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8 Incredibly Easy Dehydrator Dog Treats That Your Dog Will Love

8 Incredibly Easy Dehydrator Dog Treats That Your Dog Will Love

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A lot of people think that it has to be a ton of work to make dog treats at home. It doesn’t have to be – not if you’re making dehydrator dog treats.

To be honest, they can be right. If you want to make the fancy stuff, like liver filled whoopie pies or intricately marbled banana carob dog cookies, then sure, it’s going to be a bit of work. What people don’t realize is that there is a really easy way to make dog treats at home without ever turning on your oven. Some of the easiest treats I make and the ones my dogs love the most are made in our countertop dehydrator.

Making homemade dehydrator dog treats can be easy as easy as slicing. Anyone can slice something right?

So today, instead of the fancy stuff, we wanted to showcase a few ridiculously easy dehydrated dog treat recipes that anyone (and I do mean ANYONE) can make in their own home.

A few things you need to know about dehydrating meat at home: in order to do so safely, it has to be cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165F for poultry, 145F for beef or fish. Some dehydrators have a “meat” setting or a temperature dial to ensure this is met. If yours doesn’t, you can cook your meat in the oven before you dry it.

1. Homemade Chicken Jerky Dog Treats

Buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts and trim off any fat.

Slice the breasts with the grain, into 1/8″ to 3/8″ thick pieces.

Layout on your dehydrator trays and dry for 3 – 12 hours (They thicker your slices, the longer they will take.)

To check if it’s done, slice a piece in half. The middle should be dry and moisture free, with the same colour throughout.

To make sure all of the bacteria has been cooked out and your homemade dog treats are safe to eat, preheat the oven to 275F, layout your chicken jerky treats on a pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Want to get a little fancier?

Try making flavoured homemade chicken jerky for dogs.

IMG_7555


2. DIY Sweet Potato Dog Chews

Scrub sweet potatoes or yams. (No need to peel them, your dog doesn’t care, so why waste the time.)

Trim off any green areas on the peel. Slice into 1/8″ to 3/8″ pieces. Layout on your dehydrator trays and dry for 3 – 12 hours. (They thicker your slices, the longer they will take.)

Sweet Potatoes are done when you can twist and flex them without the chew breaking apart or if you prefer a crunchy chew made from thinner slices when the chew breaks crisp.

To make chews that will help freshen breath, try these Mint Sweet Potato Dog Chews.

Photo credit: Doggy Dessert Chef

3. Super Easy Liver Dog Treats 

Buy your liver in any protein you like. (You don’t have to stick to the basic chicken and beef, my dogs love it when I make these from lamb or game meats).

Slice into 1/8″ to 3/8″ pieces. (Kol’s Note: You can also buy liver presliced if the thought of slicing it grosses you out.)

Layout on your dehydrator trays and dry for 3 – 12 hours. (They thicker your slices, the longer they will take.) 

The middle should be dry and moisture free, with the same colour throughout.

To make sure all of the bacteria has been cooked out and your homemade dog treats are safe to eat, preheat the oven to 275F, layout your dried liver dog treats on a pan and bake for 10 minutes

Want to be a bit different? Don’t limit yourself to liver, try making dehydrator dogs treat out of any organ meat.


4. Dried Banana Treats for Dogs

Choose firm bananas. Slice into 1/8″ to 3/8″ pieces. 

Layout on your dehydrator trays and dry for 3 – 12 hours. (They thicker your slices, the longer they will take.)

Want to kick it up a notch? Try tossing the banana pieces in melted peanut butter or coconut oil before drying.



5. Dried Green Bean Cruncher Dog Treats

Green beans are super low calorie and when they’re dried, they have a fantastic crunch that a lot of dogs love.

Cut or snap ends of beans, lay out on dehydrator trays and dry for 3 – 6 hours.

Beans are done when they snap crisply.

Want to trick your veggie hating dog into loving these treats? Dressing them with a bit of meaty treat dust can convert even the pickiest dog.

