Homemade Dog Chew Sticks With Pumpkin
Dog Treat RecipesCopy: Sarah Dickerson Photography: Sarah Dickerson
Homemade dog chew sticks sound like a project, and these ones really are not. Three ingredients, one bowl, and an oven that does the rest. They started here as a Thanksgiving treat, for the same reason behind the naughty and nice lists: a dog needs something of their own while everyone else eats.
Applesauce, pumpkin and cinnamon together just screams holiday party, and the house smells like pie all afternoon. The spiral twist makes them look like hours of work. You can absolutely take the credit. They have since become one of my year-round dog treat recipes.
What You Need for Pumpkin Applesauce Dog Treats
- 1 cup pure organic applesauce
- 1 cup pure organic pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tbsp organic cinnamon
Pure Pumpkin Puree, Not Pie Filling
This is the one that catches people, because the cans sit side by side and look identical. You want pumpkin to be the only thing on the ingredient list. Pie filling adds sugar and a spice blend that usually contains nutmeg, which is not safe for dogs. Check the label every time.
Unsweetened Applesauce, and the Sweetener Check
Plain unsweetened applesauce is all this needs, and apples are good for a dog anyway. Read the jar regardless. Plenty of supermarket applesauce carries added sugar, and some no-sugar versions use xylitol, which is seriously toxic to dogs.
If the label says anything beyond apples and water, put it back. Same rule for any fruit you share with your dog.
Cinnamon, and How Much Is Plenty
Half a tablespoon across two cups of puree is a flavor amount, not a medicinal one. Cinnamon is one of the spices that suit dogs in cooking quantities. More just makes the strips sharp, and your dog will tell you so by leaving them.
How to Make Dog Chew Sticks in the Oven
Stir the applesauce, pumpkin puree and cinnamon together, spread the mixture into long thin strips on a lined baking sheet, and dry it at 175F for six to seven hours until the strips are firm but still flexible. Cut them to length while they are warm and twist each one into a spiral. No dehydrator needed.
- Preheat your oven to 175F / 79C.
- In a medium size bowl, add all ingredients and give it a good stir to combine.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and, with a spoon, smear out long lines of the batter.
- Place in the oven and dehydrate for six to seven hours, checking every hour or so.
- Once they are out and cooled just slightly, so they are still warm to the touch, cut the strips to your desired length with scissors.
- With a simple twisting motion, mold them into spirals, and what you are left with is a jar of chewy sticks for your dog.
Getting the Thickness Right
This is the part that decides everything, and no recipe tells you. Mine were about the thickness of three stacked quarters. Thinner and you get crisps that snap instead of chews. Much thicker and you are still waiting at hour nine, with a strip dry outside and damp in the middle, which is how a batch goes moldy in the jar.
Oven or Dehydrator, and How Long Each Takes
The oven on its lowest setting is what I use, six to seven hours at 175F. Ovens vary down there, so check every hour from hour four. If yours will not go below 200F, prop the door with a wooden spoon, the same trick that works for homemade chicken jerky.
A dehydrator does the same job around 135F in eight to ten hours and will not heat the house. Either way the principle is low and slow, as with the oven-baked beef jerky. A humid week adds an hour or two.
Knowing When Homemade Pumpkin Chews Are Done
You are after firm and leathery, not sticky and not snappable. Press a strip in the middle. A dent or any tackiness means it needs longer. If it cracks rather than bends it has gone past chew into crisp, which dogs eat happily.
Both misses are fixable. Sticky strips go back in for another hour. Over-dried ones will not twist, so snap them into shards or crumble them over dinner instead.
Storing and Freezing These DIY Dog Chews
No preservatives in here, so they do not keep for a month. In an airtight jar they last about a week, in the fridge closer to two. If a strip softens again or smells sour, it goes in the bin.
For a big batch the freezer is better. Laid flat in a bag they keep around three months and thaw in minutes. Frozen from the bag they also go down well on a hot day, like my frozen dog treats.
Who Pumpkin Sticks for Dogs Suit Best
Soft Chews, Not Power-Chewer Chews
Worth being straight, because the word chew does a lot of work online. These are a soft dried treat, not a durable one. A determined chewer will have one down inside a minute, so they are no substitute for a long-lasting chew. A gulper may swallow one whole, so break theirs up and stay in the room.
Puppies and Senior Dogs
Both do well with these, which I cannot say about most chews. Soft enough for a teething puppy and for an older dog whose teeth are not what they were. Make their strips thinner and keep portions small.
How Many a Day Is Reasonable
Treats belong under about a tenth of what a dog eats in a day, and a chew stick is a treat, not a side dish. One or two for a big dog, half a stick for a little one. Pumpkin is high in fiber, so a dog who gets through half the jar will produce a very loose result, which turns into a conversation about gut health nobody wanted on a Sunday.
From Thanksgiving Table to Year-Round Chew
After that first Thanksgiving, make them whenever. They are a good autumn bake, a gift in a ribboned jar, and an easy thing to hand a dog who is being very obviously good. If you want a pumpkin treat with no oven time, the no bake pumpkin dog treats are the other half of this story.
More Homemade Dog Treat Recipes to Try
If this one goes down well, our eBook 52 Weeks of Treats has over 30 more, from summer Blueberry Pupsicles to hearty winter Beef Bites, plus an allergies guide.
Make a batch, fill a jar, and enjoy the smell of pie for an afternoon. Your dog is going to love these, Pretty Fluffies.
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These look neat! How many does one batch usually make?