Here’s A Recipe For An Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Treat That Will Set Your Dog’s Tail Wagging!It’s easy to feed your dog exclusively out of packages and cans that you buy at a store. Most people do. It’s pretty standard. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. After all, if you want to take control of your diet, you would hit the kitchen and make some healthy meals. Your dog deserves the same respect and fortunately there are plenty of recipes out there for homemade food and treats that are just as delicious as they are nutritious. While that may sound daunting, it really isn’t. Making treats for your pup can be fun and easy. All it takes is the right recipe. Like this one!Dogs flip out for peanut butter. That’s a fact and it’s easy to see why. After all, what’s not to love about peanut butter? It’s tasty, it sticks to the roof of your mouth, and it’s full of nom nom nom goodness. Give your dog a treat with peanut butter and watch the joy splash across their face. A peanut butter treat is an excellent way to make your dog’s day. Best of all? Peanut butter is healthy. It is full to the brim of all the wholesome, important nutrients and vitamins dogs need. It has Vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, iron, and Vitamin B6. And research shows that people who eat peanut butter regularly are less prone to develop heart disease and diabetes. The same must go for doggos, right? There is no reason not to include a bit of that peanuty good stuff in their diet too. The only trouble is that so many of them are pretty difficult to make.If you’re like me, you don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen, but you still always want to bake your pooch up some yummy treats he’d learn a new trick for. When we came across the Easy-Peasy Peanut Butter Dog Treats Recipe, we knew it was right up our alley (in regards to skill level). We tested this one out on our happy little test pup, Oscar, and he couldn’t get enough of them. Clearly dogs love these treats, but their humans should like them too because they are easy to make and are packed full of healthy ingredients. What’s not to love? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You and your dog need this in your lives immediately. So, what are you waiting for? Keep on reading and make this treats asap!An easy-to-make treat your dog will love!Easy-Peasy Peanut Butter Dog Treats (this recipe makes about 3 dozen)You will need the following ingredients to make your dog’s day:2 cups whole wheat flour1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/3 cup smooth natural or even organic peanut butter1 cup hot water (or 1 cup skim milk)Optional: 1 egg (Oscar loves eggs, so I put one in. It makes him happy, plus it’s awesome for a shiny coat)Next, follow these six easy steps:1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) 2. Thoroughly mix together the flour and baking powder in a big bowl.3. In a separate bowl, mix together the peanut butter and the hot water (or skim milk) until smooth. Slowly add in the dry mixture and mix it all together well. Add a little more water or milk if the dough is too dry, or flour if it’s too wet. Eventually you’ll find a happy balance.4. Place the mixture onto your counter (put down a little flour for ease) and roll it all out to a 1/4″ thickness.5. Cut the mix with a cookie cutter (choose the shapes of your choice!) and place it all on a cookie sheet.6. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Let it all cool, and then let the begging begin! Your pup will go crazy once he realizes that you’re baking just for him!A Few Extra Tips for Making Your Own Homemade Dog TreatsIf you are new to making dog treats at home, this is a great recipe to start with. As you can see, it is really easy, and there aren’t a lot of ingredients involved. Trust me, not all homemade dog treats are like that. Some recipes will even make experience chefs sweat a little bit. However, once you get the hang of things, you can experiment with making a wider range of dog treat recipes to give your dog even more flavors to enjoy. It’s amazing how many dog treat recipes are out there. This could be a whole new world to explore with your pup!Speaking of flavors that your dog will enjoy, you can even take any recipe and tweak its ingredients to suit your pooch’s flavor preferences. For example, you can substitute ingredients that you know your dog doesn’t like for other healthy options. Some examples of healthy dog treat ingredients include rolled oats, oat flour, rye flour, chickpea flour, kelp, unsweetened apple sauce, blueberries, baby food, low-sodium broth, canned pumpkin, sweet potato, banana, mashed potato or mashed sweet potato, kale, apple cider vinegar, cheddar cheese, flaxseeds, fish oil, carrots, and yogurt. Whew! That’s a lot, huh? It’s amazing how many healthy options are out there for dogs. So feel free to experiment and find out what your dog loves the most. Or, you could even come up with your own original recipes using these ingredients! The possibilities are almost endless! Just don’t go too wild when trying to concoct a dog-friendly recipe your pooch will love. Experiments can often go awry, so stick to the proven stuff! Changing out ingredients is also necessary if your canine companion suffers from any food allergies or if he has an intolerance to certain ingredients. As an example, using chickpea flour is a great way to take out any wheat that your dog might be allergic to. Or, if your pooch doesn’t feel too good after having dairy, you could opt for oat milk instead of regular milk. It all depends on your pooch. Don’t stress if they have allergies because there are so many healthy options available. Eventually you’ll find something that they love.Remember, there are ingredients that are toxic to dogs, so you should never use them in any of your dog treat recipes. Those include raisins and grapes, as well as chocolate, artificial colors and sweeteners, macadamia nuts, nutmeg, xylitol, and baby food that contains garlic or