We get asked a lot, why would you want to make homemade treats for your dog? 

Well, there are actually many answers to that question. Here are just a few: 

1. Many people don't know that dogs can actually suffer from food allergies just like humans. Cooking their treats is a great way to know exactly what is going into their food. 
2. Maybe (like me) you have a very food motivated Labradoodle who needs some low fat treats to help them keep the weight off. This was a trick I learned from the team at welovedoodles.com
3. Your dogs will love it if you spoil them with some homemade treats. 

In this article, I'm sharing my dogs' three favorite homemade treat recipes. I will also be sharing a few very important ingredients to keep an eye out for when making treats for your four-legged friends.  

Apologies for any dog-based puns you're about to experience... 

Ingredients to look out for 

Gluten - 

Flour tends to be the base for most dog treats. However, many dogs, mine included, have gluten allergies or intolerances. The easiest way to avoid using gluten is to cook with gluten-free flour. This type of flour also makes more dense biscuits that your dogs will find more filling. 

Raisins and Grapes - 

These ingredients can actually be extremely toxic to dogs. If you want to include fruit in your dog treats try apples, bananas, or blueberries. 

Xylitol - 

Many brands have started using this ingredient in their peanut butter to cut down the cost of including sugar. This will make no difference to you or me, but for our dogs, however, Xylitol can cause painful stomach cramps and sometimes death. 

Peanut Butter - 

Whilst there is nothing inherently wrong with giving dogs peanut butter, if you are trying to get them to lose weight, then giving them peanut butter will be very counterproductive.  If it's the ocassional treat though, it's not really an issue. Be sure to look for peanut butter that's sugar free.

The Recipes 

Crunchy Apple Pup-cakes 

These smell so good when they're cooking that you'll be tempted to keep them all for yourself. 

Ingredients: 

• One cup of fresh Apple 
• 1 Egg
• 4 cups of gluten-free flour 
• 1 tbsp of baking powder 
• 3 cups of water 
• ¼ tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp of honey 
• ½ cup of Applesauce 
• Muffin pan (and muffin cases if you're feeling fancy) + butter for greasing them 

Instructions: 

1. Dry out the apples overnight, use a very low oven heat. 
2. Preheat your oven to 340 degrees 
3. Grease the muffin pan with butter
4. Mix your water, egg, and flour 
5. Add the rest of the ingredients
6. Pour the mixture into the muffin tray 
7. Bake for 80 minutes

This recipe is so delicious, and it's so ridiculously easy to make - what's not to love?  

Pup-kin Power Balls 

These power balls are full of a bunch of healthy fats and vitamins. They are the perfect post-walk snack, that will tide them over until dinner time. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp of cinnamon 
• ¾ cup of canned pumpkin 
• ¼ tsp of baking powder 
• ¼ tsp of baking soda 
• 4 tsp of maple syrup 
• 5 tbsp of water 
• 2 cups of gluten-free flour 
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil 
• Cookie sheet + butter to grease it with 

Instructions: 

• Grease the Cookie sheet 
• Preheat the oven to 340
• Mix the oil, water, maple syrup, and pumpkin together (wet mix)
• Mix the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and flour together separately (dry mix)
• Add the wet mix one spoonful at a time to the dry mix, until a tacky dough is formed 
• Make small balls out of 2-3 tbsp of mixture 
• Place the balls on the cookie sheet 
• Bake for half an hour or until the dough has hardened 

This recipe is high in potassium, iron, and Vitamin A! 

Peanut Butter Cookies 

Keep these away from dogs on a diet! They're just too tasty to have one of… 

Ingredients

• 3 cups of gluten-free flour 
• 1 egg 
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 2 tbsp of maple syrup
• 1 cup of water 
• 1 cup of peanut butter 
• Cookie sheet + butter to grease it 
• Cookie cutters 
• Rolling pin + flour (gluten-free) 

Instructions: 

• Grease the cookie sheet
• Preheat oven to 340 
• Mix the flour, baking powder, and the egg 
• Slowly mix in the maple syrup, water, and peanut butter until you have a tacky but thick dough 
• Flour your counter and roll out the dough 
• Cut out your biscuits  and place them on the cookie sheet 
• Bake for 22 minutes, or until they develop a golden color 

You'll want to store these away safely, in an airtight container or you'll find your dogs planning a heist in the middle of the night.

Cookie Cutters

To wrap up, these cookie cutters are adorable and make the cutest shapes for dog treats. 

Paws and Bones 

Labrador 

A mix of dog-themed shapes and dog breeds

Rocky Kanaka

Rocky Kanaka is an entrepreneur, pet rescue advocate and dog dad to a rescue boxer named Flip, a blind Cane Corso called Kobe, and a terrier mix named Zoey. He's also a pet chef and owner of The Dog Bakery, which specializes in dog birthday cakes and fresh baked dog treats. His three dogs can't get enough of the dog cakes and treats!

Lorna Ladd

Lorna Paxton Ladd is a passionate dog lover and enthusiast of The Dog Bakery. She loves spoiling her 3 rescue dogs with dog cakes and jerky. A 15 year veteran in the pet industry, her aim is to educate pet parents on the best recipes, products, tips and tricks to optimize the human/canine bond. Her favorite product at The Dog Bakery are the customizable dog birthday cakes.