Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice: 5 Homemade Fall Dog Treats

The dog days of summer are finally over and sweater weather is upon us! The air is like cider, the sky is blue and our pooches are ready to chase autumn leaves in the cool wind.

And there’s no doubt that we (our dogs included) love the fall season. The weather is cool and makes for the perfect time to make fall-inspired treats!

So, to celebrate the season and make it even better for our furry friends, why not whip up some homemade fall dog treats? Continue reading to find some safe and delicious dog treat recipes for the season!

Homemade Fall Dog Treats Ingredients

Indulging in tasty, fall-inspired treats is one way to celebrate the season! From pumpkin, apple, and sweet potato, there are just so many delicious ingredients to take your fall-inspired treats one step further.

And while we love sharing our food with our dogs, there are just some tasty foods and/or ingredients that can’t be shared with them.

The good news is, we can definitely make some delicious fall treats for them using pet-safe ingredients!

Safe Fall-Inspired Food For Dogs

Let your dog have a taste of the fall season with the following pet-safe food you can add to homemade dog fall treats:

• Pumpkin: This fall season staple is safe for your dogs, so they can definitely enjoy it, too. As a matter of fact, pumpkin can be a part of a pooch’s diet because it’s a great source of fiber! However, make sure to use or feed your dog unsweetened pumpkin, as pumpkin pie fillings may contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs.
• Sweet potato: Another fall season staple that is safe and offers a lot of health benefits for your pup. Make sure to give your dog cooked, and skinless sweet potato, though!
• Apple: A fruit that can be a good fall dog treats on its own. An apple helps freshen dogs’ breath and is a high-fiber snack.
• Cranberry: While your pooch may not like this fruit’s tart flavor on its own, they may enjoy cranberries if added as an ingredient to dog biscuits.
• Turkey: Thanksgiving’s perfect celebratory centerpiece is safe for your pooch, too. It is both appetizing and nutritionally beneficial so, you can feed your pooch sliced or chopped turkey pieces or add it as ingredient to dog treats.
• Peanut Butter: Last but definitely not the least. Honestly, peanut butter is a great dog treat ingredient any time of the year, and dogs love it! Like pumpkin, make sure to choose a peanut butter without artificial sweeteners like xylitol.

Dangerous Fall-Inspired Food For Dogs

One good thing about making your dog’s own treats instead of buying them is that you can choose what ingredients to put. So, when making fall dog treats, make sure to avoid these fall-inspired food that are toxic to our furry friends for a fun and healthy fall season:

• Grape and raisin: These are toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. As a matter of fact, they can cause kidney failure in dogs.
• Chocolate: When making homemade dog treats, these fall/Halloween treats are a major no-no. They’re toxic and can pose serious problems to dogs.
• Avocado: While hoomans love avocados for their health benefits, these fruits are toxic to dogs and can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
• Onion and garlic: These are among the most dangerous foods for dogs. They are toxic to our furry friends and can damage red blood cells that can lead to anemia.
• Cooked bones: Ham, turkey, chicken, and steak bones are a no-no for our furry friends. This is because cooked bones can be extremely dangerous when ingested because they can damage a dog’s digestive system.

5 Homemade Fall Dog Treat Recipes

Your dog deserves the best treats! And we understand that finding the perfect homemade fall dog treat recipes for your furry friend can be tricky.

So, without further ado, here are five recipes you can try at home to make the fall season a lot better and tastier for your pooch!

1. Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Nibblers

Of course, our furry friends should get a taste of one of the most popular fall season staple — pumpkin. Furthermore, this fall dog treat has peanut butter, which makes it even better!

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups of whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¼ cups of canned pumpkin (only use the pure pumpkin purée)
• ¼ cup of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup of water
• Additional flour for rolling

Reminder(s): Make sure to buy peanut butter that has no artificial sweeteners like xylitol. Furthermore, do not use pumpkin pie filling.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.
3. Add water as necessary to combine all the ingredients.
4. Roll out dough to about ¼ inch of thickness and then cut them using your favorite cookie cutters.
5. Place the cookies on a greased cookie sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes.
6. For a crisper, harder biscuit, you may bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, tops. Cool the pumpkin cookies completely before serving.

If you want to try out other pumpkin dog treat recipes, you can check out more of them here!

2. Oatmeal-Turkey Biscuits

If you’re not sure what to do with your leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, this recipe is perfect for you and your pooch!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup turkey (or chicken) broth
• 1 1/2 cups shredded turkey (or chicken)

Reminder(s): You can make your own broth, but if you choose to buy, make sure to choose a low sodium broth.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease the cookie sheets.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set that aside.
3. Add the broth and the leftover turkey in your blender and then blend them together until it’s the consistency of baby food.
4. Add the meat mixture and the dry ingredients together and mix them well.
5. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. 
6. Roll out the dough and cut into your desired shapes.
7. Put the biscuits on the pre-greased cookie sheets with little room between each.
8. Bake the biscuits in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown.
9. Completely cool the cookies before giving them to your pooch.

3. Sweet Potato Dog Treat Chews

If you’re looking for fall dog treats that only need one ingredient to make, then you’re in it for a treat! This sweet potato dog treat chews recipe is just what you’re looking for.

Ingredients:

As mentioned above, you only need one ingredient for this healthy and delicious dog treat: sweet potatoes.

Instructions:

1. Slice the sweet potatoes into lengthwise slices about 1/3-inch thick to make sure they are chewy enough.
2. Put the sweet potato slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.
3. Set your oven to the lowest heat setting and let them cook away for about 6 hours.
4. Make sure to flip the slices at about the 3-hour mark.
5. Once they’re cooked, let the slices cool down in the oven. This will help dehydrate the treats even further.

4. Brie’s Turkey and Cranberry Dog Bones

If you want to spice the fall dog treats up a bit, this turkey and cranberry dog bone recipe will surely do it for you.

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup shredded cooked turkey
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth, or as needed

Reminder(s): You can make your own broth, but if you choose to buy, make sure to choose a low sodium broth.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease the cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the whole wheat flour and baking powder together until thoroughly combined, and stir in the cooked turkey meat and dried cranberries.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and drop the egg into the center; pour in the olive oil and about 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Mix into a soft dough. If the mixture is too dry, continue to gradually add more chicken broth until the dough has the right consistency.
4. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it for about one to two minutes.
5. Roll the dough out 1/4 inch thick, and cut out with your favorite cookie cutters.
6. Bake the biscuits in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown.
7. Turn the oven off, but let the biscuits cool in the oven for an additional 30 minutes to let them dehydrate.

5. Autumn Frozen Dog Treat

We understand that frozen treats are perfect for summer — but if you can order cold pumpkin spice latte in autumn, then don’t you think your pooch deserves a cold treat, too?

If you’re looking for frozen fall dog treats, then this is the recipe you need!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup organic pumpkin purée
• 1 1/2 cups of bone broth

Reminder(s): Do not use pumpkin pie filling because it may contain xylitol, which is an artificial sweetener toxic to dogs.

Instructions:

1. In a blender, add the blueberries, pumpkin puree, and bone broth and then blend them properly all together.
2. Pour the mixture into silicone mold(s).
3. Pop into the freezer for about four to five hours, or overnight.
4. Once frozen properly, give it to your pup!

Conclusion

Hopefully, these homemade fall dog treats can spice things up for you and your pooch this autumn. Don’t forget to leave a comment if you ever try any of these recipes!