Tuna Parsley Puppy Breath Sticks

**Ben and Brady Approved**

 
    Puppies LOVE to give kisses...and truthfully I love it when our puppies smother me in their loving puppy kisses but I do NOT love dog breath lol! So, I was doing some reading and found that parsley actually helps eliminate the odor of a dogs breath. Now, they're still puppies so their breath really just smells like concentrated hot dogs right now (am I the only one who thinks this?) but I know as they get older their breath is really going to need freshened. So, I thought I would try these treats just to see if they would like them...and of course how can you go wrong with tuna? This is another fairly simple recipe, it takes about 20 minutes start to finish ....you can go ahead and add another 10 minutes for clean up. You'll thank yourself later for keeping it up while you bake.

What you'll need:
1 Can Tuna
3 heaping tablespoons of coconut oil (this is fabulous for furbabies skin and coat)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons fresh Parsley (you can also use dried but it won't freshen as well as fresh)
1 large egg

Preheat your oven to 400F Degrees

I won't make this complicated, you just throw the coconut oil, egg, tuna and parsley into a medium bowl and mix until well incorporated. Shouldn't take you more than a few moments. Add the flour in 4 parts. When it becomes a thick paste, you can stop adding the flour.

Spread the mixture onto a foil lined cookie sheet, about 1/2 thick and bake for 11 minutes.

Let the treat cool COMPLETELY before peeling off of the cookie sheet...if you neglect this step, you will be peeling little pieces off and it won't look right.

When the mixture is cooled, peel off and use a knife to cut into whatever size you and your furbabies desire. I have cut these into small training bites or as pictured below...a larger 3 inch stick which would be more like a treat for them. You can add another minute or two onto your baking time if your puppy enjoys more crunchy textures. Otherwise, it will be firm but flexible.

Love,
Bea

3 Ingredient Tuna Training Bites

We just adopted two rescue puppies! Yay! What now? Of course, we need to train them. In 2 days we went through a pack and a half of training treats..my frugal mind is thinking there has to be a homemade version of these things...and there is. I love knowing what they're eating too, with all the recalls over the years. This 3 ingredient training bite is easy enough for any novice baker but yummy enough for the most advanced baker's pup to enjoy. Tuna, Egg, Flour - that's all!

You will need:
1 Can of Tuna (oil)
1 Egg
3/4* cup of flour (could be less depending on how oily your tuna is)

Preheat your oven to 400 F

Step 1) The tuna will be big coming out the can, so you want to mince it up a little bit. I have found that some even blend theirs, but I didn't want to use the extra dishes.

Step 2) Beat the egg in a separate bowl and then add to the tuna

Step 3) Gradually add the flour - keep adding up to 3/4 cup of flour until your mixture is at mashed potato consistency

Step 4) Spread mixture out in a cake pan and bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes depending on how hard or soft you'd like your treats. My puppies are chewers so I did 12 minutes to make it a little stiffer for them. This is not a crunchy treat though. 

Step 5) Pull from the oven and cool completely. Cut to desired size and...done!! Easy as that!

One of my favorite things about making training bites at home is the ability to make them whatever size I want. For now, we are rewarding for many things and they are small so a smaller bite is preferred. Later, they will need less rewarding but will be bigger so I can make the bites a little bigger. You can even make these small enough for your feline friends...our kitties love them too! They're very easy to just break apart. Our puppies will do ANYTHING for these treats!

**Since there is oil in these bites, it is recommended that they be stored in the refrigerator or in a cool place so they will last longer.

***If you would like to use tuna with water since it is much cheaper, just add a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil in your mixture. Coconut oil is great for furbabies coat as well!!! 

These will last:
Refrigerator - 3 weeks
Room air - 7 days
In my home, with my puppies - 1 day

One of the things I love to do while these are baking is washing up the dishes I used. This helps keep the kitchen tidy!