As a fur mama of three young pups (all under the age of three) I have learned a number of practices out of necessity. Training puppies with rewarding treats is one of them. Unfortunately you might notice the steep price of healthy treats when you go to the store? When looking at the number of treats, the size of the bag, and the ingredients required the price of these treats seemed a bit disproportionate.
That’s why I decided to set out and find my own healthy (and cheap) homemade dog treats recipe. But before I get to that, let me introduce you to my certified “taste-testers”:
Marit (pronounced Mah-rit) is our sweet, gentle, loving golden retriever. She is almost two and a half years old and the mama of the group. When the other two are tired of wrestling, they come and cuddle with Marit. 
Ellie, our rescued hound mix. She has grown to be a healthy, curious, and mischievous rascal with a lot of personality, a need for constant attention, and the cuddles to boot. 
Finally, we have Lana, our sweet, four-month-old German Shepherd. She is active, playful, easily amused, and an all-around lovebug of a girl. She is pretty solidly potty-trained and loves to be rewarded with a treat for all her new tricks.
Ok, back to the treats. With a baby on the way and new found time after leaving my twelve-hour workday, I browsed a lot of Pinterest to pass the time. I was excited when I randomly found two dog treat recipes that require hardly any time commitment whatsoever. Could this be? Healthy, rewarding, organic, homemade dog treats for a fraction of the cost within an hour or two? Surely, the puppies wouldn’t like them. That seemed far too easy, but, nevertheless, I was going to give them a try. Not to ruin the build-up of the story, but all three dogs LOVED the treats! Did I say LOVED it? I mean LOVED the treats. Both recipes were an instant success! A couple of these mixed with some hotdogs and my puppies are willing to obey any command: sit, stay, lay down, etc. It is even helping with teaching the dogs to walk better on a leash!
Pumpkin Peanut Butter Treats
Let’s start out with Mom on Timeout Trish’s pumpkin peanut butter treat recipe. This simple, five ingredients recipe is a game changer! The two main ingredients are pumpkin and peanut butter, which have a lot of health benefits for your dogs too! Pumpkin, especially canned pumpkin, is loaded with fiber and nutrients to promote a healthier pup. Just make sure you DON’T use pumpkin pie or the associated filling, as that usually contains xylitol (which is very toxic to dogs). Peanut butter is also a good source of protein and healthy fats, although once again you MUST make sure xylitol is not one of the ingredients in the peanut butter you use.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin/pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (NO xylitol or sugar substitutes)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (make sure it does not contain nutmeg as it can be toxic to some dogs)
Nutrition:
Calories: 32kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 804IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg |Iron: 1mg
Easy enough, right? Want to get a little more exotic with your dog treats? I turned to the Cozy Cook Stephanie’s Homemade Strawberry Banana Dog Treats next.
Super Healthy Strawberry Banana Dog Treats
But wait… strawberries? Does that throw you for a loop? It did for me too. But in fact, strawberries offer a ton of health benefits to your dog:
- Full of antioxidants, high in fiber, and high in vitamin C
- Helps slow down the aging process
- Strengthens the immune system
- Helps with weight management due to low calories
- Whitens your puppy’s teeth
Pretty amazing huh? But there’s one other strange ingredient in this recipe and it’s not the banana, it’s the oats, which also have many health benefits for dogs:
- Great source of vitamin B which promotes a healthy coat
- Contains linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid that leads to healthier skin
- High in fiber which regulates blood sugar levels and helps with irregular poops
Now that we have that out of the way let’s get started on this fun, summery treat for your little pooches!
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (again, no xylitol)
- 1 cup wheat flour
- ½ cup oats
- 1 mashed banana
- 5 ripe strawberries (finely diced)
Nutrition:
Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.6mg
There you have it. Two great Pinterest recipes for you and your puppies. Not nearly the time suck I had anticipated, and a rewarding and fun endeavor for me (and my fur babies) to boot! Do you have a favorite homemade treat recipe? Feel free to share in the comments below. Be sure to become a Spotter for more treat recipes, play ideas, and doggie care tips.
