Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats With Oats & Oatmeal

Peanut butter and oats are both healthy for your pup. Use these two together to make homemade treats your pooch will love. Whether for training, for rewarding good behavior or for plain snackin', these treats provide a way for you to give your pet a treat without a concern it's bad for him.

Peanuts aren't nuts, they're a kind of legume. The spread made from peanuts makes a healthy snack for your pup because it contains healthy fats, protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber. These vitamins, like vitamin E and biotin, keep your pup's fur shiny and silky, and they boost his immune system, according to the VetInfo website. For Rover, make your pup's treats with plain, creamy organic peanut butter without added sugar or salt, both of which can be harmful to your pooch.

Oats, like peanut butter, are a people food staple you can safely feed your pooch. Oats contain lots of healthy ingredients. Cooked oats contain protein, fiber and antioxidants. They are packed with vitamins and minerals including phosphorus, zinc, iron and potassium, Modern Dog Magazine says. If your pup is having problems going potty, homemade oat-filled treats can give him the boost of fiber he may need. Always consult your vet when you think your pet might be suffering. Some oatmeal baked into treats may have a calming effect on your pooch's tummy if he experiences any digestive upset, according to PetStyle. Another benefit: Fiber from the oats keeps your pup fuller for a longer period of time, cutting off any cravings during the day, Oat fiber helps portly pooches with weight loss, too.

You don't have to be a culinary master to make doggy treats for your pup using peanut butter and plain oats. Skip cooking altogether and simply mix some cooked oatmeal with peanut butter in equal parts. Freeze it into some "pupsicles" by filling an ice cube tray with the mixture. Give your pup the cool treats on a warm summer day. Alternately, you can combine raw, rolled oats with peanut butter to create a dough and bake it into treat cookies for your canine companion. After making the dough, roll it in wax paper because it'll be a bit sticky to handle; sprinkle a little oat flour on it to help with stickiness. Cut off pieces of dough and bake them until crisp. You can mix any number of yummy additions to the peanut butter and oat combination before you bake it, as long as they're dog-safe. Mix in such healthy ingredients as bananas, apples, oat flour or ground flax seed to create a variety of doggy cookie flavors for your pup.

You can use cookie cutters to create interesting shapes from the dough, in which case you'll roll it flat rather than into a loaf. Store leftover treats in the refrigerator to maintain freshness in an airtight resealable bag. Use them within a couple of weeks. Feed them to your pup as a reward for good behavior or place them in his food dish for him to eat up. While these treats contain healthy ingredients for your pup, you don't want to feed him more than one to two a day to avoid filling him up on treats rather than his regular diet.