In this article we share a few of our favourite dog treat recipes – pawfect for sharing with friends or as a Christmas gift for dogs. All of these recipes require little preparation and only a few ingredients. Bon appetit!

While there are a range of treat recipes that your hound will enjoy, not all of them exactly qualify as healthy treats for dogs – if you’ve ever had a fresh batch of muffins pinched off the bench (or worse, maybe a whole dinner) you know this all too well! Below are some of our favourite recipes for creating home made dog treats that not just taste delicious but are nutritionally beneficial too.

Captain Bach’s Nutritious Seaweed Biscuits for Dogs*

Kelp (or seaweed) is an extremely beneficial supplement for dogs. Packed with nutrients, Kelp is a natural superfood that provides many key vitamins and minerals whilst assisting to develop dark, shiny coats and healthy skin – see more about Kelp supplements for dogs at our recent blog post here. While Kelp is usually very palatable when re-hydrated and added to your dog’s daily meals, this recipe provides a fun alternative way to include kelp in your doggo’s diet. This recipe makes 8 large biscuits which can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container.

*We didn’t tell Bach about the nutritious bit.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 50g coconut oil 
• 100g rolled oats 
• 50g smooth peanut butter
• 1 heaped teaspoon of King Island Kelp

Method

• Melt the coconut oil and mash the banana
• Stir all ingredients together, including the King Island Kelp. The mixture should be thick and dough-like. If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of water. Alternatively, if the mixture is too watery add a small amount of extra oats.
• Turn out the mixture onto a floured board and knead into one flat slab approximately 2.5 centimetres thick.
• Use a biscuit cutter to cut out shapes or use your hands to mould the mixture into bone shapes.
• Cook at 180 degrees celsius for 10-12 mins until golden brown. Poke with a skewer to ensure that the biscuit is cooked right through – well-cooked biscuits will store better than those that are moist or undercooked.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before handling and transferring to an air-tight container (slipping one to your impeccably well-behaved doggo on the way).

Royally Delicious Beef Liver Treats

These liver treats are the bees-knees of doggo deliciousness – think foie gras (whatever that is) for canines. Beef liver is extremely high in nutrients including Omega 3s and a huge range of vitamins. For this recipe we used fresh grass-fed beef liver from Gully Road Raw (get it in the Grass Fed Beef Organs Pack here). Hoomans, please note: preparation of this recipe is not for the faint hearted. While the silky brown batter might be reminiscent of baking a lush chocolate cake, we strongly urge you to resist any temptation to lick the spoon…

Broken into smaller pieces these little liver treato tasties make the perfect training treats. However, if you would like to skip the offal aroma in your kitchen you can always opt for our Grass Fed Beef Liver Jerky instead. If you’re a committed hoo-mum or dad dedicated to the best-ever treato cause, read on!

Ingredients

• 500g raw beef liver, rinsed
• 2 cups plain wholemeal flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup water

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius
• Place liver in a blender and blend until smooth
• Pour into a large mixing bowl, add egg, flour and water then stir until well mixed
• Pour onto greased slice tin or baking tray at least 3cm deep (the mixture will rise very little)
• Bake for 30 minutes
• Remove the tray from the oven and score the treats into your preferred size
• Turn the oven off and return the tray to the warm oven to cool slowly – this will allow the treats to harden nicely
• Once cool, cut the treats along the scored lines and divide into individual pieces.
• Refrigerate treats in an air-tight container. These treats last for 4–5 days if stored correctly and any excess can be frozen for use at a later time

Pumpkin Gelatin Gummies

Gully Road’s natural dog treats might be udderly delicious (the stinkier the better) but some items in the range of dog treats online at our store aren’t always the most attractive specimens (think Beef Bunts and Weenie Peenies). These tasty AND pretty little morsels are a great dog snack for anytime and make the ultimate summer treat if served frozen. With only three ingredients these treatos are easy to prepare and provide a simple way to include gelatin (high in collagen for healthy joints) in your doggo’s diet.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cool water
• 3 tablespoons of Gelatin Powder
• 1/2 cup of cooked pureed pumpkin

If you would prefer to use less pumpkin you can, just keep the total liquid or puree ratio to 1 cup per 3 tablespoons of gelatin.

