There are a number of reasons to make dog treats yourself at home. You control the quality of the ingredients, there are no preservatives and you are able adjust for your pet’s taste preferences, size and health issues. Experiment by switching out ingredients to change the flavor and see which combination is your dog’s favorite. These tasty treats are easy to make and will keep your pup coming back for more.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together 2 cups of oat flour and the baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
Drain the liquid from the canned salmon and measure out 1/2 cup. Set aside.
Put the canola oil and egg in a medium bowl and mix well with a stick blender.
Add the salmon, carrot, celery and brown rice to the raw egg and oil mixture in the medium bowl and blend well. Transfer the mixture to the large bowl.
Stir the oat flour and baking powder mixture into the salmon, carrot, celery, brown rice, egg and oil mixture.
When the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are well-mixed, sprinkle in the remaining cup of oat flour a little at a time. Stir after each addition of flour until the mixture turns into a stiff dough. The amount of flour you use depends on how moist the salmon, carrots and rice are.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface or pastry cloth and roll until it's 3/8 inch thick. Use the knife to cut desired shapes or use dog cookie cutters to make shapes.
Place the shapes on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Tips
Use dog cookie cutters made out of copper if you are going to make bone-shaped treats. They are more sturdy than the thin metal cutters. Take the bits of dough left over after using the cookie cutter and re-roll it to make more treats. Leave the treats in the oven for a couple hours after the oven has been turned off. This ensures that the treats are completely dry and crunchy. Store treats in an air-tight storage bag or container for up to two months. If you don’t have oat flour, you can substitute the same amount of whole wheat flour, rye flour, spelt or any other type of flour. You can use a hand mixer or blender if you don’t have a stick blender.
Warnings
Let the treats cool completely before serving to your dog so he doesn't burn his mouth.
Warnings
Let the treats cool completely before serving to your dog so he doesn't burn his mouth.
Tips
Use dog cookie cutters made out of copper if you are going to make bone-shaped treats. They are more sturdy than the thin metal cutters.
Take the bits of dough left over after using the cookie cutter and re-roll it to make more treats. Leave the treats in the oven for a couple hours after the oven has been turned off. This ensures that the treats are completely dry and crunchy. Store treats in an air-tight storage bag or container for up to two months. If you don’t have oat flour, you can substitute the same amount of whole wheat flour, rye flour, spelt or any other type of flour. You can use a hand mixer or blender if you don’t have a stick blender.
Items You Will Need
- Oven
- Stick blender
- 2 medium bowls
- Large bowl
- Flour sifter
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Rolling pin
- Large spoon
- Small knife
- Cookie sheet
- Pastry cloth (optional)
- Rolling pin cover (optional)
- Dog cookie cutters (optional)
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup finely diced cooked carrots
- 1/4 cup finely diced cooked celery
- 1/2 cup canned salmon
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- Egg
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup oat flour
Resources
Tips
- Use dog cookie cutters made out of copper if you are going to make bone-shaped treats. They are more sturdy than the thin metal cutters.
- Take the bits of dough left over after using the cookie cutter and re-roll it to make more treats. Leave the treats in the oven for a couple hours after the oven has been turned off. This ensures that the treats are completely dry and crunchy. Store treats in an air-tight storage bag or container for up to two months. If you don’t have oat flour, you can substitute the same amount of whole wheat flour, rye flour, spelt or any other type of flour. You can use a hand mixer or blender if you don’t have a stick blender.
Warnings
- Let the treats cool completely before serving to your dog so he doesn't burn his mouth.
Writer Bio
Based in Las Vegas, Sandy Vigil has been a writer and educator since 1980. She taught high school and middle school English and drama for 11 years. Vigil holds a Master of Science in teaching from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Arts in secondary English education from the University of Central Oklahoma.