When I first started making my homemade doggie treats, it was during the whole dog food crisis a few years ago. After doing some research, I found out that commercial dog food causes the deaths of thousands of puppies and dogs across the US. I couldn't live with the thought of me accidentally poisoning my two best friends, Milo and Sean.

So I turned to making homemade dog treats at first, and eventually to homemade dog food period. I think it's important that you start off light and then move your way into making more and more. Making natural dog food for my two little guys has a lot of fun to it as it's an activity we all take part in, and we've also benefited from it because:

• It's cheaper to make than to buy the prepackaged, high-quality dogfood that's already out there. I try to buy some of the purest foods that cost between $30 - $50 a bag - but I can spend ½ as much and cook dog food in bulk by going natural.
• Cooking for dogs is super easy - as you have to be specific to what type of food your dog can eat depending upon the breed of dog. This makes shopping fast and convenient!
• Making Treats at home beats going to the crowded local pet store. I get to spend more time with my guys at home having fun
• Healthy dog biscuits, natural dog treats, and homemade dog recipies all normally call for cooking in bulk. Just cook a lot of it, freeze it right after, and serve it over several days. I usually cook a lot if I plan to let my guys stay at my mom's house, but now she cooks for them too as she feels she just has to out do me (what a surprise)
• Cooking natural dog food and doggie biscuits has a very low prep time, low cook time value to it. It won't take long to put together what they want to eat. After they get used to it, they'll be staring you down in the kitchen, listening to every time you open the refrigerator door for some fresh quality dog food ingredients or the oven door when taking out a fresh set of homemade dog biscuits

Changing my dog's diet helped to remedy a few canine medical conditions that Sean my cocker spaniel had, such as skin warts, rashes, and yeast in the ear. I consulted with my vet about the dog food recipes I found, and I also had to use ear cleaner for the yeast still (I was using it before) but the yeast was so much less after changing up Sean's diet. I think it's a work in progress and the ear infection will hopefully go away thanks to the new natural dog food I made from scratch homemade!

Cooking homemade dog treats is really a pleasing experience for us all. Now I'm not worried about the questionable nature of pet food manufacturing and I get to spend more time with my guys not only in the short term while cooking dog food in the kitchen, but also by expanding their livelihood and health for years to come.

Where do you get your recipes from?

I have a few books but the best one so far is The Complete Guide to Your Dog's Nutrition. It's full of of all types of reciepes for all types of dog needs - this way you arent' limited to breed selection but specifically to the dog needs. It even comes with some free reports about commercial dog food, special diet recipies, and tips on how to manage finicky eating dogs or dogs that get bored with their food.

Will Your dog like your natural homemade dog food?

Well think about it like this. These 2 guys were notorious for trying to eat anything from tissue to bottle caps, from cotton stuffed inside of their toys to other dog's poop while at pet smart! Now your dogs may not have the same behavioral issues, but they may have similar appetites. My guys absolutely love my natural dog treats.

So you don't have to be Chef Ramsey to cook for Lassie. Trust me! It's just really, really important that you give healthy dog food to your guys, and you actually have control over it. Even think about the percentages that go into the food on the back of the commercial dog food. They'll never match to the quality, amounts, and efforts that you would put in for your dogs' healthy and homemade treats.

Can you eat the doggie treats?

The one good thing about natural doggie treats to us humans is that we are making them from natural foods that humans eat. So yeah, if you wanted to eat them yourself, you could. Think about it. You aren't putting any of that weird commercial preservative crap or who knows what else they put in there in the food. It's all natural, all sensitive ingredients, all from your local grocery store or farmer's market. You can eat snacks with your dog and even have doggy dinner to top it off!

» Find out how I discovered how to cook natural, healthy, homemade dog food by checking out this book!