# Healthiest treats



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

I have been pretty shocked to read the ingredients on most of he treats sold in the stores, both pet stores, and grocery stores. So much of it seems like fillers, or chemicals, or artificial coloring, etc.

Do you make or buy treats? 

Which do you think are the healthiest


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I make my own liver or peanut butter treats. Otherwise, I buy baked training treats from our boutique pet store. Sometimes I cook and dehydrate need to make jerky for my dogs. You can also dehydrate sweet potatoes. I also make Kong stuffed with frozen yogurt and banana cocktail. 


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

snow0160 said:


> I make my own liver or peanut butter treats.


I am curious how you make them? I will not feed him any wheat or corn or most other grains.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I have this dog cookbook with a bunch of recipes I follow. The liver treat is very stinky and everything is baked in the oven. 

eta: here is the link to it 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440572828/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You can find great recipes on Pinterest. 

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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Do your dogs have like one favorite recipe that you can share here? My spoo will not eat peanut butter. He is pretty much a meat guy, sometimes bananas and raspberries.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

20 ounce container of chicken liver
2 large eggs
Coconut flour – about 1 1/2 to 2 cups

Blend everything together and put it into a pan. Place the pan in the oven at 300 for 20-30 min. Then cut it into squares. I would open your window to the outside because this will smell really bad. Lol 


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

snow0160 said:


> I would open your window to the outside because this will smell really bad. Lol


I can just imagine!!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

If you don't feel like baking ............ I buy these at Chewy's. It is a 1 1/2 lb container of 6" long treats that can be cut up into tiny training treats ( I get at least 20 pieces from each one!) I used to bake Molly 'cookies' but I got lazy once I found these! I tried the different flavors, but found that both of us like the turkey/berry one the best (they smell good) Molly doesn't like PN Butter either!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I make liver treats - 
Around 250g/8oz liver (beef for preference because of its high nutritional value, any other for convenience)
1 egg
Enough flour or well cooked rice (or rice flour) to make it into a stodgy cake mix consistency.

Whizz the liver in a food processor. Add the egg and whizz. Add the flour or rice and whizz on slow speed. Spoon the mix into a loaf or cake tin and bake at around 350F/180C until done (ie a knife stuck into it does not come out sticky) - around 40 minutes or more. Once cool enough to handle cut into slices, and cut the slices into strips. Save some for using as soft treats (freeze if not using immediately) and spread the rest on trays or racks and dry thoroughly in a very low oven - overnight if possible. Once completely dry it seems to keep almost indefinitely, and certainly long enough for my two to work through a batch!

You can use a can of tuna instead of liver, or chicken meat and an extra egg, or any other variation that occurs to you Add more flour or rice and make a rollable dough for dog biscuits. Chop up cooked meat and keep in small bags in the freezer ready for treats. In hot weather I make yoghurt and banana ice cubes as special treats. I always cook a few extra green beans, as my dogs love them so much. The possibilities are endless!


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

I usually use dog kibble for treats. 

When I need a higher reward than kibble treat I use Ziwi Peak Air Dried Dog Food. https://www.ziwipets.com/ziwi-peak-dog-nutrition/air-dried-dog-food/ziwi-peak-air-dried-beef-dogs

There's a local company around here that sells at my pet store - they make dehydrated vegetables/fruit, so I've been using dehydrated bananas and apples as the jackpot treats. There's another local company that has a dried beef training treat that I also use for jackpots. I like that both are local and both are one ingredient only, no preservatives. 

If we have some healthy veg/fruits available from meal times or from the garden I'll use them as special treats. Lettuce, beans, peas, cabbage, beets, apples, watermelon, muskmelon, strawberries, blueberries.

My one friend has a dog with a lot of allergies, so she uses a lot of Crumps' Naturals for her training. Most are one ingredient, natural recipes that are freeze dried to maintain shelf life. They're a Canadian product, so not sure what the global reach is on them. 
https://www.crumps.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/crumpsb2c/products

My friend also makes homemade treats. Not sure about the recipe - it's a batter. She uses a silicon pyramid baking sheet as a mold to make them. They're meant to hold food off of a baking sheet to allow the air to circulate underneath, but if you flip them the other way it makes small little wells you can pour the batter into and make a perfect sized treat. Since they're silicone the treats pop out well after they're cooked.
An example of what they look like:https://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca/store/product/silicone-pyramid-baking-mat/1041209882


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## danys (Dec 31, 2016)

I buy the Pure Bites freeze dried chicken or beef. My toy poodle loves these more than all the other treats I've tried.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I boil chicken gizzards and hearts for 20 minutes, cool, use kitchen shears to cut them into very small pieces, store in the refrigerator, and use in a week or so. You can dry them in an oven at 175 degrees after you cut them up, but my dogs are fine either way, so I don’t bother with the oven.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

JudyD said:


> I boil chicken gizzards and hearts for 20 minutes, cool, use kitchen shears to cut them into very small pieces, store in the refrigerator, and use in a week or so. You can dry them in an oven at 175 degrees after you cut them up, but my dogs are fine either way, so I don’t bother with the oven.


