Holiday Inspired Treats for Your Puppy!

There’s nothing like receiving something warm and hand-baked as a holiday surprise! These treats are sure to be the perfect stocking stuffer for your puppy or a puppy owner in your life!

@dogsofcharmcity

@dogsofcharmcity

Gift the gift a savory treat to the pup in your life! These adorable holiday puppy treats are the perfect stocking stuffer and gift to hand out to any pup owners in your life. Each is packed with flavors pups love like apple, sweet potato, and peanut butter! The best part is, they’re healthy and easy to bake up using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry!

Applesauce and Oatmeal Holiday Cookies

@kikis_canine_kitchen

@kikis_canine_kitchen

What puppy doesn’t love apple? Apples, oat flour, and coconut are all healthy gut-friendly foods that can also be found in brands sold in stores. These holiday treats are super quick and easy to make the day-of or they can be stored for days ahead of the holidays. And the best part is, you can save this dough for up to three months in the freezer and use it to make more holiday treats later on in the year!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (you can substitute with oat flour)

2 cups rolled oat flour

2 eggs

2 tbs melted coconut oil

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 Tbsp Vanilla extract

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF

  • Combine all ingredients in a food processor or stand mixer. Add flour as necessary until dough is no longer sticky and is ready to roll out.

  • For the different colored dough, divide into separate bowls and add natural food coloring.

  • Keep the dough covered to prevent drying between batches. You can rehydrate dough with a little coconut oil as needed.

  • Bake them for 20 minutes.

Gingerbread Dog Christmas Treats

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More cookies, please! Here’s another easy and quick recipe that you can whip up for your puppy. And if you have more than one pup you’re looking to give out holiday treats too, you can easily double (even triple!) this recipe! While this recipe does contain all-purpose flour, you can substitute it with oat flour. As always when you’re thinking of changing or adding something to your pup’s regular diet, ask your veterinarian for their input!

Ingredients:

1 cup molasses

4 tablespoons honey

1 cup of water

½ cup of vegetable oil

6 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger or one tsp. of dried powder ginger

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF degrees. You will need two bowls, one medium, and one large.  

  • Combine the molasses, honey, water, and oil in the medium bowl. In the large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger. Then you will want to slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. 

  • Divide this dough into four balls, wrap each ball in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 - 5 hours, or you can freeze them for 1 - 2 hours (just don't let them get solid!) After the dough is cold, lightly flour your surface and roll the dough out to about 1/4" thickness.  

  • Cut the dough out into fun shapes, such as Gingerbread men, with a cookie-cutter.  You can also just use a pizza cutter and make the cookies into squares and strips, depending on what you want to do.

  • Bake for around 20 - 25 Minutes, until the cookies start to get brown. You can take one out and break it to see how crunchy it is.  If you want it really crunchy, then you will want to bake them longer.

Optional:

Frost these cookies using melted Yogurt Chips, and add a bit of food coloring, or you can use a small amount of white chocolate melting discs (does not contain cocoa), and add food coloring.

Homemade Holiday Sweet Potato and Peanut Butter Cookies!

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Sweet potato and peanut butter - talk about mouth-watering! Your puppy will literally drool over these holiday treats. Just like the other two recipes that we featured before, these treats are easy to put whip up and are totally healthy for puppies. A quick reminder, this recipe calls for fresh sweet potato for good reason! Pie purees that come in a can already feature preserving additives and spices that aren’t safe for your puppy. 

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh sweet potato, pureed 

1 egg

1/2 cup oats

3 cups whole wheat flour

3 Tbsp of all-natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 salt, optional

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.

  • Peel and cube two medium sweet potatoes and bring to a boil in a pot of water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer approximately 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain cooked potatoes and puree using a blender or food processor.

  • In a small bowl, stir together the flour, oats, and cinnamon.

  • In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg, sweet potato, and peanut butter until combined. Stir wet ingredients into the dry ones.

  • Pour onto a floured surface and roll dough out to 1/4 - 3/8 thick. Cut out using Christmas cookie cutter. The dough will be a little sticky, dust your hands and the rolling pin with a little flour to help!

  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. 

  • Place on cooling racks and let them cool thoroughly and they will harden as they cool.

A Holiday Treat Tip for Owners!

Holiday treats are such a sweet way to give your puppy something extra special! But they’re exactly as the name says, treats, and they shouldn’t replace your puppy’s regular food. The ingredients featured in these recipes are safe and healthy for puppies to consume however if your puppy does have food allergies, consult with your vet if you’re considering giving them any homemade holiday treat. 

And as a quick reminder, as this is the season of giving, consider the pups in shelters still waiting on their forever home. If you happen to make a few extra batches of holiday treats, contact your local shelter about bringing some goodies to the pups!

Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: All of these recipes are curated and not our own. The original recipes are curated courtesy of www.rover.com, www.gonetothesnowdogs.com, and www.lemonsandbasil.com.


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Introducing Your New Puppy to the Family Dog!

Are you expanding your heart and home to a new puppy soon? Concerned about how to introduce them to your older dog? Here’s how!