Method

• Place water in a large pan (the greater surface area the easier to combine)
• Sprinkle the surface with the gelatin powder
• Let the water & gelatin sit for at least five minutes to allow the gelatin powder to bloom and create a gel 
• After five minutes, gently stir the mixture over very low heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Take care not to overheat as this can reduce the setting strength of the gelatin 
• Remove from heat
• Measure the pumpkin puree into a large jug and stir with the gelatin mixture to thoroughly combine
• Pour into a tray or mould and chill to set. 

For individual treats pour the mixture into an ice tray or mould, or alternatively place the entire mixture in one glass tray and slice into individual portions once set. These pumpkin jellies last for approximately a week if kept in the fridge.

Sweet Potato and Kelp Chips

Next time you’re preparing some nibbles for your hooman furriends, serve up a platter of these chips for your doggo VIPs (pair with mince meat for the ultimate chip and dip). We talked a little about the benefits of Kelp earlier in this article and this dog treat recipe is a fun way to include this supaw awesome supplement in your doggo’s diet.

Ingredients

• 2 Sweet Potatoes
• 4 Tablespoons of King Island Kelp Powder
• 1/4 cup Sunflower Oil

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius
• Peel the sweet potatoes and (using a mandolin) very carefully slice sweet potatoes into the thinnest circles possible
• Pat the slices dry with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. These can also be placed uncovered in the fridge ahead of time which will result in a more crispy and long lasting chip.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread sweet potato slices onto a single layer (make sure that they don’t overlap.)
• Drizzle the slices with sunflower oil.
• Bake sliced sweet potatoes for roughly 10 minutes then remove them from the oven, flip the slices over to the other side and bake for another 10 minutes. They should come out nice and crisp. Set aside to cool slightly.
• After chips have cooled toss them in a bowl while sprinkling them with the Kelp Powder.
• These chips will keep fresh for 2-3 days in an airtight container

Below is a short summary of the supplements that we used in these treats;

Gelatin

Gelatin is created by cooking grass-feed beef bones and cartilage to create a high-collagen extract. Gelatin powder provides the necessary nutrients for cartilage growth and development, especially in the joints and ears. Aiding this growth and maintenance of cells can help prevent arthritis in dogs as well as other common degenerative joint disorders and diseases. Similarly, collagen supplements help to strengthen tendons, ligaments, muscles and bones as well as supporting new cell growth (particularly in blood cells). Gelatin also has benefits for gut health and digestion. Outwardly, the benefits of gelatin supplements for dogs can be seen in a healthy, shiny coat and good skin as well as increased alertness and energy

King Island Kelp

Kelp (or seaweed) is jam packed full of nutrients and is natural superfood for dogs. Sourced from the pristine waters of King Island in Tasmania, this supplement provides many benefits and contains over 60 vitamins & minerals as well as 21 amino acids. The bio-available nutrients in kelp provide metabolic support within the body while the amino acids assist in speedy and effective tissue repair. Being high in Omega-3 fatty acids, kelp is also helpful in reducing joint pain & inflammation. Outwardly, kelp promotes the growth of a darker, thicker and shinier coat and dogs are found to be less attractive to fleas and flies after an extended period of supplementation (three weeks or more of daily feeding).

Gully Road for Dogs

Gully Road enables our friends to buy dog treats online, fresh from our farm to your doggo’s treat jar. We source all of our natural dog treats carefully to ensure that they are produced with the highest standards of animal welfare as the highest priority. We stock a range of grass fed beef dog treats, seafood products, dog supplements and wild rabbit for dogs. Gully Road proudly delivers ethical dog treats Australia-wide from our little farm in Western Victoria.