your pup in tip top health.

All right, be honest - who doesn't hate fleas? We all do! And in my house this recipe is a favorite, originally hailing from the Martha Stewart archives, I've altered it to make it more awesome (Martha had originally included garlic in her version which can be toxic to dogs.) This recipe is simple and has the added bonus of brewers yeast which is a natural remedy for fleas. (You can also break up brewer's yeast tablets in with their food if that's more up your alley.) So from my kitchen to yours here is a great starter recipe:

Lewis Labs
Brewer's Yeast, 32 oz

Brewer's Yeast Anti-Flea Biscuits
Makes about 5 dozen biscuits
1 cup flour (oat flour or brown rice flour is best)
1/4 cup wheat germ (available at health-food stores)
1/4 cup brewer's yeast (available at health-food stores)
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup un-sweetened natural apple juice
(plus 3 tablespoons for basting)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Mix flour, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, and salt together in a medium bowl. Place oil in a mixing bowl. Alternately add 1/2 cup vegetable stock and flour mixture in 3 parts; mix until well combined. Knead about 2 minutes by hand on floured surface; dough will be sticky.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out about 3/8 inch thick. Cut out bone shapes (or whatever cutter shapes you choose to use); place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, rotate baking sheet, and baste with remaining 3 tablespoons vegetable stock. Bake 10 minutes longer. (Important: After turning off oven, leave biscuits in the oven overnight or for an 8-hour period so they become hard and crunchy.)

3. Place biscuits in tin for storage. Or for gifts divide the treats into sheets of colored saran wrap and close with a decorative ribbon :)

Want to remember this recipe? Bookmark this page:

This group of supplies is sure to get you on the right track ... Find yourself enjoying baking all these natural homemade dog treats? Maybe you found a niche for a new business!

Try your hand at packing your new treats and gifting them to dog lovers you know. This is a great way to test your market. Stop by local local shops to see if they would like to carry your products - the sky is the limit and you never know where you can go!

P.S: Don't forget a decorative tin to place your creations in when your done baking so you can proudly display your hard work :)

Pinzon Apple Peeler, Corer, and Slicer

This little gadget really is awesome. Peels, cores and slices an apple for you in no time. I use this whenever I am making a treat for my dog with apples. I also use it for potatoes (cooking for my family not for my dog :) Just remove the "corer" feature and you'll have your potato dish done in no time.

Dog Bone Cookie Cutters Set of 7

These "Cookie" cutters are adorable and there is a variety of shapes in this blend. Bone shapes, fire hydrants, paws and more!

Oxo Good Grips Cookie Scoop

Great tool if you don't want to roll out dough and cut cute shapes. Maybe you want to do drop biscuits like in the video - this is perfect cookie size and you'll be using it for more than your doggie dough :) A real multi purpose tool.

Snapware Treat Jar for Dogs and Cats

I thought these were adorable - when you put all that effort into baking you want something that will display the treats well :) The see through jar allows the cookies to peak through and keeps them fresh in an air tight seal.

If you love to cook chances are you have created a few meals on the fly, tossing in ingredients or spices as inspiration enlightens in the moment. Which can be great when creating a healthy family dish ... and also can be potentially harmful if creating a meal for your pup. There are many common groceries that affect canines very differently than you and me.

For instance I mentioned onions and garlic in the above recipe and while these ingredients have many health benefits for humans they have the reverse effect on Rover. Onions and Garlic contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions. So skip the extra italian seasoning when preparing Fido's dinner. According to Drs. Foster & Smith of Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department Inc., below is a basic list of foods to avoid when creating doggie delectables:

Foods to Avoid:

Intentionally or unintentionally these foods should never be fed to dogs. Some of these will seem obvious, however, even if they are not on your recipe list but are in your possession, make sure they are 100% out of your canine's reach. If your pet does have digestion problems there are specific medicines to help.

Click images above for further information

Alcoholic beverages: Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.

Baby Food: Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. (Please see onion below.) Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.

Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources: Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.

Cat food: Generally too high in protein and fats.

Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine: Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous systems.

Citrus oil extracts: Can cause vomiting.

Fat trimmings: Can cause pancreatitis.

Grapes and raisins: Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated with grape seed extract.

Hops: Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.

Human vitamin supplements containing iron: Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys. If you want to give your dog vitamins, I commend you! But ensure that the vitamins you are giving are created for dogs.

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Large amounts of liver: Can cause Vitamin A toxicity, which affects muscles and bones.

Macadamia nuts: Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.

Marijuana: Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.

Milk and other dairy products: Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.

Moldy or spoiled food, garbage: Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.

Mushrooms: Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.

Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder): Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.

Persimmons: Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.

Pits from peaches and plums: Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.

Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves; potato and tomato stems: Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. This is more of a problem in livestock. However - this means no more potato chips or french fries!

Raw eggs: Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.

Raw fish: Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly.

Salt: If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.

String: Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."

Sugary foods: Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.

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Table scraps (in large amounts): Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.

Tobacco: Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.

Yeast dough: Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.

For more information: This page is completely devoted to Pet Health Education. This is a useful article about Homemade dog food dangers, and be sure to see my tips for How to bond with your significant other's pet. Cheers!