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! (7 page)
Liver may not make
your
mouth water, but your dog feels differently! We use pieces of the popular cupcakes as powerful training treats.
YIELDS: 36 mini cupcakes
1 pound chicken liver, rinsed
3 eggs
4 tablespoons (
1
⁄
4
cup) butter
2 cups Pumpkin Purée (see
Chapter 15
)
3 cups coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini-cupcake tins or line with cupcake cups.
- Purée chicken liver in a blender.
- Once puréed, add eggs, butter, and pumpkin. Pulse to combine in blender. In a large bowl, mix purée with flour and baking powder.
- Fill muffin tins
2
⁄
3
of the way, and bake for 25 minutes. - Remove from heat and cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
We all like a little crunch now and then! These tasty crackers (which also make nice little appetizers for you) are easy to make and flavorful as training treat bits, too. With its high mercury content (higher in white albacore than chunked light or white tuna), tuna should be only an occasional treat for your dog.
YIELDS: 40 (1") crackers
1 (5-ounce) can chunked light or white tuna packed in water, undrained
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1
⁄
3
cup water
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Mix all ingredients by hand. Turn out dough on a floured surface and knead; roll out the dough to
1
⁄
4
" thickness. - Place dough on cookie sheet; cut with a pizza cutter into 40 crackers. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
- Turn off oven, and allow treats to continue cooling in oven. Cool completely before serving.
- Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Along with using tuna meat in dog recipes, you can also substitute tuna juice in place of water in treat recipes for an extra taste boost.
Although liver should only make up 5 percent of your dog’s diet, it makes a flavorful addition to dog treats. This quick recipe calls for canned green beans, but you can cook a half-pound of fresh green beans instead!
YIELDS: 35–40 (2") biscuits
1 pound chicken liver, rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can green beans, no salt added, drained
5 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups brown rice flour
1 egg
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
- In a food processor or blender, purée chicken livers, then add green beans. Pulse until puréed with only small chunks remaining.
- In a large bowl, mix flours and egg, then pour in chicken liver and green bean mixture. Mix dough (by hand or with a dough hook). The dough will be heavy.
- Roll dough to
1
⁄
2
" thickness, then cut with your favorite cookie cutters. (Alternatively, pinch off a small piece of dough, roll it into a ball, place on cookie sheet, and slightly flatten with a fork.) - Bake treats for 30 minutes; watch for treats to brown on the bottom.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before refrigerating or serving. Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
To create a little glaze on these treats, whip an egg, then dip the top of the biscuits in the egg mixture. Return the biscuits to the oven for another 2 minutes.
Low-sodium turkey forms the base for this easy appetizer for you and your dog to share! They only take minutes to prepare. Because these homemade treats don’t include preservatives, they have a short shelf life.
YIELDS: 30 (1) treats
2 ounces cream cheese
1
⁄
4
pound sliced low-sodium turkey breast
- Spread 1–2 tablespoons of cream cheese on a slice of turkey breast.
- Roll up tightly, then slice into 1" pieces.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days, storing flat to keep the treats from unrolling.
The strong-tasting anchovies in this recipe make this a tasty option for training treat nuggets. If you don’t have anchovies on hand, sardines, another Fido fave, will work well, too.
YIELDS: 36 (2") treats
1 (2-ounce) can anchovies in olive oil (do not drain)
1
⁄
4
cup water
1 egg
1
1
⁄
2
cups rolled oats
1
1
⁄
2
cups whole-wheat flour
4 teaspoons finely chopped parsley (fresh or dry)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a blender, purée anchovies, water, and egg.
- Mix oats, flour, and parsley in a large bowl. Add anchovy mixture and mix completely.
- Use a melon baller or small scoop to make small balls of dough; place on cookie sheet.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Store in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
If you’re at all squeamish about working with liver in dough, this recipe keeps your hands off the liver!
YIELDS: 48 (1") treats
1 pound beef or chicken liver, rinsed
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix
1 egg
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet with at least a
1
⁄
2
" edge. - In a blender, purée liver. Pour liver into a large mixing bowl. Add corn muffin mix and egg. Stir until just combined, then pour batter onto cookie sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Cool before slicing, then refrigerate. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
If you’ve ever watched the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on television, you’ve seen trainers holding treats in their cheeks to dispense to their dogs during the competition. Other trainers use pockets or small “bait bags” for keeping their cache of tasty morsels handy.
Keep this recipe in mind when planning your holiday cooking schedule. That leftover turkey will be perfect for these easy-to-prepare biscuits! Your dogs will appreciate their “Thanksgiving” leftovers. If you don’t have turkey, chicken will work just fine too.
YIELDS: 24 (2") biscuits
1
3
⁄
4
cups whole-wheat flour
2
1
⁄
2
cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup turkey (or chicken) broth
1
1
⁄
2
cups cooked shredded turkey (or chicken)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Add broth and turkey to a blender, then blend to the consistency of baby food. Add this meat mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. This is a heavy dough, so it takes some muscle! Roll out the dough and cut into shapes; place on cookie sheets.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the treats are golden brown.
- Be sure to cool the biscuits completely before serving to your dog or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Oatmeal is a great source of soluble fiber for your dog and an excellent choice especially for senior dogs—or for any dog with wheat allergies. Unlike your own oatmeal, though, don’t add any sugars or spices to your dog’s oatmeal goodies.
If your dog is sensitive to dairy, consider using goat cheese in these savory biscuits; many dogs that are lactose intolerant can still digest goat cheese. Also, compared to cow’s milk cheese, cheeses made from goat’s milk have a higher calcium content, encouraging bone density.
YIELDS: 24 (2") biscuits
1
1
⁄
2
cups shredded, cooked chicken
3
⁄
4
cup chicken broth, divided
1
⁄
2
cup shredded cheese, such as Cheddar, Romano, or goat cheese
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
- Purée chicken and
1
⁄
2
cup chicken broth in a blender or food processor until it is the consistency of baby food. - In a large separate bowl, mix cheese and flours, then add chicken/chicken broth mixture.
- Slowly add a teaspoon of reserved broth at a time until the dough is the right consistency to knead.
- Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead; roll out the dough to about
1
⁄
4
" thickness. Cut with cookie cutters into 24 shapes, then place on cookie sheets. - Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and allow the treats to cool completely on a drying rack before refrigerating or serving. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Talk about tempting: What dog wouldn’t like these meaty, cheesy, juicy favorites? If you prefer, ground turkey can also be substituted in this yummy treat recipe. The small cheeseburgers are also easy to break apart for training treat bits.
YIELDS: 24 treats
1 pound lean ground beef
1
⁄
2
cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 egg
2 pieces toasted whole-wheat sandwich bread, crushed
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini-cupcake tins or line with parchment cups.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients by hand and knead mixture until the bread is worked throughout the mix.
- Pinch off 1" balls of mixture, roll into balls, and drop into the greased cupcake pan, pressing lightly to pack mix into mold.
- Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven. Remove mini cheeseburgers from the cupcake pans and allow them to cool on paper towels or a drying rack.
- Cool completely before refrigerating or serving. Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Not just for rabbits, carrots are a great canine food, whether in meals, treats, or in raw form. Low in calories and high in fiber, carrots are rich in beta carotene (a natural antioxidant), and dogs love their sweet taste.
YIELDS: 24 (2") biscuits
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cheese, such as Cheddar or Monterey jack
