Do all of you out there love dogs just as much as I do? Some people say I have a problematic obsession with my dog, Dexter, while I see no problem whatsoever, he’s just my special little baby pie and I love him so much (insert baby voice here). My boyfriend and I adopted our little darling last Labor Day while out enjoying a day off with some friends. We noticed a dog adoption going on in the distance so we walked over, saw Dexter, and that was that. Well for my boyfriend, at least. He was the one who fell instantly in love with this mild mannered mutt who chose to sit on his lap rather than run around and stretch out his legs like the other potential adoptees. Anyways, the rest is pretty much history and now we spend a good amount of our free time catering to our special little guy we love so very much. One of the extra special things I like to do for Dexter is make him healthy, homemade dog treats. I also cook him homemade meals…but that’s a whole other story! This particular recipe is a dog biscuit recipe made with real bacon and bacon fat. Although the amounts are small, I would still recommend limiting small dogs to 1 bacon stick a day and medium/large dogs to about 2-2 1/2. Dexter is a little picky when it comes to his snacks and is usually not a fan of dry biscuits, but he loves these and can’t seem to get enough….it’s the bacon, obvi! I hope your loved ones enjoy this as much as mine does! Doggies/pets are just the best….just the absolute best…love ‘em…okay sorry, I’m done! 
xx Jenny
Bacon “Bark” Sticks
Makes 24
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 ¼ cups fat free milk
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons bacon fat
¼ cup bacon, crumbled
3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the egg, milk, honey, bacon fat, and bacon.
3. Stir the flour in, ½ cup at a time until full incorporated.
4. Knead the dough until fully combined.
5. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 4” by 12” rectangle.
6. Using a pizza cutter, cut out 4” by ½” sticks until all the dough has been used.
7. Line the sticks on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Cool completely before serving.
9. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
We can’t see Dexter’s gorgeous underbite!!!! P.S. Is it weird that those biscuits look delicious and I kinda want one?
Dexter does have a gorgeous underbite, doesn’t he?! People can totally eat them….Jordan has!
This is such a great idea. I cannot wait to see what else you make. Oh and Milton requests something Kosher. Byron isn’t picky.
Sophie and Henry will go mad for these treats! I’m glad you shared this recipe, I’ve been thinking of what to make for a yummy fall treat. They love Frosty Paws in the summer or apple slices frozen in ice. I might give one of these a taste myself! Nothing better than bacon in my mind…except bacon and chocolate. : )
~Tina
Dexter eats better than I do. Kaya will love these! As may I…
Hey
Would love to hear your home made dog food recipe
Plan to make treats today
Hi Kristy! Here is what I usually feed Dexter per meal (he’s about 15-16 lbs):
1/3 cup steamed brown rice
3 tablespoons steamed vegetables, minced (either green beans, bell pepper, sweet peas, zucchini)
1/4 cup lean ground turkey or beef, poached and drained
2-3 tablespoons low sodium chicken broth
1)Mix together and serve.
**sometimes I add in a tablespoon or two of cleaned/poached chicken liver or mince up 1/2 a hard boiled egg and mix it all together.
I’m no holistic dog food expert by any means (not even close!!). I just did a bit of research and slowly introduced these meals into Dexter’s diet. He took to it very well right away and didn’t get sick. Plus, I’ve never seen his coat so shiny
Please do further research. This is by far an unbalanced diet. If you continue, your pups will have very serious health issues from the lack of proper nutrients, minerals and vitamins
These are just TREATS. I feed my baby very well and extremely balanced diet on the reg. I even mention that the number of TREATS given to your dog should be limited. My TREATS have been recommended by several vets as well! These are fantastic TREATS and my dog is in great shape! Hope you’ll try it out!
I LOVE that you home cook for Dexter and make him special treats. We home cooked for our dogs too, before we switched to raw and it was so good for them. You’re right, that shiny coat makes a difference!!
I don’t want to offend, but the recipe you mention in the comment above regarding what you give Dexter as his regular meals, may not be meeting Dexter’s needs for vitamins, minerals, and particularly calcium – unless you’re also supplementing this with multivitamins or AAFCO complete kibbles etc. The deficiencies may take some time to show up, but I would hate too see it be a problem – especially since you’re trying to feed him so well!
This is in no way a criticism – just a canine nutrition student who is trying to help! In any case – thank you for the treat recipe!
I would strongly urge you to consult a canine nutritionist for a balanced recipe and cont
I feed dexter a raw food diet and when I do cook for him I add pet kelp. He’s extremely healthy and my vet gives me props for taking such good care of him.
