We started puppy classes at our vets last night. Marty and I need to be on the same page regarding adequately training Nelly. Frenchies are stubborn like bulldogs; you’d think they were German. I am married to one for over thirty years. LOL.
The class has ten puppies, most of which are large dog varieties. Nelly may be the smallest puppy in the group, but she was the ring leader. She wasn’t shy and wanted to play with her new friends during the getting-to-know-you time.
The instructor, Jen, told us to bring soft, easy-to-eat treats as they would be using them as a high-value reward. We bought Nelly a package of tiny treats, but she couldn’t eat them fast. That’s when I came up with the idea of making soft little treats for her and hard ones for Klaus.
We are taking everything we know from raising a bulldog along with friends with Frenchies advice and putting them on a seafood-only diet. A seafood diet for these types of dogs is necessary for their skin and allergies.
Klaus has been on a grain-free diet due to his allergies most of his life. Just a little bit can flare up infections in his ears, wrinkles, or feet. I hate being “that guy” that has to say when someone offers him a dog biscuit, “Oh, no, thank you, my dog is on a grain-free diet.” I don’t say gluten-free, like us.
I started reading blogs about homemade doggie treats recipes, seeing millions of ads popping up as I tried to navigate through the blog post to get to the recipe. I never hit the jump to the recipe button; as a fellow writer, I try to give the blogger a chance.
When I finally got to the recipes, they were not just long but included so many useless steps and fussing around. That is why the recipes I write are simple, easy to follow, and no bullshit.
Here is my recipe for soft and hard doggie treats without further ado.
Doggie Treats
Ingredients
1 3/4 Gram, besan or chickpea flour
1/2 cup Natural peanut butter without any sugar, artificial sweeteners, or salt
1/2 cup Canned pumpkin purée NOT pumpkin pie filling
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, peanut butter, & pumpkin. Mix with your hands until the dough is no longer sticky. Add more flour a little at a time if necessary.
With clean hands, turn the dough onto a floured worktop and knead until smooth. Use more flour if the dough is still sticky while kneading.
Wrap the dough with film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Dust your worktop with flour and roll the dough to 1/4-1/2 inch. Cut out shapes, a bench scraper, or a pizza wheel into squares or rectangles. You can reroll your scraps if using cookie cutters.
Lightly spray a sheet pan with pan spray. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on the sheet pan.
For soft treats, bake for 5 minutes to see if they look baked but soft. Take out of the oven and let cool on the sheet pan.
For hard dog treats, bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of your treats. Turn off the oven, leave the treats in the oven with the door closed continue to harden for another 20-30 minutes. This makes them hard without burning the bottom.
Doggie treats can be stored at room temperature. Use an air-tight jar or container for soft treats and one that isn’t air-tight for hard treats.
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