I've been on a sourdough kick lately, so I decided to make some healthy dog treats with sourdough. We don't have a dog, but we have four adorable "granddogs" we love, and they live right here in town! These healthy dog treats will be perfect to have on hand the next time we get to "dogsit!" I always look forward to it so much!
The pups are all beggars, and I am a total sucker for their sweet faces! It will be good for me to have healthy treats on hand instead of giving them cheese and other "people food!" One of the pooches is getting plump enough that his bum just might get stuck in the doggie door, so I have to show them my love in other ways!
I finally got my very own shiny dog bone cookie cutter, and I've wanted to try this healthy dog treat recipe made with sourdough for quite a while. I found a few recipes, but most of them have ingredients in grams, and I let that stall me. I shouldn't even admit that! This one is in cups!
Dogs don't have the highly developed sense of taste that humans do. Interestingly, a dog has about 1700 taste buds on his tongue compared to our 9000. A dog's teeth and jaws work completely differently than ours. They are made to break things apart and rush them into their stomachs quickly.
Dogs do not savor food the same way we humans do. They will love these treats because they are social animals and love interaction. The best part of a treat from you is your attention, love, and affection.
You'll love these treats because they are easy and quick to make, and you know exactly what's in them. Mixing up a batch only takes a few ingredients and a few minutes, and then it's about twenty minutes in the oven while you wash the bowl and spoons. The kitchen smells great when they're baking, too!
This recipe includes a cup of sourdough starter or "mother," sometimes called discard. I've never embraced that term because I'm not discarding it; I'm using it!
It also includes whole wheat flour, oatmeal, eggs, pumpkin puree, and peanut butter. Natural peanut butter is best for this, but if you use regular peanut butter, ensure it does not have the artificial sweetener Xylitol because it can harm dogs. Jif creamy peanut butter does not; it contains sugar and molasses.
The dough for the dog treats comes together quickly. Once again, my Danish whisk was the perfect tool for the job! The dough rolls out easily on a lightly floured surface and cuts neatly. The dough released easily from the cutter, and in no time, I had more than two dozen treats ready for the oven!
Just like when baking sugar cookies, gather the dough from between the shapes into a ball and reroll until you've used it up every bit! I took the last of the dough and rolled it into a square, then cut it into smaller squares for my smaller granddogs.
Then, I borrowed an idea from another blogger. He used one end of a chopstick to make a large hole, then the skinny end to make four smaller ones to create a cute little pawprint! I wish I could remember where I saw it, but whoever you are, thank you for the cleverest idea!!
The dough doesn't spread, so I could bake them on two rimmed baking pans I had sprayed with Pam. I popped them in a 350-degree oven, and in about twenty minutes, they were done! You can bake them longer if you want them to be crunchier.
The dog treats smell amazing when baking; there's nothing in them that humans can't eat! I did nibble a small scrap of the dough I baked. There's almost no sweetener in them, but it was ok!
I couldn't wait for my granddogs to taste them, so I took them to our grandson when I picked him up from school. Two happy pups wagged their tails in approval! This is Cash, our youngest granddog. He was unhappy and pouted when his mom only let him have one. I promised to bake more!
Dog treats, even healthy dog treats like these, are meant to be given as occasional treats. Please refrigerate them for up to a month or freeze them for even longer storage!
Here's a healthy sourdough-based dog treat that includes eggs, peanut butter, oatmeal, whole wheat flour, and pumpkin puree.
No sourdough starter? No problem. Here's another dog treat recipe I'm sure your fur babies will love, too.
Happiness is all about the love of family life. Pet owners are statistically healthier than people without pets, and having a pet is a great way to teach kids responsibility and how to care for others.
This recipe is easy enough for kids to make these treats for their furry buddies, and they make welcome gifts for your pet-owning friends!!!
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