Peanut butter oatmeal dog treats

Peanut butter oatmeal dog treats

Today, I am super excited to share my techniques for making another truly wholesome dog treat with you. After-all, your furry companions deserve healthy food, so that they can be their best selves.

These pup treats are the perfect snack to make ahead of time for your cuddly pooch as a reward for their love and companionship, obedience, potty-training, or for any other training in general. 

My fur baby seems to think that the treats taste better when they're made in different cute shapes. So, I use three different cookie cutters when I make these dog treats. Plus, using different cookie cutter sizes also allows me to make good use of the leftover dough pieces. The three shapes that I am using for this recipe are a gingerbread man, a star, and a flower-shaped cookie cutter. (I use regular cookie cutters to make mine.)

If you don't have any cookie cutters, that's okay too. After rolling out the dough, cut it into squared-shaped pieces, or use a small open end juice glass to cut the dough into small circular disc shapes. 

For small toy-sized breeds, puppies, and older dogs, I suggest cutting the dough into really small shapes with a knife. They also make mini-shaped dog treat cutters that you can purchase online at K9Cakery.

During the holiday season, I make these treats in several holiday themed shapes (turkey, Santa, snowman, snowflake, candy cane, etc..)

I use one egg in this recipe, but I often substitute the egg for ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce. My dog loves the recipe when I make it either way.

I purchase old-fashioned rolled oats from Walnut Creek Foods in bulk. They sell oats in fifty-pound bags, but if you prefer smaller bags, you can also purchase them in three-pound bags there. They have several grades of oats and some are gluten-free.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of old-fashioned rolled oats

• 1 cup of peanut butter

• 2 cups of flour (any type of flour works well with these treats)

• 1 egg

• ⅓ cup of warm water

Instructions:

In a bowl, add the rolled oats and peanut butter together; blend well. Then add in the flour, water, and the egg; combine until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Next, sprinkle a small amount of flour onto the counter and transfer the dough onto it. Lightly sprinkle flour on the top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about a ¼ inch thickness. 

The dough will not be completely smooth since we are using old-fashioned rolled oats as a main ingredient.

Now, cut the dough out into shapes using a cookie cutter, or cut the dough into shapes with a knife, or with an open end small juice glass.

Once all the dough has been cut out, place the shapes on a baking tray. Transfer the tray to a 350 degrees F oven and bake for about twenty-five minutes. (Flip the treats over after the first fifteen minutes of baking.)

The treats will turn a golden-brown color, especially around the outside edges, and be slightly hard once they're completely baked.

After the treats are done baking, transfer the baking tray to a wire cooling rack, allowing the dog treats to cool. Afterward, place the treats in an airtight bag, or container. (I use mason jars.)

Reward your adorable pooch with one of these healthy dog treats after taking walks, during and after training them to do tricks, for potting training them, and for obedience training.

#DogBreak

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© 2024 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade sweet potato dog chewy treats

Homemade sweet potato dog chewy treats

To make this dog treat recipe, you'll need sweet potatoes, a sharp knife, a dehydrator, and time. The hardest part is slicing the sweet potatoes. For this recipe, I do not peel the potatoes, because the peels have so much goodness in them for my fur baby. Contrary to some beliefs, the skin of sweet potatoes is not poisonous.

My dog loves sweet potato chewy treats and I love that she does, because they're so healthy for her. They're not only high in fiber, but they're also loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, calcium, potassium, riboflavin, magnesium, and iron. Vitamin A alone helps build healthy muscles, eyes, skin, and fur. 

One sweet potato makes several treats, but when I make these treats for my fur baby, I generally slice at least six to eight (depending on their size) sweet potatoes at a time to dehydrate.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes (the amount depends on how many trays that you have to fill)

Instructions:

Wash the sweet potatoes well and slice them about a quarter inch thick (or as thin as you possibly can without the risk of cutting yourself) You can either slice them in rounds or lengthwise. Since my dog is a large breed, I make her jerky treats by cutting them lengthwise. Sometimes I cut them into one inch stick shapes, however, today I didn't. The sweet potato treats will shrink in size as the dehydrator dries the moisture out of them.

Place the sweet potatoes on the dehydrator trays and place them in the dehydrator. Dehydrate the treats for about ten hours at 135 degrees F. If you want to make crunchier sweet potato treats for your dog, just extend the time by dehydrating the sweet potatoes.

Once the dog treats are done, store them in jars. 

Notes:

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dehydrate the dog treats in the oven at the lowest temperature possible, and leave the oven door ajar (open partially).

Yams also can be used to make healthy dog treats.

If you want to save time on dehydrating, you can also use cooked sweet potatoes too by following the same instructions as above. Using pre-cooked sweet potatoes shaves off almost half of the time, dehydrating.

References:

Paretts, S. (n.d.). Are Sweet Potato Peelings Poisonous to a Dog? Dog Care - Daily Puppy. https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/sweet-potato-peelings-poisonous-dog-7755.html

Danielle. (2022, March 3). Can Dogs Eat Sweet Potato Skin? Benefits & Risks. PawLeaks. https://pawleaks.com/is-sweet-potatoe-skin-harmful-to-dogs/

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© 2024 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Chickpeas for pooches

Chickpeas for pooches

I'm not that crazy about the flavor or texture of chickpeas, but my pooch sure loves them mixed in with her dog food. I also make her homemade chickpea dog chow and treats that she truly enjoys and begs for. Today, I will be going over why chickpeas are healthy to cook for your pooch and how to cook them simply for your loyal companion.

When dried chickpeas are cooked plain, with no additives, such as salt, chickpeas are highly nutritious for dogs to eat. 

Chickpeas are quite often used in several natural brands of commercial pet food, such as Taste of the Wild, Boss Dog, Paw Tree, Nulo Freestyle, Nutro Limited Ingredient, Nutro Max, Halo Holistic, Rachel Ray, Dogswell, Zignature, Grandma Lucy's, Canidae Grain Free Pure, Tiki, and so many more.

One cup of chickpeas has 14.5 grams of protein, 12.5 grams of fiber, and 45 grams of carbohydrates. They also contain calcium, magnesium, folate, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C. Feeding your dog chickpeas can also be beneficial to their digestion.

Cooking chickpeas in a crock-pot

Ingredients:

• 1-16-ounce bag of chickpeas

• 8 cups of cold water

Instructions:

Rinse the dried chickpeas well with fresh water. Pick out any chickpeas that look bad. Transfer the chickpeas to the crock-pot; add 8 cups of cold water. Make sure that the water covers the chickpeas about three inches to the top. 

Cover and cook the chickpeas on high for four hours or slow cook them on low for six to eight hours. The chickpeas will be softened when they're done. Allow them to stay in the juice for at least half an hour before taking them up.

Stovetop instructions:

Follow the same instructions as above, but place the chickpeas in a large pan over high heat. Bring the water to a rapid boil; then lower the heat and simmer, covered. Cook the chickpeas for about one and a half hours, or until they're softened. 

You can serve chickpeas either whole or mashed, mixed in with commercial dog chow or in homemade dog chow and homemade dog treats. 

Note:

In the event that you're interested in making homemade dog food and dog treats, I'll be covering how I use chickpeas to make healthy homemade dog chow and homemade dog treats soon.