Dog Treat Recipes for Christmas

Dog owners feel, as you do, that their pet is another member of the family. When Christmas rolls around, your dog deserves a special treat to celebrate the season. Make some healthy homemade treats for your dog this year. And, while you are at it, make some extra as gifts for your friends who love their dogs.

  1. Cookie Cutters

    • Dog treats don't have to be shaped like bones, but they can be. Actually, dog bone cutters come in many sizes. Choose the size that will be the easiest for your dog to eat. If you already have a drawer full of cookie cutters, pull them out and see what shapes you can make. Gingerbread men, Christmas trees, snowflakes and snowmen will all make cute dog treats for Christmas. Don't be concerned that someone might mistake the treats for human food. All ingredients in the following recipe are human-grade.

    Treat Recipe

    • Mix 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ cup whole wheat flour, ¼ cup cracked wheat, 1/8 cup dry milk and ½ teaspoon salt. Add ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon raw honey, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 beaten egg and 1 capsule of vitamin E. Poke a hole in the capsule and drain the oil out. The vitamin E acts as a preservative that will keep your dog treats fresh. Mix well. When it gets too hard to mix with a spoon, use your hands to work the dough into a ball. Roll the dough out onto a floured work surface to ¼ inch thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutters and place the dog treats on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake the dog treats in a preheated 300-degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes.

      When all the batches of dog treats are cooked, pile them all on one cookie sheet and leave them in the oven at 175 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. This will remove the moisture, which will allow you to keep the dog treats in your cupboard shelf rather than in the refrigerator.

      You may change out the ingredients to this basic recipe to create your own signature dog treat recipe. Replace the olive oil with peanut butter or flax seed oil. Replace the cracked wheat with flax seeds, sunflower seeds, cornmeal, crushed pumpkin seeds or liver powder. Replace the honey with molasses.

    Packaging

    • Package your homemade dog treats as nicely as you would a gift for a friend, especially if it is to be given to a friend's dog. Discount stores carry empty Christmas-themed tins during the holiday season. These are lovely to fill with dog treats, but just so your friend will know who they are for, take a picture of his pet with your digital camera. Print out the picture on your computer, with the dog's name above it. Use a decoupage medium (found in craft stores) to glue and seal the top of the picture to the tin.