How to Make Dog Treats at Home That Don't Include Whole-Wheat Flour

When your dog develops allergies or sensitivities to whole-wheat products, your vet will advise you to exclude whole-wheat from his diet. When you make specialty treats at home, you have the peace of mind of certainty your dog won’t be eating whole-wheat flour. You control the ingredients and you can adjust what goes into the treats to suit your pup’s tastes or needs. Making homemade dog treats without whole-wheat is easier than you might think.

Oats are a healthy alternative to whole-wheat flour. This simple recipe for peanut butter oat balls doesn’t require any cooking and only uses four ingredients. In a large bowl, put ½ cup low fat milk, 1 cup peanut butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Add 3 cups uncooked oats, ½ cup at a time, while you mash the dough together. Moisten your hands with water prevent the dough from sticking to you and roll the balls in your palms to form dough into 1-inch or smaller balls. Set the balls on a parchment paper lined sheet cake pan and refrigerate for at least an hour. These yummy peanut butter oat balls can be refrigerated for up to three weeks.

The pumpkin and baby rice cereal in these pumpkin cookies are easily-digested and help with dogs that have sensitive stomachs. They can be made larger, but the smaller size is perfect for training. In a large bowl, place one 15-ounce can of pure mashed pumpkin, 3/4 cup dry baby rice cereal and ½ cup powdered goat’s milk. Mix the ingredients well and put the mixture in a pastry bag. Squeeze nickel-sized drops on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Use an open star tip on the pastry bag if you want to make fancy treats or use a writing tip to make discs.

Rye flour is seldom used in commercial dog food, so it is unlikely that your dog will have developed an allergy to it. You can substitute rye flour in equal measures for most treat recipes calling for whole-wheat flour. For this cheese twist treat, mix together 1 ½ cups rye flour, 1 ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese and ¼ cup olive oil in a medium bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, stirring as you add it. Form the dough into a ball and place on a pastry cloth dusted with rye flour. Roll the dough out to ¼ to ½ inch thick and cut into strips. Twist the strips before placing them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. You can add extra sprinkles of cheddar cheese on top of the twists if you want them to look fancier.

Frozen treats are another way to avoid making treats with whole-wheat flour. Your pup will appreciate a cold treat on a hot day and the Greek yogurt is good for her digestive system. These pupsicles are quick and easy to make. Put 16 ounces of Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon raw honey and a very ripe banana in a blender. Blend until all the ingredients are mixed. Scoop the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze.