Edible Gift Recipe: Homemade Doggie Treats

While we're coming up with special treats for one another during the holidays, let's not forget our little four-legged friends. They aren't necessarily looking for the sweets that we indulge in this time of year. But their taste buds will thank you for this little bit of bacon-y goodness:

I had some bacon fat already on hand, and you might too. This is a great way to use it up, and it makes this quick and easy recipe just that much easier. This is a simple base, which stands alone or to which you can add your own flourishes based on your friend's tastes. Some ideas for easy add-ins: parsley (a natural breath freshener for us and for our dogs), natural peanut butter for a boost of protein, pureed spinach for a healthy kick, or even leftover pumpkin puree. Avoid chocolate and raisins, which - while used heavily in our own holiday treats - aren't good for pup.

I simply cut these into approximately 1x4" bars, but you can also use bone- or heart-shaped cookie cutters to shape this rolled dough.

Homemade Doggie Treats Makes 24 bars 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup melted bacon fat 1 egg 1/2 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix by hand until dough forms. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Add more bacon fat or water if the dough is too stiff.

Roll out onto a floured surface, to a thickness of just under 1/2". Cut into 1x4" bars and transfer to a cookie sheet. Poke divots into the bars (I use the end of a chopstick) and bake in a preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes (until lightly browned). Turn the oven off, flip the bars, and place back in the oven until cool (this will further crisp them).

Treats can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.

(Images: Regina Yunghans)

Comments (14)

i like the idea of homemade dog treats, but are there any that are gluten free? while my golden can eat anything, my roommates lab is allergic.

does anyone know how to make doggie treat "frosting"? I used to buy dog cookies from a local place that frosted them, would love to do that!

I make beef heart jerky for my dogs--it's a great gluten-free treat. I half-freeze the beef heart (so it's easy to slice thin), cut off ALL the fat (fat goes rancid pretty quickly), and then slice the heart--the thinner you can slice it the better it dries. Then soak it in lime or lemon juice (changes the pH and helps it dry), and then drape it across the racks in my oven (line the bottom with foil to catch drips) and dry it on very, very low heat (I turn it to warm every now and then for a few minutes and keep the light on) for a bout a day, or however long it takes it to dry completely. if you dry it correctly it should be shelf-stable for a while--leave any moisture and it will grow mold. Dogs love it and if you put it in a pretty jar it makes a great gift for your dog-loving friends.

Also avoid onions, mushrooms, and broccoli. They can be toxic to dogs as well.

I made pumpkin dog biscuits as gifts for my friends w/ dogs last year. The pumpkin helps regulate digestion apparently. My recipe uses whole wheat flour, but you could substitute chickpea flour (the science-y purpose of gluten is not as important w/ dog treats, since they probably won't be complaining about the texture of the biscuits). If he's just allergic to wheat and not gluten, then you can use spelt flour.

Lovely recipe. My dogs are crazy for anything cinnamon-y and apple-y, so I add some cinnamon and if I have an apple starting to go south I shred it and throw that in. I cut the biscuits into really small squares - the dogs love the treat and can have one more often if than if they're large.

i can't wait to make these! does anyone know of anything i can substitute for the bacon grease?

@mdanger - i have made doggie treats before with frosting made of banana, carob, flour, and butter.

@knoxkatie, i had the same question. i'm vegetarian, and although my dog is not, i don't exactly want to go out of my way to buy and cook bacon...!

@knoxkatie and @ariellie... I was wondering the same thing! What fat/oil can substitute?

gqsmooth, I also have a dog whose tummy can't handle gluten. I made up my own recipe for gluten-free peanut butter cookies for her. They're posted on my blog here: http://sverhoeven.blogspot.com/2010/11/happy-birthday-jiaozi.html

sweet potato is a great treat for dogs. they love it, and it's very good for them. we just slice it into big strips and then stick them in the oven to bake.

This is really a bad idea. It's mostly wheat, and wheat is bad for dogs. If you're going to go through the trouble of making your own treats for your dog, why not make something healthy for them?

To the person who said broccoli is toxic, broccoli is actually very good for dogs, so long as it's not too big a part of their diet. Broccoli is good, but it has isothiocyanate in it, which can be toxic if it makes up more than 10% of your dog's diet.

I didn't have wheat germ on hand, so I used some finely-ground oatmeal. They turned out fine, and of course the dogs loved them! Such a great way to use up bacon fat!