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Treat the special pooch in your life to a delicious and healthy homemade treat with our new Lamb & Herb Jerky Dehydrator Dog Treat recipe. It’s easy to make, you’ll know exactly what is in it and you can give your dog a homemade treat that you can feel confident in.
I never seem to make dehydrator dog treats as often in the winter as I do in the summer.
It’s not that my dogs don’t enjoy a nice homemade jerky treat during the colder month’s; they do. It’s that I just can’t stand the smell of slowly drying meat taking over the apartment. In the summer, I just toss the dehydrator out on the deck, but in the winter, it lives on the kitchen counter. Even though I love making dog treats in the dehydrator, there’s no denying that after 12 – 16 hours of persistent lamb smell, you start to wish you had maybe waltzed down to your local pet store and bought something that didn’t require you to send text messages like this to friends:
But as soon as the treats are ready and Kolchak is going absolutely bonkers over them, the smell is forgotten and I’m so glad I did it. Jerky treats are something any dog owner can make at home. They’re easy, super healthy and can be made with pretty much any type of meat you like. Our dehydrator is easily the hardest working small appliance in the house and after nearly 8 years of using it, it still works like a charm. (It’s a Nesco and you can snag one for yourself on Amazon.)
DIY Lamb & Herb Jerky Dehydrator Dog Treats
How to Make Homemade Lamb & Herb Dehydrated Dog Treats
Materials
- 4 lbs. ground lamb
- Fresh herbs like parsley, oregano, and rosemary
Instructions
- Line dehydrator trays with parchment paper.
- Mince herbs and knead into ground lamb.
- Place meat mix between two sheets of parchment and roll out to approx. 3/8" thick.
- Dog treat trick: To make the next step as easy as possible, pop the rolled out lamb onto a cookie sheet and place it in the freezer until firm, but not solid.
- Use a knife to trim the lamb into 3" x 6" pieces. Lay our pieces on dehydrator trays and dry on the highest setting for 12 - 18 hours, until the treats break "crisp" and there is no remaining moisture in the middle.
- Preheat oven to 275F and layout treats on a baking sheet. "Blast" them in the oven for 15 minutes to kill off all bacteria.
Notes
Store fully dehydrated jerky treats for dogs in an airtight container in a cool dark place for 2 – 3 weeks. For longer-lasting storage, you can freeze for up to 3 months. I prefer to vacuum seal treats going into my freezer to preserve their best quality.
That’s it! It’s almost too easy to make tasty, healthy DIY Dehydrator dog treats at home.
You can even experiment with adding other dog-friendly herbs like mint. Have you ever made homemade dog trats for your pooch? What did you make? Did they love it like mine do?