By Debbie Lister
Sometimes you have time on your hands and you want to do something for your dogs. How about making your very own training treats? It is easier than you think. If you haven’t got any silicon moulds already, you can use baking trays and just cut the finished article up to the desired sizes when finished cooking…… but for an initial outlay of purchasing some moulds, they’ll save you time after baking and end up saving money in the long run.
If you search on Amazon for ‘silicon dog treat moulds’, or a variation there of, you’ll find absolutely loads to choose from. Personally, I started my dog-treat baking using good ol’ Pyramid Pans and progressed from them.
Black Pudding Treats
(Black pudding is a great source of protein as well as containing zinc, iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium – minerals to help regulate organ function
What you’ll need:
- Approx 200g of black pudding
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbls oatmeal (I didn’t have any so I just zapped porridge oats in the food processor)
- A blob of honey
- Vegetable Oil
How to make
- Set your oven to 180oC (Gas Mark 4)
- Blitz all the ingredients (except the veg oil) in a blender or food processor
- Add veg oil in order to make batter ‘pourable’. (I like a mixture between pancake and cake).
- Spread it over the mould(s). (You can spread it into a baking tray and then cut into your chosen size when cooled)
- Bake until crispy. (Mine normally take between 15-20 mins but it can vary).
If you don’t need the treats now, you can freeze them and defrost at a later date.
Liver Cake
All the benefits of your dog eating liver is described on the DogsNaturallyMagazine website HERE
What you’ll need:
- 500g of liver (a variety will allow for a wider range of health benefits)
- 500g flour (can use Plain white, Buckwheat, Wholemeal, Almond – descriptions of which can be found: Types of Flour (masterclass.com)
- 2 eggs
- 2 cloves of garlic (controversially garlic, in small amounts is OK. It contains allicin, good for cardiovascular health). If in any doubt, a good source of info is The Forever Dog by Rodney Habib and Dr Karen Becker.
- 3 tbls oil
- Milk to mix
- ‘Safe for dogs’ herbs are an optional extra. Again The Forever Dog describes healthy herbs (ie: parsley, coriander, oregano. Basil, to name a few. DO NOT add chives or nutmeg)
How to make
- Set oven to medium (180 – 190o or Gas Mark 4/5)
- Blitz the liver (I use food processor)
- Add the flour, garlic, eggs and oil. Mix it up. Add the milk and mix til it’s like a thick batter.
- Add optional herb
- Pour into oiled baking tray(s) – (or greaseproof paper) and bake until cooked. (Varies depending on how thick you’ve spread it in tray)
- Cool and cut into small bits. (You can use it now in the cooked, soft state or cut it into smaller pieces and carry on baking until it resembles hard kibble)
Spinach Biscuits / Treats
We all know how healthy spinach is for us humans – same goes for our dogs. It has anti-inflammatory properties and it contains Vitamins A, B, C and K as well as iron, beta-carotene and basically mega-packed with nutrients.
What you’ll need:
- 200g spinach
- Water
- 1 Egg
- 200g flour
How to make
- Set oven to (180oC or Gas Mark 4/5)
- Blitz spinach in a blender/food processor and transfer to a large bowl
- Add egg and a small amount of water and mix
- Add the flour to the mixture and gradually bit-by-bit pour a little water and combine until you have a doughy consistency *
- Take out dough and on a floured surface knead and roll out until 1/4 inch thick
- Use biscuit cutters to make your biscuits and place on a lined baking tray
- Bake in the oven for around 25 mins
*You can also make the mixture a little sloppier and cook in silicon moulds like the previous recipes.
I found these 3 are really easy to start a treat-making journey…… and there are loads of others out there on the internet etc
I have been making treats for our 4 for quite a while now and have many recipes to choose from. If the SeBPRA team are content for me to do so, I’ll try and get other blogs written up as the year progresses.
Happy Baking!!!!!