How to Make Homemade Dog Treats (with Pictures) (2024)

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Co-authored bywikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 3, 2022References

Ingredients

1. 1

   Clear a spot on your counter or table. You will need a large, flat surface to work with later to knead and roll out your cookie dough. Clear the area, sanitize it with your favorite food-safe cleanser and clean cloth, and let the area dry.

2. 2

   Preheat your oven to 350 F (177 C). As it heats up, gather what you’ll need to make your cookies. Along with your ingredients, you’ll also need a:^[1]

   • Medium-sized mixing bowl
   • Wooden spoon or beaters
   • Baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
   • Bone-shaped cookie cutter (or any other shapes you desire)
   • Cooling rack
   • Rolling pin
3. 3

   Place the pumpkin and peanut butter in a bowl. Crack the eggs into the mixture and beat for one to two minutes until fully combined. It’s important to use sugar-free ingredients, because too much sugar in a dog’s diet can lead to the same health issues it would for a human, including obesity and diabetes.^[2] To add some different flavors into the cookies, you can:^[3]

   • Substitute sweet potato puree for some or all of the pumpkin.
   • Substitute a quarter of the pumpkin or sweet potato puree with apple sauce.
4. 4

   Gradually add the flour. Add one-half cup of flour at a time and mix to incorporate. When you have added 2 ½ cups of flour, only add more if the dough is still sticky. Add flour in one-quarter cup increments until the dough isn’t sticky.

   • For a dog with wheat sensitivities or allergies, try rice, chickpea, oat, quinoa, or amaranth flour. Avoid corn or soy flour, as many dogs cannot properly digest these ingredients either.^[4]
5. 5

   Flour your clean counter space. Sprinkle the flour on the table or countertop space that you cleared and sanitized earlier. Knead the dough for one to two minutes, until it comes together in a ball.

   See Also

   The Ultimate Guide to Making Homemade Dog Treats: Recipes, Tips, and T3 Ways to Make Dog TreatsHomemade Dog Treats: Recipes & Tips | Dutch11 Easy Homemade Dog Treats You Can Make In 15 Minutes Or Less

   • For an extra-special treat for Fido, dice up one-half cup of cooked bacon and knead it into the cookie dough.
6. 6

   Roll out your dough with the rolling pin. You want the dough to be one-quarter inch thick. Use a glass bottle, like an old wine bottle, if you don’t have a rolling pin. Flour the rolling pin if necessary.

7. 7

   Cut out your cookie shapes with your cookie cutter. Place the cookies on the baking sheet. When you run out of dough to punch cookies out of, collect the remaining dough, knead it back into a ball, and roll it out again so you can punch out more cookies. If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can:

   • Make regular cookies. Take tablespoon-sized balls of dough and flatten them into quarter-inch thick patties.
   • Mold shapes with your hands. For traditional bone-shaped cookies, roll a tablespoon-sized dough ball into a cylinder. Mold the ends of the cylinder so each end has two protruding ball joints. Flatten the bone so it's about one-quarter inch thick.
8. 8

   Make regular cookies from the remaining dough. When you don’t have enough dough left to punch out any more shapes, form tablespoon-sized balls of dough into patties.

9. 9

   Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When the edges of the cookies are golden brown, remove them from the oven. Place the cookies on a cooling rack and allow to cool before serving to your pup.

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1. 1

   Clean and sanitize a counter space.

2. 2

   Preheat your oven to 375 F (191 C). In the meantime, grab what you’ll need, including your ingredients, one medium mixing bowl, one small mixing bowl, a whisk and large spoon, a greased (or parchment lined) cookie sheet, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and a cooling rack.^[5]

3. 3

   Combine your dry ingredients. In the medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, and wheat germ. Use wheat flour or a wheat-free flour of your choice.

4. 4

   Combine your wet ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together the tomato paste, applesauce, and broth. You can also use chicken, turkey, or any other sodium-free broth.

   • Instead of tomato paste, you can use barbecue sauce, but make sure it's sugar-free, salt-free, and doesn’t have any spices that are unsafe for dogs (most spices should be avoided).
5. 5

   Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine, and continue stirring until the mixture forms into dough.

6. 6

   Flour your clean surface and roll out your dough. You want this dough to be a quarter- to half-inch thick. Cut out your cookies with the cookie cutter shapes of your choice and place them on your greased baking sheet. Re-roll your dough until you can't punch out any more cookies, and form the remaining dough into patties.

   • You can also form these cookies into patties, or mold them into bones or other shapes.
7. 7

   Bake for 35 minutes. When they are golden brown, remove them from the oven. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before serving.

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1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 400 F (204 C). Gather your ingredients, a greased (or parchment lined) baking sheet, a medium mixing bowl, and a large spoon.

2. 2

   Combine all your ingredients. In the bowl, mix the ground beef, cooked rice, carrot, celery, spinach, parsley, egg, and turmeric.^[6] Stir until all the ingredients are fully combined.

   • You can add two tablespoons of cheddar or Parmesan cheese, but be warned that milk products are not recommended for dogs because the lactose they contain can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and gas.
3. 3

   Form the mixture into balls. For a larger dog, this mixture should make about 10 meatballs. For a smaller dog, make about 15 smaller meatballs. Use your hands to form them into balls and place them on the baking sheet.

4. 4

   Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure they are cooked through. Allow to cool completely before serving.

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1. 1

   See Also

   20+ Homemade Dog Treat Recipes | Spoil Your Dog with Healthy Treats

   Cool your treats before storing. Sealing away warm food in a container will allow bacteria to flourish, and the condensation that will form can cause mold to grow.

2. 2

   Keep your treats in an air-tight container. Some of the best air-tight containers are ones with snapping or locking lids, or ones that are specifically designed to create a seal with the lid and the container. You can also use re-sealable plastic bags.

3. 3

   Refrigerate treats for a longer shelf life. The fridge will help preserve any treat for longer, but anything containing meat, meat juice, or dairy must be kept in the fridge. In an air-tight container, treats can last up to two months in the refrigerator.^[7]

4. 4

   Freeze treats for long-term storage. You can make larger batches of dog treats and store the majority in air-tight containers in the freezer for up to eight months!^[8] Be sure to thaw them before letting your pup chew on them

5. 5

   Keep your treats out of the light. Some treats can stay out on the counter for one to two weeks. Make sure they are kept out of the sun: store them somewhere cool, dark, and dry.^[9]

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