Odie's Kitchen

Sometimes I just pretend that I know what I'm doing, so I get in the kitchen and make treats for Odie. I already mentioned in one entry that I'm trying to stay away from store-bought treats because going through the ingredients list in dog treat packages can get overwhelming. I do rely on kibble for his regular meals though because I have a life somehow, and I'd rather give him away than feed him leftovers.

I went to the supermarket last week to get some ingredients for the liver bits that I usually make (recipe from teacher). However, I also looked up some sweet treat recipes online and found a really easy one, so I bought a few other things to help me get started.

SUPPLIES!!! Baking sheet, flour, crushed grahams,
peanut butter, and quick oats (around Php250, Rustans Fresh)

The peanut butter treats are really simple! I just mixed 2 cups of flour, 1 cup oats, 1/3 cup peanut butter and 1 1/4 cups hot water to make the dough. When it was cool enough to handle, I rolled it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven at 175ºC until it turned brown. I let it cool and broke them into training-sized pieces.

Peanut butter goodness to last us quite a while!

The photo above is just half the dough, so I kept the uncooked dough in the freezer for when this batch runs out. I tasted it out of curiosity and it was baked cardboard, but Odie loves it like he loves every morsel of food he encounters. I'm thinking of adding a bit more peanut butter to the next batch for my own satisfaction.

After class last Saturday, Doc let the dogs try some treats from Petz Woofery, a barkery (is that what they're called) that her friend is setting up.

Banana biscuits (Php46, Petz Woofery).
For inquiries, contact 932-3078, 0915-8795253,
or send an email to petzwoofery@gmail.com

I was given a choice between squash and banana. Odie hasn't tried squash yet, but I know he doesn't like bananas that aren't frozen so I got the banana in hopes of putting the product to the test. Oh, and because the label says it contains all-natural ingredients, I sliced a little piece for myself and tasted it. Just like my peanut butter crisps, this one also tasted like cardboard! Are dogs' taste buds THAT sensitive?

I gave Odie an entire piece that same afternoon, his prize for behaving in class and because we both just woke up from our after-training nap. He devoured it like the forever hungry puppy that he is. And since it's a big piece, he had fun with it first like he has fun with his Dentastix. With large treats that can't be consumed in one go, he would usually pick it up, spit it out, pick it up again and run around with it, toss it in the air, get really intense zoomies, and he does so until the treat softens to a more chewable state. Needless to say, he liked the treat even if it had bananas in it! I do intend to give it to him during training though and not after, so I hope it also comes in training-sized pieces so I won't have to keep slicing.

Our other classmates have been very creative in bringing treats during training, that sometimes, baking chicken liver and peanut butter crisps just wouldn't cut it. I'm definitely on the lookout for other easy peasy recipes for class on Saturday. Hopefully, I find some with like five ingredients max. I don't plan to put up a barkery of my own, I just really want to bake/cook for Odie because he's very appreciative of whatever kind of food I give him. I mean, humans eat what you cook for them but they pick on the details of the taste, the presentation, and all other factors. With dogs, you give them food and they either eat it or ditch it. That's enough to know if it's good or bad. Luckily for me, Odie appreciates every morsel of food he's given. Well, except for room temperature bananas.