According to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey by the American Pet Products Association, 67 percent of U.S. households own a pet. Some of us crazies even have a mini zoo. Suffice it to say, fur babies are an important part of our society, and hold special places in our hearts. For good reason, too: according to this article from the National Institutes of Health, pet ownership has a huge benefit on our children’s emotional and social skills. There’s an answer for the next person worried about your homeschooler’s social skills! (Haha — I know you fellow homeschool moms get that joke!)
With three dogs living at our house currently, we go through lots of treats! I’ve been wanting to come up with a healthy dog biscuit recipe we could whip up and have on hand for awhile now. I think I’ve finally done it, and invented a keeper my dogs adore. Not only is it healthy and beneficial, but it’s simple … SCORE!
NOTE: I am not a veterinarian, and am NOT recommending you feed these treats in lieu of taking a pet to regular office visits, but you might ask if they can benefit your dog.
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups whole wheat flour — I grind my own organic hard red spring wheat berries — or the flour of your choice. If you’d like to avoid wheat altogether, I’ve been toying with another idea I’ve yet to try: blending rolled oats into a powder, and substituting the oat flour for at least some (if not all) of the wheat flour, which would probably make for a nice shiny dog coat for your furry friend, as well.
- ½ cup unbleached white flour
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky, I used smooth; I recommend a sugar free variety but it’s crucial to avoid Xylitol, which is used in some specialty brands of peanut butter and is highly — often fatally — toxic to dogs)
- ½ cup black strap molasses (which contains: vitamin-B6, copper, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, selenium.) Fights osteoporosis by promoting healthy bones, may fight tumors and strengthen the heart, and has even been known to help a dog’s arthritis, and joint-related problems. (Again, I am NOT recommending you feed these treats in lieu of taking your pet to regular veterinary care.)
- 1 cup milk
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375° F. Mix flour and baking powder before adding the milk, peanut butter, and molasses. 
Stir everything together and turn out onto a floured counter (or my favorite, a silicone mat). Lightly knead with your hands making sure everything is well combined. Separate into two balls, working with one at a time roll the dough into an even ¼ inch strip. 
Using whatever type of small, simple shaped cookie cutters you might have cut out your dog biscuits. Or check out this inexpensive dog bone cookie cutter set on Amazon. Simply place the cut-out dog treats on your baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden. Time will vary slightly depending on the size of treat you make. 
Cool the dog treats completely and store in a typical cookie-jar type container or any other cool, dry place for up to 3 weeks. 
This makes a good amount of treats; if you think you have more than you can use in that amount of time, you can seal and refrigerate (or even freeze) a portion of the finished treats until needed.
Enjoy this post? Read more by Bridgitt HERE.
We hope you’ll visit their website to explore A Reason For’s excellent scripture-based resources
for Science, Spelling, Guided Reading, and Handwriting!
