Dog Treat Storage + a Bonus Treat Recipe

Like many pet owners, our puppy, Mando, is like a member of our family. I continue to call him a puppy even though he's 16 months old... but to me, he's still a maturing boy. :) While the Mister and I don't adhere to an organic or all natural diet all the time, we do try to watch what we eat and attempt to limit the amount of processed foods we consume. Because Mando is a full-fledged family member, I try to limit his intake of processed or unhealthy foods as much I can as well.

The main way I regulate this is by making his dog treats myself. They are super easy, less expensive, he loves them, and I know exactly what is in them. Up until now, I've stored his treats in a variety of ways including a paper bag, a plastic zip-lock bag, and an airtight storage container. The airtight container allowed them to grow mold rather quickly because it locked in all their moisture. The paper bag seems to regulate the mold growth a little better but a paper or plastic bag on the counter is blah. Besides, Mando deserves a cute treat container to go with his awesome dog food container, don't you think?!

I thought I'd share my easy project of creating a treat container for his yummy treats, and why not include the recipe in case any of you are looking for easy, natural treats for your furry family members as well.

I've made two different versions of dog treats, but this one shared by Dog-Milk.com is by far the easiest.

• 2 Cups 100% organic whole wheat flour (I use brown rice flour which makes them a bit more crunchy and promotes healthy digestion in dogs)
• 8 oz. of pureed natural or organic baby food (beef, sweet potato, chicken, etc).

That's it! Combine the flour and the baby food to create a thick dough. 

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. 

Use cookie cutters to cut out specific shapes or a pizza cutter to make cubes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the treats. They can be pretty close together as they don't expand much. 

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.Allow them to cool before putting them in your chosen storage container. An airtight container will keep them softer but will allow mold growth within a short time period. This recipe made me about 7 dozen 1-inch square treats. I like to keep the bulk of the treats in the freezer leaving only enough for about a week out on the counter. This extends their shelf life by a lot. And sometimes, Mando likes a nice frozen treat too.

The flavor possibilities of these treats are endless and you could mix and match flavors to switch it up even more. Just be sure that the baby food you use doesn't contain any ingredients harmful to dogs like onion, garlic, etc. For a list of foods toxic to dogs, check here. 

As for my storage project, I found this cute little jar at the Salvation Army for $1.99.

With a good washing, it was good as new. I cut out some vinyl letters on my Cricut using two different fonts and adhered them to the glass container. 

Then I filled it with treats and let it sit out on the counter. Cute, simple, and effective. That's how I like to organize!

Do you have a recipe for your pet's treats? How about a cute storage solution?