onions. Avoid these ingredients at all costs, no matter how much you love them yourself. Your dog may take on plenty of your habits, but diet certainly shouldn’t be one of them!When you have extra treats that you want to store away, allow them to cool completely first. If your treats don’t contain any meat ingredients, you can just place them in an airtight container. Stored properly, they might last a couple of weeks if kept at room temperature. However, if you’ve made treats that contain meat or treats that are moist, you should store them in your refrigerator. Even then, they might only last a week. So be careful! Just because your doggo will happy scarf down spoiled treats doesn’t mean that his little body will appreciate it!Why Bother Making Your Own Dog Treats? Don’t They Sell Those In Stores?Yes, there are plenty of dog treats available in stores. In fact, there are hundreds of them: small, large, good, bad, tasty, awful, cheap, expensive. However, that doesn’t mean that your dog doesn’t deserve some home cooked food just like his humans! Sure, making your own dog treats at home can be a bit time-consuming, but it’s amazing just how many advantages there are to giving your dog some homemade treats rather than simply relying on store bought ones. There are so many reasons why more and more pet parents are taking charge and setting aside some time to make food for their beloved canine companions. It is fun, it is healthy, and it is rewarding for everyone. No reason not to try it!Put simply, it can be hard to find high quality dog treats that don’t contain any artificial ingredients or low quality ingredients that you don’t want your dog to have on a regular basis. Treat manufacturers fill treats with crap that you would never feed your dog if even the choice. And give your pooch to many of these, and they can soon start getting a bit chubby all over. That is never good, is it? When you bake your own treats at home, you’ll be in total control over what goes into your dog’s food, and that can help you rest easily. Especially if your dog has a sensitive tummy or he suffers from allergies. In that case, it’s always best to take control of your pup’s diet.Of course, there is also the economic factor involved. Sometimes, those tastiest doggo treats with the cleanest, natural ingredients can put quite a dent in your monthly budget. Skipping one such purchase and making these tasty DIY treats instead can leave you with a nice monthly bonus in the budget. Still, this is not an invitation to skimp out and never buy anything nice for your pet. Homemade dog treats are also great when you are beginning training. If you know that your pupper has an affinity for these delicious peanut butter dog treats, then you should certainly utilize them as a positive reinforcement during training. Just watch as the good results come pouring in! Benefits of Peanut Butter for DogsNot only do most dogs find peanut butter to be an irresistible flavor, but it also offers several nutritional benefits. This makes it a win/win situation for everyone involved! Peanut butter is a great source of protein, which is an essential part of any dog’s diet. It’s also high in fiber, vitamin B, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and healthy fatty acids. It is good for humans, it is good for dogs – it’s good all around. Why not use those benefits to everyone’s gain?Benefits of peanut butter include:Improve the health of skin, coat, bones, teeth, and nailsBoost immune systemPrevent or address arthritisIncrease brain functionSpeed up bowel movementsDecrease the chances of diarrhea or constipationAssist with the creation and distribution of enzymes, antibodies, and hormonesProvide a boost in energyReduce the negative impact of free radicalsOf course, peanut butter isn’t a balanced diet on its own. Feed your dog a high quality, well balanced diet, and the peanut butter treats will be an added nutritional bonus. Remember that a balanced diet needs plenty of diverse foods and nutrients, such as proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and many other goodies. Peanut butter alone cannot fulfill all that, so don’t think of it as some almighty wonder food. It’s good – but not that good. Beware of XylitolWhen shopping for peanut butter to make treats for your dog, you need to read the label carefully. Some brands of peanut butter contain xylitol which is highly toxic. If your dog does ingest peanut butter (or any other food) with xylitol, it can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), liver damage, or seizures. In the most severe cases of xylitol poisoning, ingestion can be fatal. If you suspect your dog may have ingested xylitol, take them to the emergency veterinarian as quickly as possible. The earlier they receive treatment, the better their chances of survival. Watch Out for Sneaky Secret IngredientsOften enough, mass-produced industrial peanut butter also contains other nasty additions that a lot of low quality industrial food contains that you certainly don’t want in your dog’s diet. They have emulsifiers, sodium, and many other chemicals, all meant to add taste and provide longer shelf life. Avoid these products.It is quite simple to make your own peanut butter, free from any chemicals. It might not have an extremely long shelf life, but it will still be equally tasty and last you long enough. All it takes is some unsalted peanuts that you grind down in your common mixer until it becomes that sweet tasty paste that we all know and love. You can save money and know all the while that the peanut butter you are using is as healthy as can be - without any of the nutrients being lost. What Do You and Your Dog Think?If you try your hand at this Easy-Peasy Peanut Butter Dog Treats Recipe, let us know how it goes. I used dog bone cookie cutters to make them extra cute! Upload pictures of your treats on our Facebook page or tell us how they turned out by leaving a comment down below. And if you have any suggestions on how to make this recipe better, please leave a comment!
