How To Make Pumpkin Dog Treats Your Pooch Will Love

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We love our dogs; but they can be phenomenally expensive to care for. They love to eat, the toys they rip up so easily cost money, and the emergency vet visits whenever they eat something strange on a walk can be costly. When it comes to training, paying for a constant supply of treats can really add up; yet treats are key to training and rewarding our pups. Pumpkin dog treats are a particularly healthy and delicious way of showing our dogs we care, but they can easily cost as much per ounce as the finest fresh meats at the grocery store butcher counter.

Can you make your own pumpkin dog treats at home? It turns out you can, and the results are a delicious snack your dog will love and that will fill your house with good smells. It’s also a lot cheaper to make your pumpkin dog treats than buy treats at the pet store, so there’s really no reason not to go for it!

Why Pumpkin Dog Treats?

You might be wondering why you’d want to make pumpkin dog treats in the first place. There are some fairly compelling reasons your pupper’s snacks should be made of pumpkin:

It’s Cheap

Dogs love pumpkin, but they also love liver, chicken, and all kinds of delicious foods. Pumpkin treats are a lot friendlier to your wallet than most.

It’s Low Calorie

If your dog loves treats and you don’t have the heart to say no, or need them for training, switching from higher calorie treats to pumpkin can help with weight management issues.

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It’s Good for Digestion

The fiber in pumpkin is really good for a dog’s stomach. In fact, if your dog has diarrhea, a tablespoon of pureed pumpkin often clears it right up.

It’s Nice to Smell

If you’re into making your own dog treats, there are lots of things you can try. You can slice up liver and dehydrate it or make your own chicken jerky. But honestly: do you want the kitchen to reek of liver for the next three days? No one does: pumpkin dog treats are pleasant to bake.

It’s Good for the Immune System

Pumpkin has lots of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other natural nutritional benefits that give your canine’s immune system a helpful boost.

It’s Allergy-Friendly

Like us, dogs can be allergic to certain foods. If your pup is allergy prone, that almost certainly won’t matter if you’re giving him pumpkin. It’s suitable for dogs that are allergic to fruits, grains, or even most other vegetables.

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How to Make Pumpkin Dog Treats

There are plenty of recipes to choose from, so you can experiment til you find the one your doggo loves most. We’ve listed a few of our favorites here, and once you get the hang of making them you can change up your recipe, tweaking it until it becomes your own dog’s favorite.

Pumpkin & Peanut Butter

It’s no secret that dogs adore peanut butter, so what better than combining two great tastes in one amazing treat?

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t cinnamon, ground
• 2 eggs
• 2 T peanut butter
• 1/2 C canned pumpkin

How to Make:

1. 1Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
2. 2Whisk together your dry ingredients.
3. 3Mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
4. 4When the wet ingredients are thoroughly mixed, make a small well in the middle.
5. 5Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until you have a stiff, dry dough. Add water as you go if necessary for mixing.
6. 6Roll the dough out to about 1/2 an inch thickness.
7. 7Cut the dough with a cookie cutter and lay out on a cookie sheet.
8. 8Bake your cookies until hard; about 45 minutes.

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Grain-Free Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Treats

If your doggie has some trouble digesting grains, try this simple recipe instead.

Ingredients:

• 3 C coconut flour
• 6 eggs
• 1 C coconut oil, solid
• 2 C canned pumpkin
• 1 C peanut butter

How to Make:

1. 1Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
2. 2Combine all your ingredients in one bowl, making sure that after you measure the solid oil you melt it enough to mix.
3. 3Roll out the dough 1/4 to 1/2 an inch thick.
4. 4Cut the dough with a cookie cutter and lay out on a cookie sheet.
5. 5Bake for 15 minutes or until the treats are golden around the edges.

Pumpkin & Apple Dog Treats

These are a bit different, but they are so delicious you might want to eat them yourself.

Ingredients:

• 2 C canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 2 medium apples, any type
• 9 C dry oatmeal

How to Make:

1. 1Preheat your oven to 400 F (205 C).
2. 2With a blender, grind your oatmeal until it is very fine.
3. 3Core the apple and remove all the seeds, which are harmful to dogs in quantity
4. 4Grate the apple into a bowl with the oatmeal.
5. 5Add the pumpkin and egg, stirring until the mixture is thick and a bit sticky.
6. 6Throw ground or unground oatmeal onto your working surface and then roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick.
7. 7Cut the dough with a cookie cutter and lay out on a cookie sheet.
8. 8Bake for 15 minutes until the treats are crispy.

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Salmon Oil Summer Pumpkin Dog Treats

Salmon oil is amazing for your dog’s skin and coat, and yogurt is a superfood for doggie digestion. These no-bake frozen treats are perfect for hot summer days.

Ingredients:

• 1 C salmon oil
• 2/3 C brewers yeast
• 2 cans of pumpkin
• 2 C plain, unsweetened goat’s milk yogurt

How to Make:

1. 1Using a blender or bowl, combine your ingredients, mixing until they are completely smooth.
2. 2Pour the mixture into silicone ice cube molds of any shape. 

