Homemade Dog Treats

It is difficult for me to go a day without baking something, especially this time of year when we're inside quite often and keeping the thermostat turned down is a lovely excuse for turning on the oven. And I thought it should be made public that I bake for our animals (except the cat, Lucy, who is a butterball and needs no extra calories). Dog treats are a great baking activity for kids - it doesn't matter if the ingredients are out of whack, everything is edible (minus raw eggs), and they can be rolled, cut, carved into any shape. Go spoil your mutt - these treats are so good that Charlie is yet to have actually chewed one. Wait. Charlie doesn't chew any of her food. But I still believe that she finds these to be top-notch.

Homemade Dog Treats
adapted from A Kitchen Muse

• 2 1/2 C whole wheat flour (I can't remember, but I think we did 1 1/2 C organic whole wheat pastry flour and 1 C organic oats)
• 2 backyard eggs
• 1 C organic canned sweet potato
• 2 T organic peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp salt (can omit if your PB already has salt in it)
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix wet ingredients; add dry
• Roll out (using flour if sticky), cut into fun shapes, and bake for approximately 40 minutes (more or less depending on size)
• Spoil your dog... and everyone else's! This made a big batch - we shared them with at least 3 other puppy families and they lasted about 3 weeks. We also baked half of the dough and refrigerated the rest for a few days before baking the other half. 

Photo-A-Day Challenge: Day #17: Exercise

It is because of exercise that allows Charlie to sit like this: still. :) She is a wonderful dog - she is affectionate and living up to the Vizsla "velcro dog" nickname; she is making great progress in minding her manners, such as staying out of the kitchen during mealtimes, going right into her kennel upon request, and keeping her absurdly long legs in check and paws off of people/things/the cat; and she is responding to more and more commands like "lay down", "sit", "wait", "find your collar", and "don't eat the chickens". Charlie is springy and bouncy and overflowing with enthusiasm for EVERYTHING. Exercise is not optional.

Wordless Wednesday: Silly Charlie

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Wordless Wednesday: A Vizsla to call our very own...

A little something for the pup

My name is Erin, and I make homemade baked goods for dogs. Is that strange? I personally don't think so. The dogs in this family are just that: family. And they work hard for their meals, right? Right? Well, regardless, we value their health and homemade dog treats seemed like a perfect cooking activity for the girls and they were a nice gift for some dog-spoiling friends.

Homemade Dog Treats
courtesy of hungrygirlporvida

• 3/4 C organic rolled oats
• 2 C organic whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 C organic white flour (original recipe called for bread flour)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T organic turbinado sugar (original recipe called for brown sugar)
• 3 T organic flax seeds
• 3 local eggs
• 3/4 C organic peanut butter
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1 C water
• Mix dry ingredients
• Mix wet ingredients
• Combine all; roll out adding extra flour to prevent sticking; cut with cookie cutters
• Bake at 350° for 25 minutes