Today is Freya’s first birthday!
… and while I did restrain myself from going all out and throwing her a birthday party at the dog park, complete with party favors, party hats, and a pupcake, I did make some homemade dog treats to share with her friends.
Freya is a little spoiled when it comes to nutrition. She gets a high-end, grain-free kibble and nothing but the best chicken treats and bully chews. So imagine my joy when I found out how easy it is to make organic, gluten-free dog treats at home.
Just like her mama, Freya goes nuts over pumpkin. You might say we’re both basic b!tches… so here are two SUPER easy pumpkin-based dog treat recipes that are healthy for your dog, and that your dog WILL LOVE. I store them in the freezer, and set a few out to thaw on the counter about 15 minutes before we start training. I break them up into smaller pieces to use for rewards during training, and to hide in her treat puzzles. And I’ll leave a larger treat on her bed next to her pheromone diffuser before we leave the house.
Pumpkin Salmon Treats
Ingredients
- 1 can of salmon
- 1 C canned organic pumpkin
- 1 1/4 C rice flour
Directions
- Preheat over to 350 F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with coconut oil.
- In a food processor, mix together the pumpkin and salmon until finely pureed and transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.
- Gradually stir in the rice flour, just a little at a time, until the consistency of the dough is almost like play dough.
- Lightly sprinkle your rolling surface with rice flour and turn your dough out onto the surface. Roll, cut, and place on a prepared baking tray. These treats don’t expand as they bake so you can keep them pretty close together.
- Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes (less for small treats). Cooking time will vary with size and thickness, so keep an eye on the oven. Let cool.
- Store in a sealed container in the freezer.
Tip: this recipe is little “stinky.” Definitely don’t make these before guests come over. I baked some tasty human treats after these, and that seemed to help eliminate the fishy smell.
Pumpkin Chicken Treats
Ingredients
- 1 small jar of organic chicken baby food
- 1//4 C canned organic pumpkin
- 3/4 C rice flour
- Frozen peas
Directions
- Preheat over to 350 F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with coconut oil.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin and baby food.
- Gradually stir in the rice flour, just a little at a time, until the consistency of the dough is almost like play dough.
- Roll the dough into small balls with your hands and flatten slightly between your palms before placing on a prepared baking sheet.
- Using a fork, press down gently to create indentations and place a frozen pea on top of each to make them look like pumpkins.
- Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes. Let cool.
- Store in a sealed container in the freezer.
Tip: You can also use organic turkey baby food.
Leave a Reply