Green Bean Chicken Dehydrator Dog Treat

6. Homemade “Pupperoni” Sticks

These were some of the easiest dog treats I have ever made and some of the dog’s favourite. Buy plain, unspiced low-fat turkey sausage. (Go for the thin, regular size ones, not the crazy big ones.)

Layout the sausage on the trays and dry for 6 – 12 hours until they are flexible, but the same colour all the way through with no moisture in the centre. 

To make sure all of the bacteria has been cooked out and your homemade dog treats are safe to eat, preheat the oven to 275F, layout your dehydrated sausage dog chews on a pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Want smaller bite sized treats? Slice the sausages into 1/4″ rounds instead of leaving them whole.


7. Canned Dog Food Training Treats

For dogs with allergies or diet restrictions, finding treats can be so difficult. Taking your dogs favourite canned food and dehydrating it makes for an easy treat.

Spoon 1/4 tsp. amounts onto your dehydrator trays and dry for 6 – 8 hours.

If you’re good with a piping bag, it’s really easy to pipe small designs.

To make sure all of the bacteria has been cooked out and your homemade dog treats are safe to eat, preheat the oven to 275F, lay out your ccanned food dog cookies on a pan and bake for 10 minutes.


8. Tuna or Whitefish Chunk Dog Treats

Canned fish is my go to “holy cow this is easy” meaty treat to make when I don’t even feel like slicing.

Buy bone free canned fish, break it into chunks with your fingers and toss it onto your dehydrator trays.

Dry for 6 – 10 hours until it’s dried all the way through.

To make sure all of the bacteria has been cooked out and your homemade dog treats are safe to eat, preheat the oven to 275F, layout your crunchy tuna treats on a pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Want to kick it up a notch? Toss with dog-friendly herbs before drying.

tunaplated

Have you ever made dog treats in the dehydrator? What did you make?

 

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Amanda

Friday 1st of December 2023

This is awesome! What is the storage shelf life on these recipes?

Jodi

Sunday 10th of December 2023

Hi Amanda, It can really vary from recipe to recipe based on the fat levels and how thoroughly you dried them. General advice suggests most dehydrated foods will last 4 - 12 months, but that you can vacuum seal dehydrated meats to keep out moisture and toss them in the freezer tomake them last even longer.

Check out my post on our Essential Dehydrator tips - I've share some of my best tools and answers a lot of common questions :) https://kolchakpuggle.com/2021/01/dehydrator-dog-treat-faq.html

Cheryl

Sunday 26th of November 2023

Where the heck can I buy plain, unseasoned turkey or chicken sausages? I have never seen unseasoned sausage before. Is there a brand name I can search? Thanks in advance!

Jodi

Sunday 10th of December 2023

I'm so sorry to hear that! I get mine at my local grocery chain packed in meat trays and labelled as Plain Ground Sausage. It's already mixed with water and bread crumb to give it that classic sausage texture, but it's unseasoned, so there's no onion powder or herbs in it. If you can't find them locally, Then there are a couple of small retailers that sell them online, like Zettner farms or you can do something similar by taking plain ground pork and drying it in pieces. Good luck!

Homemade Pet Food: How To Make Dehydrated Dog Treats

Tuesday 23rd of May 2023

[…] Green Bean Crunchers: These crunchy green beans are super easy and come with a great hack for getting your dog to eat more veggies: coat them in some meat dust. […]

Nicholine

Tuesday 7th of February 2023

I do apple slices and sweet peppers in the dehydrator for my dog and he loves them, I also get talapia and slice it thin and make treats. He knows when I am making treats and checks the dehydrator often to see if they're done. He is a very smart German Shepard!

Jodi & Kolchak

Sunday 12th of February 2023

Kolchak absolutely loves sweet peppers! That is such a good idea!

Pauline

Thursday 10th of February 2022

Just bought my first dehydrator, mainly as I worry what’s in commercial dog treats. So grateful for all those recipes and hints. Will be trying them all for sure!

Jodi & Kolchak

Sunday 13th of February 2022

I'm so excited for you! Have fun and let me know if you have any questions :)

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