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1. 3Freeze the treats until completely solid: about 3-4 hours.
2. 4Store the treats in the freezer and feed whenever your dog needs something cool to nosh on.

Bacon and Pumpkin Dog Treats

Who doesn’t love bacon? Certainly not your dog.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of diced bacon
• 4 eggs
• 2 C canned pumpkin
• 6 C whole wheat flour
• 2 C dry oatmeal

How to Make:

1. 1Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
2. 2Cook your bacon, reserving the excess fat.
3. 3Beat or stir together the wet ingredients and bacon fat until they are very well combined.
4. 4Add the oats and flour gradually, stirring after each addition; but only until the dry ingredients are just combined.
5. 5Keep adding a little bit of flour at a time until you get a workable dough that isn’t too sticky.
6. 6Add the crumbled bacon and mix until it’s incorporated throughout the dough.
7. 7Knead the dough lightly until it comes together.
8. 8Roll the dough out to about 1/4 an inch.
9. 9Cut the dough with a cookie cutter and lay it out on a cookie sheet.
10. 10Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are golden and the biscuits are crispy.

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Pumpkin Carrot Treats

These are very inexpensive to make and will be a big hit with Fido.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C shredded carrot
• 1 1/2 C canned pumpkin
• 2 C whole wheat flour

How to Make:

1. 1Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
2. 2Stir together the wet ingredients until combined.
3. 3Add the carrots until thoroughly incorporated.
4. 4Add the flour a bit at a time until you get a workable dough.
5. 5Roll the batter into balls and put them on a cookie sheet.
6. 6Bake about 35 minutes until the treats are crispy and golden.

Summer Pumpkin Popsicles

These aren’t dog treats per se, but they are a treat, and your dog will love cooling down with one on a hot summer’s day.

Ingredients:

• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 strip of cooked, crumbled bacon
• 1 C water
• 1 C fresh, small blueberries
• Rawhide sticks

How to Make:

1. 1Combine the water, pumpkin, and bacon until very smooth.
2. 2Put a few blueberries into the bottom of a silicon popsicle mold. 

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1. 3Pour the water and pumpkin mixture into the mold.
2. 4Add a rawhide stick and freeze.
3. 5Serve whenever your dog is hot!

Tips and Tricks

Use Natural Peanut Butter

When you make your peanut butter treats, be sure to use only natural peanut butter with as few additives as possible. This will be safest for your dog and will also protect your pooch from Xylitol: a sugar substitute that humans can eat but which is toxic to dogs. Look out for Xylitol in anything sweet, and particularly gums and candy.

Use Pure Canned Pumpkin

Sometimes you can find pumpkin pie filling in a can. While this might make things easier at Thanksgiving, it’s not what you want for your pumpkin dog treats. Be sure to get plain canned pumpkin.

Store Treats Airtight

To keep your treats fresh for as long as possible, be sure to keep them in an airtight container unless they need to stay in the freezer. They should stay fresh for about a month in an airtight container, and you can preserve them a bit longer by keeping that container in the refrigerator.

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Take It Easy on the Bacon

Dogs need protein more than they need fat, and pig fat in particular can be hard on your dog’s digestive system. A bit of bacon is fine, but too much bacon can cause all kinds of gastrointestinal distress for your canine; and other types of distress for you!

Be Cautious of Human Food

Dogs can eat a lot of things that we can eat, including pumpkin and peanut butter. That doesn’t mean they can eat everything we can, however. As you experiment with these recipes, bear in mind that all these foods are dangerous for your four-legged family member:

• Chocolate (particular dark chocolate)
• Coffee, tea, and anything with caffeine
• Xylitol
• Alcohol, especially wine
• Sugar
• Cow’s milk
• Macadamia nuts
• Raw onions or garlic
• Leafy greens
• Stone fruits, like apricots and cherries
• Tomatoes
• Seeds or skin of citrus fruits
• Unbaked doughs
• Apple seeds

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Watch the Calories

Just like you, your dog needs to eat treats sparingly. If you’ve given a lot of treats in a day for training purposes, it doesn’t hurt to cut back just a smidge on the food for that day. Also be mindful that too many treats can cause some diarrhea. This doesn’t necessarily mean the treats are bad for your dog’s stomach. It could just mean you’re giving too many.

Know Fido’s Dairy Tolerances

Dogs are mostly lactose intolerant as are most animals after they grow up. That said, the majority of dogs can eat goat’s milk dairy without too much issue, though it should never be a staple. Goat’s milk kefir can be great for a dog’s stomach, as well. Just take it easy with cow’s milk and cheese.

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Conclusion

Dog treats are the perfect training tool and a way to reward your dog and show how much you care. Dogs, after all, understand love more through food than through other gestures we humans might appreciate. Pumpkin dog treats are a great way to give your dog a healthy snack while accomplishing your training goals, and homemade treats are the best!