These sound like super healthy simple to make treats, and way cheaper probably than the name brand ones.

What do you do with the water you boiled them in? Do you give that to your dogs also?


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

kontiki said:


> These sound like super healthy simple to make treats, and way cheaper probably than the name brand ones.
> 
> What do you do with the water you boiled them in? Do you give that to your dogs also?


They are quick and healthy and relatively cheap. I think a one-pound package costs around $1.50. The only drawback is that they don't last long. They have to be refrigerated and used up in less than a week. They can be frozen and thawed in smaller amounts, but we go through them so fast as training treats that I don't do that. They aren't quite as high-value as, say, hot dogs, but much more nutritious.

I do refrigerate the cooking water, then warm and pour it over their kibble. Usually there's enough for a couple or three meals.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I either make my own turkey or chicken "brownies." Basically make meat loaf consistency with a lot of parmesan cheese and garlic powder if you want it. Press it into a brownie pan and bake it until the edges pull away from the pan and then cut it up into little squares. Freeze what you don't need right away.

I also use string cheese and freeze dried chicken commonly and freeze dried chicken liver as my special treat when I am grooming.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> I either make my own turkey or chicken "brownies." Basically make meat loaf consistency with a lot of parmesan cheese and garlic powder if you want it. Press it into a brownie pan and bake it until the edges pull away from the pan and then cut it up into little squares. Freeze what you don't need right away.


Oh my, those sound good - have you ever tried them yourself ? I am assuming those are the only ingredients ?


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

*Healthy treat = carrots*

Zoe loves carrots (raw in small pieces or cooked). She also likes lettuce, broccoli, and apple. I suspect she will eat almost any vegetable or fruit. She likes hot dogs and cheese bits, but I have to limit hot dogs - too much will make her vomit them back - as I discovered after a training session.

On the negative side, she is not thrilled about eating dog food. She prefers dry kibble to kibble mixed with canned dog food!


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Interesting, my spoo won't eat carrots, and if I cut them up and sneak them in they come out the other end undigested. He won't eat lettuce. Broccoli he will eat if cooked with melted butter on it! 
But yes, he will eat apple and most fruits, especially berries, but not oranges.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

kontiki said:


> Oh my, those sound good - have you ever tried them yourself ? I am assuming those are the only ingredients ?


Part of why I make them is that I don't mind holding them in my mouth and can chew and swallow them myself if I have to be at a ring call sooner than expected. I make it like any basic meatloaf: the meat, an egg or two, any type of bread crumbs plus the cheese and garlic powder. I think I gave a more exacting recipe here somewhere under the name turkey brownies. I have switched to chicken since all of my dogs tested as sensitive to turkey through NutriScan.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Oh darn, I was hoping it was just meat, parmesan, and garlic powder. I am gluten free.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

How would you make a meatloaf hold together? You could probably use oats, or aren't there gluten free bread crumbs?


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Do you have the exact recipe? Maybe I could duplicate it. My meatloaf recipes are very moist and would never hols together as a treat.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I don't have it here (at work now) but search for "turkey brownies" and you should find the correct recipe here on PF (somewhere).


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I like Polka Dog Bakery treats. Buck loves the cod skins. I crumble them and they last a long time. Also a fan of Boulder Dog treats and chews. Buck likes their bison and turkey treats which I also break into tiny pieces. Poor dog has never gotten a whole treat from me.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Look at the 2nd page of this thread for the "recipe" such as it is for the turkey (or chicken) brownies.

http://www.poodleforum.com/23-general-training-obedience/217185-treat-training.html


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

The Turkey Brownie Recipe , found it ! (from 8-25-14)



lily cd re said:


> Here is the recipe since others might be interested. I usually make a large batch, cool, cut and freeze in small ziploc bags that contain what will last a couple of days when thawed.
> 
> 1 pound ground turkey (could be chicken too)
> 2 eggs
> ...


Actually I have heard that garlic helps repel mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, etc.


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