While most of us buy our dogs the highest quality of food we can afford, we often come up short when it comes to treats. Many of the popular brands of dog biscuits contain added salt, sugar, preservatives, and artificial colors, all of which are both nutritionally questionable and unnecessary. For example, since dogs do not perceive colors like we do the addition of green or red coloring to the "vegetable" or "bacon" biscuits is more for our own aesthetic benefit than our dog’s. In fact, simply giving our dogs two or three "junk food" biscuits a day can negate the health benefits gained by eating a good diet.

So, what is an owner to do? Fortunately, there are alternatives to commercial dog treats. The Monks of New Skete, famous for their dog training methods, recommend giving your dog an ice cube. They have found that while some dogs will simply watch the ice melt on your carpet, many love the coldness and the crunch. This calorie free treat is readily available at virtually no cost. Many dogs also enjoy chomping on a carrot stick, which is both low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals.

If you enjoy baking, you can try making your own dog biscuits. This way your dog still gets to enjoy his cookies, and since you are controlling the ingredients, you can rest assured that your best friend is getting a high-quality, nutritional snack. The following is a recipe sure to please your dog:

Best Friend Biscuits
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup BioNatures Vita Flax
½ cup non-fat or whole milk powder
6 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 egg
½ cup cold water

Any or all of the following, to taste: grated cheddar cheese, garlic powder, chicken bouillon, liver powder, dried soup greens, nutritional yeast.

Combine all ingredients until they form a firm ball, adding more water if extra moisture is needed. Knead for 3 minutes. Roll dough to ¼ to ½ inch thick, and use either a knife or cookie cutters to cut dough into shapes (great varieties of cookie cutters are available, including dog bones, fire hydrants, birds, rabbits, and squirrels!). Bake biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until very hard and crunchy.

These biscuits can be kept for several days, or frozen for longer storage. Your dog might even enjoy a biscuit straight from the freezer. If spoiling is ever a problem (for the biscuits, not the dog!) try squeezing the contents of a vitamin E capsule into the dough before baking to act as a natural preservative.

Just about the best treat we can give our dogs is praise and a good scratch behind the ears. But when opting for a snack to reward good behavior or just for fun, it is nice to know we have some healthy choices that will contribute not only to our dog’s dental health, but to his overall health as well.

References:
Mindell, Earl, Nutrition and Health for Dogs, 1998, pp. 21-23

Monks of New Skete, How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend, 1978, pp. 38-39, 52