Bringing home a new puppy is a wonderful occasion for the entire family, including your current family dog! Introducing them to each other is a crucial step for your pups to form a lasting bond and learn to co-habitat as family members.

A real concern for soon-to-be-second-time pup parents is the off-chance that their pups might not like each other. Luckily, with the help of some pre-planning, useful techniques, and training guidance plus prevention on your part, you can make the meeting process as smooth and enjoyable as possible! So if you’ve decided that today is the day for the big introduction, read up on our tips below! 

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Setting up for the introduction

The first step before the big introduction is up-to-date vaccinations - for both pups! Certain illnesses are easily transferable from an older dog to a young puppy even if your older pup has had their vaccines in the past.  This includes assuring both pups are clear of parasites like Giardia, Coccidia, as well as worms!

Now you are ready to set the stage for your pups. Our recommendation, bring your pups to a neutral location, like an open park, to avoid the potential of your current pup feeling like their space is being encroached. 

If you don’t have the option of a neutral space, you can “create” that environment at home. Remove your current pups’ toys, bowls, bed, and other items they may become possessive over in the presence of your new puppy. If possible, have them meet outside the house first before coming indoors. For older or young adult dogs that were well-socialized pups, introducing a new puppy into their environment isn’t of major concern for owners. Taking the time to create a comfortable and controlled space is good general advice especially if you have any concern about territorial behaviors bubbling up during your pups’ introduction

Additionally, to provide a neutral space, you want all of their initial interactions going forward to be as agreeable as possible! This means making sure that each of your pups has their things, such as a bed, toys, bowls, etc., as well as enough space for them to go to relax when they want some time on their own.

How to Introduce Your New Puppy to the Family Dog

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There are a few different techniques you can use to ease your pups into their first meeting. If you have something that belongs to your new puppy like a blanket or toy from their breeder or shelter, let your current pup sniff and get used to being in the presence of that new scent ahead of time. 

For a controlled introduction, using a barrier such as a crate, gate, or playpen allows your pups to safely meet, sniff, and be around each other without physically interacting just yet. And you can use these tools each time they meet until they get their curiosity out of their system and are used to seeing each other. When the barrier finally comes down, keep a leash attached to each one of your pups just in case one of them needs to be led away for a little break.

We can’t stress enough the importance of early socialization for all our students at The Puppy Academy. Today’s social distancing environment has made it challenging for owners to socialize their pups. Nevertheless, if you know ahead of time when you’re bringing home your new puppy, take some time to help your current pup feel more comfortable with help from our “How to Socialize Your Puppy During Social Distancing” blog!

Use puppy training routines and games to your advantage as a way to help reduce the chance of anxiety or tension! Keeping them engaged in performing tasks versus just letting them loose in the yard and watching what happens, can help you maintain a calm and controlled experience. A new puppy might not know any commands but your older pup can show them how it’s done. Ask for a Sit, Stay, and Come, while letting your new puppy watch or play nearby. You can also walk them side-by-side in the yard to help them get familiarized but also keep the focus on other things like sights and smells around them.

Pro tip: Two pups, two people! On the day of their introduction, enlist the help of a family member or close friend to help oversee the pups, handle their leash, and assist in activities like training games or walking them! 

TRAIN THE WELL-BEHAVED PUPPY YOUR DREAMED OF RIGHT FROM HOME WITH ONLINE PUPPY TRAINING CLASSES!

Things to Look Out For During their Meeting

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Of course, there are some watch-outs to look out for when introducing your puppy to the family dog. Puppies are still getting a handle on their surroundings and their energy. Older pups have learned the ropes of being part of the family, have their own established routines and might have mellowed out of the high puppy energy. Keep these points in mind when your pups are meeting for the first time so you know when your pups might need a little break.

Puppy energy can be a lot to manage, even for an adult dog! Watch your puppy ensure they aren’t jumping all over, chewing on, nipping, barking at, and just becoming too much for your other pup. And vice versa! You might have an older pup that is playing too rough for a younger puppy. If you notice these behaviors in either one of them, it’s probably a good opportunity to give them a little space to settle down on their own.

Notice if either of your pups start to back away in a corner or under a chair if the hackles (the fur running down their spine) start to raise, teeth-baring or growling start to occur. These body language signs are responses to either over-stimulation or tension which are good indicators that it’s time for another break from their activity together.

Always supervise your pups when they are put together and don’t let them “work it out” on their own. Young puppies often don’t understand the boundaries your older pup is trying to tell them just yet so will need you to step in. Keep their size in mind too! Larger breeds grow quickly and often aren’t aware of their size or strength and can unintentionally hurt a smaller pup during play. Also, never force them to play or interact together. Give each pup space and time they need to get comfortable with each other.

All in all, a little planning goes a long way for a seamless first introduction between your current dog and new puppy. Work on socialization if you have the chance to before your new puppy comes home. And take preventative measures like providing neutral space for them to meet, and giving them an outlet like puppy training or walking. With these tips, we’re positive that your pups will learn to trust each other and develop a lasting family bond!

Check out these blogs related to puppy training and more!

How to Take the Perfect Holiday Picture of Your Puppy!

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