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Treats

I have found over the years that often the speed of my dogs' recall depends on the quality of the treats they know I have on offer! They all enjoy the usual shop bought dog treats, but by far and away their favourites are the ones I make at home. The advantages of making your own treats are that you know exactly what the ingredients are (particularly useful if you have a dog with dietary intolerance), and they also work out far cheaper than anything you can buy commercially.

The thing to remember with homemade treats is that because they don't contain preservatives they need to be kept in the fridge or freezer until required. I tend to make large batches of treats once a month and store them in labelled bags in the freezer, defrosting small amounts as required.

Below are some recipes of a couple of particular favourites.

Liver cake

This recipe is quick and easy to make, and I have yet to meet a dog that can resist it. Mine come and stand drooling by the microwave whenever it is cooking!

220 grams raw liver
220 grams plain wholemeal flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon garlic powder or 2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 teaspoon of oil (doesn't matter what type)

Liquidise all ingredients and add to the flour. Mix to form a paste then spread evenly in a plastic microwave proof dish.

Cook on high power for 7 minutes.

Slice while warm and store in the freezer until required.

Cheese and garlic biscuits

This recipe is adapted from Mary MacPherson's K-9 Cookbook. You can read my review of this book here, and buy it online at Amazon UK by clicking on the image.

This recipe makes a nice dry biscuit that mine absolutely love.

3 cups plain wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder or 2 cloves of fresh garlic
½ cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of grated cheese
1 egg
1 cup of milk (or water)

Place the flour and garlic powder (or minced fresh garlic) in a large bowl and gradually add all other ingredients until well mixed. Knead the dough on a floured surface for several minutes, then roll out and cut into shapes placing on a non-stick baking tray.

Depending on what the treats are to be used for I either cut them into small cubes (bite size chunks useful for training) or use different shaped biscuit cutters to make a larger treat.

Cook small cubes at 200°C for ten minutes and larger biscuits at the same temperature for 20 minutes.

Turkey treats

This recipe is adapted from Branko Romano's Bone Appétit. You can read my review of this book here, and buy it online at Amazon UK by clicking on the image.

The meat used in these biscuits can actually be any type (I have used rabbit, beef and chicken in the past).

500 grams minced turkey
2 eggs
3 cups of plain wholemeal flour
1 cup porridge oats
1 cup water

Mix the minced turkey and eggs until well combined (I usually do this in the food processor). Add the meat mixture to the dry ingredients and gradually add the water to form a sticky dough.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for several minutes, then roll out and cut into shapes (metal cutters or a knife work best with this dough as plastic cutters are not really sharp enough) placing on a non stick baking tray.

Cook small cubes at 200°C for thirty minutes and larger biscuits at the same temperature for 1 hour.

Birthday cake

This recipe is adapted from Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff's Three Dog Bakery Cookbook. You can read my review of this book here, and buy it online at Amazon UK by clicking on the image.

This recipe can be served either with or without the icing. Either way all the dogs I have tried it on seem to love it (I have also known the odd owner to sample a bit too!).

For the cake:
2 cups of water
1 large mashed banana
1 egg
2 tablespoons of honey
3 cups plain whole-wheat flour
1 cup of dried banana chips
I dessertspoon of carob powder
½ tea spoon of baking powder

For the icing (optional):
8 ounces of cream cheese
3 teaspoons of carob powder

In a large bowl combine the water, mashed banana, egg, and honey. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the mix into an 8” greased cake tin, and bake for 45 minutes at 190°C (380°F).

To make the icing, mix the carob and cream cheese together, and spread over the cake once cooled. Use dried banana chips for decoration.

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