I commend you for what you are doing for Dexter! Anyone who does not agree that home cooking is better, free of preservatives and other things in commercial pet food, should take the time to research. There are many recipes out there , balanced in protein, carbs, fat that our pets need, and they will thrive on it!
Oh my goodness! What a cutie. I’m going to have to make these next time I puppysit Winston — he absolutely loves people food, so I’m sure he’ll love these! Or EVEN BETTER HIS CHRISTMAS PRESENT!! and wrapped in a mason jar just like you show here with a pretty red bow! Perfection!
cant wait to try these out for our little ones!
Awww, thanks so much for sharing, Dexter is so spoilt!
These look so good and are really cute! But, a lot of dogs are allergic to wheat (and most grains)
Well you should check with your vet before you make these treats for you dog. And yes, like humans, dogs are allergic to a lot of stuff too. So please check with your vet to make sure your dog is in the clear!
wow my little baby would go crazy for these! he’s a little pomeranian named maverick
can’t wait to make these for him!
yay!!!!
Izzy would love these! This is one of the first recipes I’ve found without peanut butter which is not allowed in our house!
I think my dogs will totally love this recipe, thank you!
My little buddy would love these! Do you know how long they stay good in an airtight container?
may try this if I can find the time…have pit bull that is a real sweetie pie !
I love the idea of these, and the photographs and styling are great, but found when I tried out the recipe that it needed a LOT more flour (I ended up mixing/kneading in a total of 3 1/4 cups). Not sure exactly what’s going on, if there was a typo, or something like that, but I don’t think that the dough would have been rollable without adding the extra cup of flour.
PS Dexter looks like a real sweetheart!
Really?! Hm…I’m planning on making Dexti some treats this week so I’ll check it again. I was so careful wit this one bc it involves one of the loves of my life! I did write this recipe a very log time ago, so maybe there is a typo. Thanks for letting me know, I’ll get back to you when I figure it out!
Does anyone know if these freeze well? We don’t give our dogs treats too often, not every day, maybe once or twice a week. But if this makes 24 bars, even though I have 2 big boys, I still don’t think I’d use them in a week. But if I could freeze them & use a few each week that would be better!
Hi Ashlee! Yes, these freeze very well!
Dex is a cutie! My Buster is a Jack Russell Terrier and I also make his meals ever since he had a problem as a puppy – almost exactly what you feed Dexter! I do try to give him healthy store bought treats but have been thinking to start him on homemade ones. Luv this bacon idea – I don’t usually let him have bacon – so he will be surprised!
ahhh yes..been looking for a good recipe…for bacon strips..i make my fur-babies..treats as reading about what they put in milkbone cookies (and a few of my doggies were allergic to them)
this sounds right on..i think the ratio between the WW and 24 cookies is not that bad..and i wouldn’t give every day anyway..tfs..loooove dexter..loves ya
We made these treats to spoil our neighborhood dogs at my daughter’s summer project, a pet stand. She’s 8 and loves the puppies….so we make homemade treats to sell at our stand.
We did use about a cup more flour and also refrigerated the dough before rolling to make super roll-able.
Our dogs sampled them first, and they are a hit! Thanks for the recipe!
This sounds wonderful for my four-legged boy! Any recommendations on how to make this dairy free? Rudy is allergic to it, among other things, but pork isn’t one of them!
hmmm… I wonder if my next door neighbors dog will like these ?I heard she loves bacon!!!
Welll so do I . I just might eat some bacon while i’m making these treats!
I just made these and concur that I had to use an extra cup of flour. I also added a honey egg wash before baking and topped it off with some low sodium bacon flavored salt. They are still baking, but I already know they will be a hit!
Yes, you’re all correct…this definitely needed another cup of flour….the recipe has been updated…thanks!
Our vet recommended your recipe…can’t wait to try it out!
Jenny, thanks for the great recipe! I also make my dog’s food and spend hours reading labels on treat packages to try to find something I will let her eat! What is interesting, though, is that I find far more healthy choices on the shelves for dogs than for human food. What’s up with that?My dog is a 45-lb Schnauzer/Pomeranian mix and just as cute and precious as Dexter…in a Schnauzer kind of way. I am excited to try these.
Just came across your site and am very anxious to make these for my Jake (collie). He has had few stomach issues and we have been monitoring his treats lately. I prefer to make homemade, rather than the store bought as I have done in the past. Thank You
Just came across your site and am very anxious to make these for my Jake (collie). He has had few stomach issues and we have been monitoring his treats lately. I prefer to make homemade, rather than the store bought as I have done in the past. Thank You
Great recipe! I made them a few weeks ago for my three dogs and they loved them! I’m about to make another batch right now. I ended up rolling the dough into bite size balls rather than sticks to make training treats. Worked perfectly. Thanks!
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