Authors: Paris Permenter,John Bigley
The Healthy Hound Cookbook: Over 125 Easy Recipes for Healthy, Homemade Dog Food--Including Grain-Free, Paleo, and Raw Recipes! (12 page)
Beef heart is considered a muscle meat, not an organ (which is important because only 10 percent of your dog’s diet should be organ meat), and it makes a healthy and economical treat or meal. It can be found in most grocery stores, either sold whole or as a half heart.
YIELDS: 40 (
1
⁄
2
") treats
1 pound beef heart
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder (optional)
- Cube the meat in small chunks. In a large skillet, fry chunks in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder if you choose.
- Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Beef heart doesn’t have the panache of sirloin or rib eye, but this muscle meat is an excellent option for dogs and humans. If you can’t handle working with the entire heart, you can purchase a half heart or ask your butcher to slice it for you. Besides getting an economical cut of meat, you’ll know you are using a cut that otherwise might be discarded.
Liver makes a flavorful and motivating training treat for most dogs! Chicken liver can also be substituted here. These treats can be broken into pea-size bits to use in dog training.
YIELDS: 45 (
1
⁄
2
" -square) training treats
1 pound raw organic beef liver, rinsed
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 egg
1
⁄
2
cup water
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Purée liver in a blender or food processor.
- In a mixing bowl, pour the liver purée and mix with flour, egg, and water. Stir well. The result is a heavy batter. Pour batter onto a well-greased cookie sheet (one with a good lip). This mix won’t rise much at all.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove cookie sheet from oven and score the treats into
1
⁄
2
" squares. - Return the cookie sheet with the scored treats back to the oven for about 10 minutes to dry out treats. After 10 minutes, turn off oven, flip treats again, and return the cookie sheet to the oven. Leave treats in oven until the oven cools.
- When removing from oven, if treats are not completely cooled, let them cool on a drying rack before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Meat (rather than sweet) treats are the most effective training treats with many dogs; often, the stronger-scented treats like liver are best.
This easy recipe makes a good base for stuffable dog-treat dispensers. Use it as the “plug” in the treat-dispensing toy, then fill the toy with chopped celery, green beans, green peas, or your dog’s favorite fruit.
YIELDS: 50 (1") squares
1 pound chicken
3 eggs
1 pound chicken liver, rinsed
- Preheat oven to 220°F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
- Add chicken and eggs to a blender or food processor. Add chicken liver to mixture, pouring all juices into mixture. Purée.
- Pour mixture in the centers of the two cookie sheets, then bake. After 1 hour, cut each mixture into 1" squares and flip so that all sides of the treats will brown. Bake for 1 more hour.
- When treats are browned, turn off the oven but leave the cookie sheets in the heated oven to cool for several hours.
- Cool treats completely before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate or freeze all treats. Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
These treats may not be the ritziest, but for training purposes, you can’t beat these bits of all-American motivation. All-beef or turkey hot dogs are the best choice, and for extra points, you can use organic hot dogs to make these tasty treats.
YIELDS: About 100 training treats
1 package (10) all-beef hot dogs
- Slice each hot dog into 10 pieces.
- Place hot dog medallions on about six layers of plain paper towels.
- Microwave hot dogs on the paper towels for 5 minutes. Cooking times will vary by microwave.
- Blot grease from top of hot dogs and turn; microwave for an additional 2–3 minutes. When some hot dogs begin to darken around the edges, they are done.
- Cool completely before serving. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Hot dogs are powerful motivators for most dogs and are a favorite with many trainers. You can use organic beef or turkey hot dogs, or regular all-beef or turkey hot dogs; regardless of the variety, check that the hot dogs do not include onion powder. It’s true that some hot dogs are made from less-than-desirable animal parts, so look for premium brands made from select cuts.
Stuffers
This section contains treats that can be stuffed into a stuffable toy like a KONG
®
to extend the fun of the treat. A natural alternative is to use a hollow marrow bone. Never use a cooked marrow bone; these are far too dry and you’ll run the risk of splintering, which can be dangerous and even deadly if your dog ingests shards of bone. Newer marrow bones that haven’t completely dried out work best for this purpose. If you use a commercial stuffing toy like a KONG
®
, be sure to clean it after each treating session. These toys can be washed in the upper rack of the dishwasher so you’re ready for the next treating session; they’re also freezable to make the stuffing last longer.
Stuff your dog’s favorite treat-dispensing toy with this easy mix. It can also be frozen to last longer.
YIELDS: Fills 1 large KONG
®
1 ounce cream cheese
1 cup plain chicharrónes or pork rinds
1 egg
- Using a clean KONG
®
or other treat-dispensing toy, plug the small end of the toy with a small portion of the cream cheese. (Other options include peanut butter or soft bread.) - Mix chicharrónes or pork rinds and raw egg in a bowl, breaking rinds slightly so they’re saturated by egg. (If you are concerned about raw eggs, cook to semi-firm consistency and cool before serving.)
- Add mixture to toy until filled. Plug larger opening of the toy with remaining cream cheese.
®
The rubber KONG
®
toy is a favorite with trainers and behaviorists as a way to keep dogs busy and distracted. A frozen KONG
®
is a great way to provide a long-lasting treat on a summer day; your dog won’t be able to quickly break the ice with his teeth and will have to resort to licking the treat from the rubber toy.
YIELDS: Fills 1 large KONG
®
1 KONG
®
1 coffee mug
1 cup Beef Stock (see
Chapter 15
)
- To freeze the KONG
®
, which has an opening at each end, place the toy inside a coffee mug with the small opening at the bottom of the cup. - Pour the stock into the toy; freeze until solid. Remove toy from cup before serving.
A frozen KONG
®
can also be used to serve meals, especially helpful for gulping dogs or dogs that need to be occupied. Add meat and vegetables to the Beef Stock before freezing.
®
Since the size of KONG
®
toys varies by the size of your dog, adjust this recipe for your own dog. You can also use this to stuff marrow bones.
YIELDS: Fills 1 medium KONG
®
1 tablespoon organic unsweetened peanut butter
1 KONG
®
1 medium banana, mashed
1 tablespoon low-fat plain yogurt
- Use half of the peanut butter to plug the small end of the KONG
®
. - In a small bowl, stir banana and yogurt together, then fill KONG
®
. Use remaining peanut butter to plug the larger opening. - Serve frozen or at room temperature.
If your dog suffers from separation anxiety or boredom, a stuffable toy makes a great diversion. Freeze the toy to make the fun last longer and mix up the goodies inside: meats, cooked rice, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and any of your dog’s favorite meals. For an added layer of fun, you could hide the loaded toy where your dog is unlikely to find it immediately, such as under a bed or, if outside, perhaps behind a hedge in the backyard. This works especially well with KONG
®
toys stuffed with dry ingredients that aren’t likely to melt or spoil.
