Homemade Dog Treats

Right before I got my puppy 2 years ago, I tried to read every puppy book I can get my hands on, so I could be better prepared when she got here. I felt like we were less prepared when we got our first dog 20 years ago (he died 7 years ago). He just showed up in our lives one day. He followed my brothers all the way home, and we were never able to find the owners. If you ask my mom today, she'd say he was sent from God. He was perfect, he loved our family, and we loved him.

Right before I got my puppy, I wanted to be better prepared for everything. I started looking into what types of foods I'd like to feed her, and after checking some of the labels on the dog food and treats some of the ingredients were a little worrying. They weren't simple ingredients, there was glycerin. Which is derived from SOAP making. Soap?! There's also Phosphoric acid, which you can use to remove rust. Yes. RUST. 

So, it got me thinking, why couldn't I just make my own dog treats? It's probably cheaper, maybe even a little healthier for my puppy, and it doesn't take much time. Why would I feed my dog chemicals I wouldn't eat? 

Since I don't have a puppy yet, I was able to test try these on some of my brother's dogs! One of them has a puppy 4 weeks older then the one I'm getting, and the other one is a full grown dog. They went crazy over these! I wish I could have taken a video of Pearl (the dog below) and how excited she was over this treat. She could hardly hold still for the picture!

Homemade Dog Treats
Makes about 50

1/3 cup Organic Pumpkin Puree
1/3 cup Organic Peanut Butter
1 small Organic Banana, mushed
2/3 cup Coconut Flour (you may need more)
1 Tbls. Organic Coconut Oil
1 1/3 cup Chicken Broth (I used homemade broth we had on hand)
1 cup Organic Rolled Oats

Mix all ingredients (I used a cuisinart to get it smooth) and roll out onto a floured surface (I used more coconut flour here). With a biscuit cutter (your choice on size, I wish I had cut them smaller) cut dough and place on a sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and let your dog enjoy a treat! :) 

Since these have nothing crazy in them, you COULD eat them yourself, but it's not suggested. 

As for the smell of these things when you're cooking them, they smell like peanut butter cookies, with a hint of chicken broth. It's not a horrible smell at all.

And last, the texture. The texture is the same texture as a cookie you'd make yourself. I baked them a little longer to harden them a little, but it's nice to be able to break the pieces apart.

The great thing about these, you don't feel like you immediately have to go wash your hands after touching the treats. I always feel like that after touching dog food.