Welcome to the first post here at DirtyDurhamDog!

Amy and I live in Old North Durham, and we aim to present for your amusement: books, recipes, experiences, product reviews, places to go, and just general good, old dog tales.  We seek to please, and we are treat-driven.  Our philosophy is that dogs and people are companions, and the mental and physical health of both sides of this partnership are critically important for the best bond.  Dogs co-evolved with people (we’ll get to that, in some upcoming posts), and look to us for compassion, work and activity, sustenance, and of course, treats that strengthen our ability to communicate and that provide a reward.

Now, to be clear, Amy is not particularly picky about from whom or where the treats appear.  Once she begged a treat off of a police officer downtown, and has been known to patiently follow treat-bearing guests at dog parks.

Likely the best way to ensure a treat meets an individual dog’s needs is to make it yourself.  Find our current favorite biscuit recipe below.  Post a recipe you are using now in the comments, and we’ll try it!

PBBs (Peanut Butter Bones)

Easy, inexpensive, and adaptable to your dog’s dietary needs.  These can be stored in the freezer and thawed for long-term storage.  They keep well in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Ingredients:

0.75 c grated or processed carrot

1.5 c whole wheat flour (substitute almond flour for gluten-free)

1 c peanut butter (unsweetened, no salt added is best)

1 c milk (almond milk works well also)

0.5 c ground almonds (or walnuts)

Some extras you could consider adding:

0.25 c (or less) finely ground (coffee-ground size) egg shells (for additional calcium)

0.25 c ground parsley

0.25 ground bacon (if your dog is high energy)

i.e. experiment with the base recipe!

Blend the peanut butter and the milk in a mixer until smooth.  Add the other ingredients and process until the mixture is a sticky ball.  Roll out on a countertop, cut out shapes, and bake 30 minutes at 375C. For a crunchier treat, leave the treats in the oven 15-25 minutes extra after turning off the heat.  Allow to cool and store.

Bones and tiny treats.

These are so easy to make, and they don’t need leavening, so you can bake them close together on silicone mat.

Amy wants to know if they are ready.

These are Amy-approved.

Please let us know how it goes if you try it.  We’ll fetch some more stuff for our next post.