5 Easter Treats You Can Make For Your Dog

We all want to enjoy Easter, but we need to make sure it will be a safe and happy time for our dogs, too!

Chocolate, hot cross buns and spring flowers are all a 'no-no' for your pooch, as they can be harmful for dogs, and although we can buy dog-friendly treats, why not show your favourite pooch how much you love them, and make some treats yourself!

Homemade treats are easy to make and can be a lovely surprise for your pooch at Easter (and, indeed, all year round). But you need to keep their diet in mind and award them sparingly!

5 Easter treats you can make for your dog

1. Carrot Mini-Muffins (Recipe: Doggie Dessert Chef)

You will need: 2 mixing bowls, a grater, mini muffin tins lined with paper or silicone cases, an airtight container.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium carrots
• 75g sugar free apple sauce
• 1 egg
• 50ml milk
• 120g wholemeal flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
• Grate the carrots and mix with the apple sauce, beaten egg and milk.
• In another bowl mix the flour, cinnamon and baking powder.
• Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix together.
• Spoon into the muffin tins. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.
• Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

How to make:

2. Bunny Biscuits

You will need: A mixing bowl, a grater, a wooden spoon, a rolling pin, bunny shape cutters, baking sheet and an airtight container

Ingredients:

• 160g wholemeal flour
• 160g grated carrot
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 beaten egg
• 40g sugar free apple sauce
• 50ml water

How to make:

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
• Mix ingredients together in a bowl to form a dough.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to thickness of around 1cm.
• Cut out bunny shaped biscuits (or any other shape you fancy!)
• Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Once cool, store in an airtight container. Should keep for 1 week.

Note: If you don't want to make them all at once, you can keep a portion of dough in the freezer until needed.

3. Peanut Butter Dog Treats

You will need: Large bowl, wooden spoon, floured surface, cookie cutters, baking sheet and an airtight container.

Note - Never use any peanut butter containing xylitol, as this is toxic to dogs. Always check the food you are using is dog safe, and always read the ingredients.

Ingredients

• 160g flour
• 40g xylitol free peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 60ml water

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
• Mix together the flour, peanut butter and the beaten egg, then add water until you create a soft dough.
• Roll out on a floured surface and use cookie cutters to shape the treats. Using Easter egg shapes or bunny shapes can add to the Easter fun!
• Place the treats on a lined baking tray and cook for 20 minutes.

Always allow the treats to cool completely before feeding them to your dog. Store in an airtight container once cool.

You could use your baked treats for a Easter hunt for your dog (and split the treats so that your pooch doesn't eat too many at once!), or use them as part of a scent game.

4. Banana Dog Treats (Recipe: Spoiled Hounds)

You will need: Measuring cups, mixing bowl, hand mixer, mixing spoon, rolling pin,

cookie cutters, nonstick baking sheet, parchment paper or silicone baking mat (if using an aluminium baking sheet)

Ingredients

• 236g rolled oats
• 236g oat flour (you can make this by blitzing rolled oats in a food processor)
• 1 egg
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
• In a medium bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
• Blend or stir the egg and melted coconut oil into the banana mixture. Use a hand mixer or a spoon for this step.
• Add the rolled oats, oat flour and cinnamon a little at a time and combine well until a dough forms.
• Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface.
• Flatten the dough evenly with your hands or a rolling pin 
• Using a cookie cutter, cut out the dog treats and place them on a greased baking sheet or use parchment paper to cover the baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Place the baked treats on a wire rack to cool.

5. Sweet Potato Chews (Recipe: Nourish & Nestle)

You will need: A chopping board, sharp knife or a mandolin, an oven rack so that the air can circulate around each slice, and an airtight container.

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes

Instructions

• Preheat your oven.
• Scrub the sweet potatoes until they are clean.
• To soften your sweet potato and make it easier for slicing, microwave each sweet potato for 1 minute. Add 30-second increments until it is just soft enough to cut safely.
• With a knife or a mandolin, slice the sweet potato. For small dogs, cut the sweet potato into rounds, and for larger dogs, cut lengthwise.
• Cut your sweet potatoes to a thickness between 5mm - 1cm
• Place slices on a rack so that the air can circulate on all sides, leaving space between the slices.
• Place sweet potato slices in your oven to dehydrate them.
• Dehydrate at 46 C (115 F) for 10-12 hours
• Dehydrate at 57 C (135 F) for 6-8 hours
• Dehydrate at 93 C (200 F) for 2-3 hours
• Check your sweet potato chews after the shortest time period. Bear in the mind, the drier (and crunchier) they are, the longer that you can store them at room temperature.
• Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container.

NOTE:

The size of the treats you make will depend on the size of your dog, so keep a watchful eye on them whilst following the cooking guidelines above – if you make them smaller for your small dog, they will take less time to bake.

Why not pop a few homemade treats in your pocket to reward your dog for good behaviour on your walk, or use them during training sessions? Remember, however, if your pooch is on a special diet because of a medical condition, check them out with your vet first, to ensure they are safe for your pooch to eat and if you are going to share with other dogs, always check with their owner first.

Does your dog love their new Easter treats? Share and let us know! The ADAPTIL team would love to see how your Easter recipes turn out! Have a Happy Easter together with your Dog!