When I was doing a lot of training for obedience competition, I would microwave thin slices of turkey hotdogs until almost crisp. Just array on a paper plate, microwave a minute at a time.... I forget how long it took.

Another wonderful treat: blend a banana, a quart of plain yogurt, and a couple big spoonfuls of peanut butter. Freeze in ice cube trays.

Jim - That is a very nice idea! I wish my friends thought of something like that for me...

Sushipup - Thank you for those dog treat recipes, I like the one with the hot dogs. I buy the angus beef, maybe I can put them in the dehydrator?
The one with the banana sounds great for a hot day!

Silvia

You can google dog treats and get a ton of recipes for baked goods, all sound good. The hotdog treats are just the right size for training tidbits. I've made little cellophane bundles filled with these, tied in a Christmas ribbon. And yes, the frozen treats are a favorite. I freeze it inside of the big marrow bones that I get from The Red Barn. Made in the US, too.

Red Barn treats are available at dog show vendors and some retailers. Trusted products!

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Barn treats

That is exactly what I did, lol. I am going to make these treats for them.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: peanut butter and banana treats

I make these

Dog Biscuits

2 3/4 C. whole wheat flour

1/2 C. powdered milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg
6 Tbs. veg.oil
8-10 Tbs. water
2 small jars strained baby food (beef, chicken, lamb, or liver) I use canned cat food, which I always have on hand.

Mix all ingredients together and knead for 3 min. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Use a dog bone shaped cookie cutter, and place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet poke with a fork. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 min. Makes approximately 2 dozen doggie biscuits.

The neighborhood dogs seemed satisfied, though they eat just about anything.

Here are two that I have made. One year I found cookie cutters in the shapes of my dogs and made a batch of each (cookie and dog shape) and gave them to my friend's that owned pets as a holiday gift.

Both recipes came from the forum way way back....the first one was posted by Marlen, she passed away years ago. The second I don't have credited. If anyone recalls whose recipe it is, please let me know so I can give proper credit and edit my copy to include whom I got it from.

Fido�s Favorite Treats
Posted by Marlen

1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chicken or beef instant bullion
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese ( 1 cup)
1 egg, beaten
2 cups white or wheat flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl combone rolled oats, margarine and water; let stand for 10 minutes. Sitr in cornmeal, sugar, boullion, milk,cheese and egg. Mix well. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition to form stiff dough.
On floured surface, knead in remaining flour until dough is smooth and no longer sticky, 3 to 4 minutes. Roll or pat out dough to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Store loosely covered. Makes 3 1/2 dozen large biscuits.

Molasses Onassis

2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c white flour
1T salt
2T vegetable oil
1/4 c milk
1/4 c cornmeal
iT garlic powder
1/4 c oatmeal
1/4 c molasses
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients, add oil, molasses, eggs and milk. Ad more milk as needed to form a firm dough. Roll dough o it is 1/4" thick and cut into dhapes. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet for 25-30 minutes.

Linda

Thanks for the help, everyone.

I'm trying to learn how a dog food differs from people food, nutritionally and in flavor. In most cases they don't look terribly different. Many recipes seem to be based on flour or cornmeal. Peanut butter shows up often also.

Jim

You might look up some info on raw dog foods. As in the BARF diet, Bones and raw food. Lots of nutritional info there. Dogs don't normally eat grains, many question the nutritional value of such.

Here is a link that might be useful: raw feeding

Yeah I wonder about all the "people food" we are feeding our dogs too. It makes sense that they should be eating raw food but then again, all my dogs have been fed regular old grocery store dog food like Alpo and Pedigree and they all lived to be mid teens and without any major health issues either or weight problems for that matter.

I have also heard discussion from a vet tech that said she has seen many problems with ingesting bones both cooked and raw at the clinic she works for. Many surgeries!

My little high maintenance fur baby is on a salmon, potato, pumpkin diet. Developed quite a flaky skin, itchy feet problem and the vet suggested this diet....no grains no meats. I make him treats by mixing one can plain pumpkin, 3/4 cup instant potato flakes, and a couple tablespoons olive oil. Shape into a small logs, slice thin and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. However, the last time I made them, I put in the dehydrator along with some jerky (for sons) and they turned out perfectly and he loves them.
FYI, I am slowly adding some meat back into his diet to determine what the allergy is.