Y’all, I’m just going to admit it: both of my dogs are extremely food-motivated. Offer either of them a treat, and they’ll do just about anything you ask.
But because we go through so many treats during training sessions, not long ago I began to question the wholesomeness of the treats we were using. Sure, the dogs love them, but are they made with quality ingredients? Are they both good tasting and healthy for my girls?
That’s when I decided that maybe the best way to go was to simply come up with my own recipe for DIY training treats for my dogs.
As I’ve written many times, I’m extremely conscious of the quality of food and treats that my pets eat. I am very aware of where the foods are manufactured, as well as where the ingredients come from, and I’ve learned that the best way to know for sure what my dogs are eating is to simply make it myself.
Lucky for me, a friend shared this very simple recipe for training treats, and I whipped up a batch to see what my dogs would think. They were eager taste-testers who quickly let me know that these treats were totally acceptable.
Trust me, if your dogs are anything like mine, they’ll love them. In fact, even our cat Snickers gets in on the action and will “sit pretty” for one of these treats. They are seriously a big hit for all the 4-legged family members at our house.
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 5-ounce cans of tuna in water, drained
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until almost pureed.
- Grease an 8x8 baking dish and pour treat mixture into pan.
- Using a spatula, press mixture firmly into pan and bake for 25 minutes.
- After cooling, cut into small pieces and store in your refrigerator until until ready to use.
- Treats will keep for 30 days in the fridge, or 90 days in the freezer.
How about a Freebie?!
If you’d like a super cute recipe card for your pet recipes, go ahead and download this freebie! Save it to your computer and then print it over and over again to write down all of your pet’s favorite recipes!
What kind of treats do you use for training with your dog?
Would you be willing to try some homemade training treats? If you do, I’d love for you to leave a comment and let me know how your pets like them!
Julie says
April 17, 2016 at 8:30 pmCocoa is not food motivated but I am finding the things that she does like and am always looking for new and healthy treats so thank you!!
kristin h says
April 21, 2016 at 8:21 amI make my own dog treats by slicing boneless chix breasts ($1.99/lb at Walmart), rather thickly, after removing any pieces of fat. I then coat (LIGHTLY) on 1 side w/ MSM – found at Richard’s Natural Foods in powder form, and dehydrate around 24 hours in my dehydrator @ 145F. My vet said the MSM is for joint health, and yes, can be absorbed through the stomach. It
is tasteless. Last year he had said Beryl would need a good teeth cleaning come this Spring’s appt, but after a year of my chews, there was not a spot of tartar in sight. Win/Win!
Valerie says
April 23, 2016 at 3:41 amOh, I will def try this!! I love to make homemade treats!!
Love your logo btw!
Love x
Heather says
October 7, 2016 at 5:31 pmThis recipe is so easy. Thank you. I will definitely be trying this with my dog.