Homemade dog treats were faster and easier made than expected. Cheaper too.
Making my own dog biscuits turned out to solve two problems for me. First, how to keep my dog in treats and second, how to keep my daughter out of the dog food.
My dog is half-pig, half-dog. The breeder said so when we picked him up. (I know I advocate adoption, but the puppy adoption we wanted didn’t work out so we made the new dog owner mistake of paying lots of money for a pure breed puppy). Anyways, our puppy was the fattest puppy in the litter. He was huge compared to his brothers and sisters. Because this dog has an appetite. If he doesn’t get treats he goes a little insane, so we like to satiate him a little with treats. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it’s not dog food from the bag.
My daughter loves everything dog. She has a huge collection of play dogs. We can get her to wear anything if it has a dog on it. She loves our real dog so much that she pretty much wants everything he has… his collar, his dog food, his dog treats. So to avoid having her demand dog food every time the dog eats his breakfast, I looked up dog biscuit recipes.
First, I tried a Bernard Clayton recipe in which he wrote that he wanted a dog biscuit that was tasty for dogs and humans. My dog would not eat them. Did I mention this dog is half-pig? He eats everything. The fact that he refused a dog treat was a little mind-blowing. Sorry, Bernard Clayton, your recipe failed the tasty-to-dogs test.
So I created my own dog biscuit recipe, which you can find here. And here are video instructions.
The dog biscuit recipe been tested on multiple dogs and multiple toddlers. Everyone loves them. Turns out other parents have the same issue with their toddlers eating their dog’s food and treats. I was embarrassed at first to admit that my daughter had this penchant for all things dog, including food. But then she started sharing her homemade biscuits with friends, and the parents admitted to the same problem.
I was doubtful of the cost savings of making my own dog biscuits, so I did out the numbers. Turns out the materials are cheaper by cents per pound than generic brands, but by dollars per pound than premium brands. And I’m sure the homemade product is far superior to even premium brand dog treats. I decided it was worth it to me to make my own dog biscuits for the 20 active minutes time it takes to make them because I was assured that the product was safe and palatable not only for my dog, but for my kid. Dog food has not been immune to tainting by food poisoning bacteria and other unsafe materials, so if I can provide a safe alternative I would rather do that. I know everything that goes into the biscuits is fresh, safe and tasty. Plus, it’s a fun activity that my daughter and I usually do on the weekend. I’ve been even known to sample a few of the final product.
To make the recipe even cheaper than store options, you can substitute whole wheat flour for rye flour. Rye flour lends a nice flavor that might be lost on dog-only consumption.
