Homemade Dog Treats
If you’re puppies are anything like mine, you probably go through a ton of dog treats. Of course, you want to treat your best friend in moderation, but there’s the dog treat for good behavior, the dog treat for correcting bad behavior, the dog treat at the end of a walk, the dog treat for bedtime and the dog treat for just being so darn cute and lovable. That can start to add up!
Ingredients In Homemade Dog Treats
Whenever you make your own homemade treats for dogs, it’s super important to know what ingredients are safe for your dogs. You can see a great list of what not to feed your dog here. When I started thinking about making dog treats for my sweet Hazel and Loulou, I started with carrots. My girls love carrots because it is really the only human food treat they get with any regularity. One of my favorite things to do is to pull two carrots from my garden, bang off all the dirt (they aren’t that picky!) and watch them run across the yard with it, carrot greens flowing out of one side of their mouth, until they find a good spot to lie down and enjoy it. Carrots are low in calories, but high in fiber and vitamins. The additional bonus of carrots is the crunch – fun to eat and good for their teeth. So, I decided that a slice of carrot would be the secret surprise inside this puppy treat.
Can Dogs Eat Peanut Butter?
Another ingredient that Hazel and Loulou love is peanut butter. On special occasions, I stuff peanut butter into their Kongs® to keep them busy for a while. This doesn’t happen every day, however, so it keeps peanut butter in the ‘special reward’ category, and it’s nice to have a special ingredient in a treat. Peanut butter is a great source of protein and healthy fat. It also has vitamins B and E as well as niacin, but it is very important to buy the right peanut butter for your dogs. Buy a brand that is all-natural and has no other ingredients other than peanuts – NO xylitol, no sugar or sugar substitute, and ideally no sodium.
Rolled oats are another good choice for dogs. They are also low in calories, can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure and are really good for the immune system.
Apple and wheat bran are the last two ingredients in these puppy treats. Both are great sources of fiber which helps with colon health and weight management. Apples have the added benefit of vitamins A and D as well, but make sure you use an applesauce that is unsweetened, with no added sugar.
All these ingredients are great ingredients to serve to your pup, but what makes these treats special is the fact that dogs go crazy for them (in other words, they sit very nicely waiting for them). These no-bake peanut butter oatmeal puppy treats are Hazel and Loulou approved, so they are sure to please your pup!
Thanks for this great pup treat recipe, Meredith. Our two dogs, Fritz and Lily love them and always want more!
Thanks for the recipe the saints absolutely love them!
Made the puppy poppers today. My husband’s service dog liberty loves them. Great recipe. About to try some more of the recipes.
What could I use in place of wheat bran?
Hi Carol. You could try oat bran instead of wheat bran.
My attempt came out mushy and sticky. Then I rolled each treat in bran which helped the stickiness. Then I baked them at 350 for 8 minutes. Still quite soft but firmer.
Some natural peanut butter is thinner than others which could have made it more sticky. You can add more oatmeal to tighten it up. The treats will also become more firm when refrigerated.
These were so easy. My two goldens Becca & Riley loved them. I made 4 batches so we should have enough for tomorrow. (Just kidding) If they could get them out of the refrigerator themselves They would. At first Becca spit out the carrot but she quickly got the hang of it.
I think I might shred the carrots before I put them in the recipe. My dogs love them although 1 spits out the carrot.
haha! 😊 My pups love the carrots, but finely shredding some carrots in the mix is a great way to go.
My kids and I made this for our dog Dunkin. We enjoyed them as well! Made enough to share with the neighborhood dogs as well. Easy and fun!
Could put sliced apple in them instead of carrot. Or some of both.
Sure, you could definitely put apples and/or carrots in the middle of the treats. Just be sure to store them in the refrigerator.
Lisa
-BJC Team Member
I love all your pup recipes. My Lily is allergic to chicken. It nearly impossible to find treats without some form of chicken in them. Her favorite is sweet potato and apple.
These were so easy to make . I added some cinnamon, left out the carrots , added small amount of dried cranberries , which i did research and it is safe .
I ended up grating the carrot and mixing throughout so there isn’t a big chunk right in the middle. Worked much better!
our dogs arent allowed with peanut butter,is it ok to not add peanut butter? and also
our dogs dont like apples is it ok nit to add those ingredients?
The peanut butter and the applesauce are what bind these treats together. If you use all-natural peanut butter that does not contain xylitol, sugar, or salt it is safe for dogs. Or you could try cashew butter or almond butter. These treats don’t have a strong apple flavor so even if your pups don’t like apples they would probably still like the treats. You could omit the applesauce and just add a little extra nut butter if you like.
Our Jack is 1yr.old pug.I have been making something very similar to your peanut butter treats .I added some things to the recipe a little honey and touch of cinnamon what I started when he was chewing my house up I froze them .Not only does he love them still ,I can make bunch at once freeze them and have them on hand !
Oh, dear! I have been making this wrong for years! I put a 1-inch piece of crispy bacon in the middle!! Switching to carrots today.
I thought that uncooked oats were not good for puppies and dogs
This recipe uses quick cooking oats, which are already partially cooked. Raw oats are safe for dogs but they can be harder for some pups to digest, and should be consumed in small quantities. Since these are treats with only a little oatmeal in each one, a small amount of oats are consumed at one time. Each dog and breed is different so it is always best to consult your veterinarian.
I made these for my 9 1/2 pound Chihuahua mix and used your idea to slice baby carrots for the crunchy middle. He licked all the outside goodies off and left the carrot slices in a row across the floor. Turns out, the work well as little balls just the same. 😂 That does require the freezing option, though.
By the way, they are quite tasty, Of COURSE I tried them…