Reward Biscuits for Patches

I have started baking my dog homemade treats. I mentioned (the first time I baked treats for her) that I received "Baking for your Dog" for Christmas. It was a a gift from my sister-in-law, who knows I love to bake and each Christmas tries to find me something baking related as a gift. :) Thus, "Baking for your Dog".

I know I have also talked about Patches before, but for those of you who may have missed the first post...This is our girl, Patches. She is an Australian Cattle Dog, also called a Blue Heeler. She is the most intelligent dog I have ever owned. She is going to be 9 in September, and is the apple of her "daddy's" eye. This picture was taken during a trip to Virginia Beach last October.

We got Patches as a puppy, for my father-in-law. :) He had owned a Blue Heeler once, Bunny, and loved her. He often talked about getting another one some day. During the fall of 2001 we decided (the hubby and I) to get a Heeler puppy for Ray. We found a farm nearby that had Heelers and picked one out for Ray. Problem was, we had to pick her up about 6 weeks before Christmas. Each day, for those 6 weeks, the hubby and I would go out to the pen we had her in and play with her, feed her, spend some time with her. Even before Christmas day we told each other if for some reason Ray didn't want the puppy, we would keep her. She was the cutest thing when she was little!

Well, Christmas day rolled around before we knew it. I had purchased a large stocking full of dog toys and wrapped it up for Ray to open. When he did he looked puzzled and thanked me. I think he thought the toys were for his hunting dogs.The hubby and I asked him, and the rest of the family, to come outside to see the rest of his present. When everyone got outside, we brought Patches from the truck and carried her to Ray. He was stunned and couldn't believe we did that for him. He also said he couldn't take her. He said she was too attached to us after being with us for so long. We tried to tell him that she would get used to him as her owner, but he said "Yes, she will get used to me, but she will always be your dog". He asked us if we would keep her. And, of course, we were thrilled to. So, Ray's Christmas Present became Patches and the rest is history.

Now, back to the treats I baked.  I have baked three different things for her and she has liked them all. Bobby's Brownies, which I posted a while back. A peanut butter biscuit recipe that one of my blogging friends posted (I forget who, sorry), Apple and Carrot dumplings and this recipe, Reward Biscuits. Super easy to put together, as have all of the dog treats I have baked from this book.

  Reward Biscuits

100g (3 1/2 oz) whole wheat flour

100g (3 1/2 oz) coarse rolled oats

2 Tbls. oat bran

2 eggs

75g (2 1/2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

75g (2 1/2 oz) finely diced ham

100 ml (3 fl. oz) water

Mix all the ingredients with the water to make a smooth dough. Cover and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) . Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick and cut into 3cm x 5 cm (1 1/4 x 2 inch)  rectangles. Place these on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the biscuits harden in the oven for another 2 hours. Store in a paper or linen bag. The biscuits will keep for about 4 weeks. 

And, that's it. Super easy. Patches loves them. And, I feel better knowing exactly what she is getting. Not to mention the money we are saving by not buying store bought biscuits.