6 Delicious Homemade Christmas Dog Treats For Your Pup!

 

Estimate Read Time: 5 minutes

Summary:  If you're looking to spoil your dog this Christmas, look no further than this blog and learn how to whip them up some Christmas dog treats!

 

The festive period is creeping up on us all and many of us will be celebrating with our loved ones and plenty of delicious food. And, when it comes to our favourite four-legged companions, they can sometimes feel a little left out of the festive fun and yummy treats!

While you sit and enjoy your festive supper, you might find some eager puppy dog eyes beaming up at you, begging for the odd bit of food to fall on the floor… Sound familiar? Well, here at PetLab Co. we have found a way to avoid the big, glossy eyes and instead help them join in the holiday fun, too.

Take a look at these 6 irresistibly delicious homemade treats that are perfect to help your pup feel included in the festive cheer! Each recipe is quick and easy, packed with beneficial ingredients that will not only taste amazing but will support your pup’s health in more ways than one.

Banana & Coconut Bones

These yummy bites make amazing Christmas dog treats! With a simple ingredient, you can make your pooch these delicious goodies, perfect for cooling your pup down after a long walk. The banana, coconut and the sprinkle of ginger are all natural anti-inflammatories to treat your dog with gut/food sensitivities.

While the coconut and ginger will provide your pooch with important antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, helping to improve digestion, the banana will be a great source of potassium and other vitamins to support their overall health. Who knew a snack could be so healthy?

Ingredients;

• 1 banana
• ¼ teaspoon of ginger (ground)
• 120ml of melted coconut oil

Take the banana and mash up with a fork into a large mixing bowl. Add the melted coconut oil to the banana and stir the two together until blended into a doughy mixture. Sprinkle the ginger into the bowl and knead everything together.

Add the content into a silicone mould (a shape of your choosing), making sure you fill it to the top. Pop into the freezer until set and test the bites on your pooch. The flavours, texture and cooling temperature should make this treat a favourite with your furry friend! Store these bites in an airtight container in the freezer.

Sweet Potato Christmas Chips

If you have a pup that is prone to giving you the puppy dog eyes, hoping you’ll share your festive treats, then this might be the perfect homemade snack. This recipe can be enjoyed by both you and your pup! Not only can you both sit and enjoy the tasty treat together, but the health benefits it can offer your pooch are amazing, supporting their joints by adding turmeric and cinnamon.

Ingredients;

• 1 Sweet Potato
• 1 tablespoon of melted Coconut Oil
• ½ teaspoon of Turmeric
• ½ teaspoon of Cinnamon

Turn your oven up to 220°C and leave to warm up. While it is heating, wash and peel a sweet potato and cut up into festive shapes. Lay them out onto a baking tray and coat with coconut oil, turmeric, and cinnamon. Place in the oven and bake the fries for 15 minutes, take out and flip, then pop back into the oven for another 10 – 15 minutes. Once cooked, leave to cool a little before treating your pup to these tasty goodies.

Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Treats

Peanut butter is always a good ingredient to put into your festive puppy treats. Not only will the natural oils support their overall health, but the protein will give your pup an extra boost, too. (Not to mention your dog will find it irresistible!) And, if you have some leftover pumpkin from Halloween, these biscuit bites are perfect, leaving your pooch drooling for more of the nutty-pumpkin goodness.

Ingredients:

• 130g of pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 65g of peanut butter (make sure it doesn't contain xylitol!)
• 60ml of olive oil
• 300g of whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

To start, preheat your oven to 180°C and leave to get nice and hot. Grab a bowl and mix the pumpkin, peanut butter, olive oil, and eggs together. Slowly add the baking soda and flour to the bowl and stir. Once the dough starts to become stiff, knead it out, and roll with a rolling pin out flat. Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut the dough into shapes or just into circles.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge and give to your fluffy friend when you’re about to tuck into your festive dinner.

Ginger & Apple Treats

This recipe is another perfect alternative Christmas dog treat for a pup on a grain-free diet. With so many doggy biscuits made from grain, it can be hard to find a suitable one for your pooch, that’s why it might be best to make some from home – and you can add a few extra supplements to the recipe…

Ingredients;

• 65g of diced apple
• 130g of brown rice flour
• 65g of plain Greek yoghurt
• ½ tablespoon of fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

While the oven is heating at 180°C, add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir together until blended into an even mixture. Pour the contents of the bowl onto a flat surface and knead. Take a rolling pin and flatten the mixture out, until about a ¼ inch thick. Cut into your chosen shape and place on a baking tray in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the biscuits have gone golden brown. 

Gingerbread Dog Cookies

Around this time of year, ginger and cinnamon are two of the key spices we add to our food to give it the extra festive flavour – and your pup can enjoy them too in their Christmas dog treats. Why not make your favourite furry friend some gingerbread cookies for them to gobble up while you enjoy a tipple or two? They’re easy to make and you can cut them into any shape you want; a festive tree, a bone or even in the shape of a dog…

Ingredients;

• 390g whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 60ml of virgin olive oil
• 300ml of water
• 120ml of black treacle
• 1 tablespoon of fresh, chopped ginger

Turn your oven up to 180°C and leave to heat. While it is getting to the correct temperature take two large mixing bowls and in one, add water, olive oil, molasses, and honey. Take the second bowl and mix the flour, cinnamon and chopped ginger together. Once the second bowl has been mixed together evenly, slowly add to the wet first bowl – mix everything together. Once everything is smooth and even, pop the dough into the refrigerator and leave for 3 – 4 hours.

Once chilled, take from the refrigerator and roll out until ¼ inch thick. Now, take your chosen cookie cutter shape and create your cookies. Place onto a baking tray and put into the preheated oven for 10 – 15 minutes.

Christmas Candy Canes

It doesn’t just have to be humans that get to enjoy a yummy candy cane – your pup can too!

This recipe is not only tasty but will provide your dog with important antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, helping to improve digestion. Both the coconut oil and the peanut butter will offer beneficial nutrition that will promote overall health. 

Ingredients;

The Dark Dough

• 520g of whole wheat flour
• 65g of corn flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 355ml of water
• 60ml of black treacle

The Light Dough

• 520g of whole wheat flour
• 65g of corn flour
• 1 egg
• 355ml of water
• 30g of peanut butter

First things first, preheat the oven to 180°C. Take a baking tray and add some oil so that the candy canes do not stick to the metal. In a large mixing bowl, put all the ingredients for the light dough and knead together using your hands until it becomes a smooth, even dough. Next, take the ingredients for the dark dough and add it not another bowl. As the content begins to mould together, it will become sticky and feel softer than the light dough (due to the black treacle).

Now it is time to make the shapes. Take a small part of dough – about the size of a ping pong ball – and roll it out into a log shape. Try to aim for 4/5 inches long and ¼ inch thick and repeat this with both the light and dark dough until all have been used. Sprinkle some flour onto a flat surface and lay a light and a dark dough log side by side. Gently twist the two together so that you have a spiral of colour – just like a candy cane. Once you’re happy with the twist, bend the top round, forming a hook shape. Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 mins, or until the dough turns slightly golden.

Happy Holidays to all our PetLab Co. customers and their furry friends!