Growing up, I was never really much of a dog person. We had this toy poodle named Ginger but she was mainly my mother’s dog. When she passed away on the day of my sister’s wedding, I remember watching my mother and seeing how sad she was, but I didn’t really understand. I felt bad for her, but never gave much thought to how much the small dog must have meant to her. It wasn’t until Justin and I got Frankie (our Boston Terrier) that I ever considered what kind of bond a dog and a human can really have. We’d been dating for only seven months when we decided to see how well we could raise a puppy together. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only did I see how well Justin and I could work together, but I fell madly in love with this little creature who seemed to love me back unconditionally.
We got really lucky with him and over the last three years, Frankie has been extremely healthy (aside from a few common pup problems). But a few weeks ago, I noticed that he kept abruptly shaking his head and trying to scratch at his ears. The vet informed us that Frankie most likely had an allergy to one of the treats that he eats. My heart sank at the thought that I may have been feeding something to my precious puppy that was causing him pain or grief. So off I went on a mission to find something that I could make for him myself! I found this organic pumpkin “cookie” recipe that came out just perfect! I altered the bake time so that the cookie was more chewy than hard (Frankie is annoyingly picky with his treats) and he loooooooves these things. And I love knowing that I am only giving him the best! So show your pup some love and bake up a batch of these bad boys. You’ll be so happy you did.
Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats
Yield 36 biscuits
Recipe from Cesar Millan at CesarsWay.com.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic canned pumpkin
- 4 tablespoons molasses
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the pumpkin, molasses, vegetable oil, and water together in a bowl.
- Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon to the mixture and stir until the dough softens.
- Scoop out small spoonfuls of dough {about 1 inch wide} and roll them into balls with your hands {wet hands work best}.
- Set the balls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and flatten them with a fork.
- For hard treats, bake for approximately 25 minutes. For softer, “pull-apart,” chewy treats, bake for 10 minutes.
Notes
Storage:Your treats can last for at least 2 months in the refrigerator or 8 months in the freezer. Just make sure to seal them in an airtight container.