I haven’t spent as much time photographing my recipes lately.
Mainly because I’ve become obsessed with a four-pound, furry muse.
Who happens to occupy all my free time.
So today I bring you: a typical day in the life of my 10-week-old puppy.
Along with a recipe for homemade dog treats that puppy Calvin loves.
(Scroll to the end of the post to get the complete recipe for healthy, homemade cheddar dog biscuits.)
We’ve finally received some sunny weather, and Calvin has been loving it.
If he had his own way, he’d spend his entire morning, afternoon, and evening roaming our yard.
Calvin’s first and foremost rule in life: he must always have something in his mouth, every moment he’s awake.
This could be anything, so long as it’s something my husband Chris and I don’t want him to have.
He especially loves to chew all the following things that we especially don’t want him to have: leaves, plants, grass, and (as shown) wood chips.
Once in a great while, Calvin takes a rare, introspective moment to sit and ponder the great mysteries of life.
But don’t let this sweet face fool you…
Six seconds later, Calvin is on the loose, sprinting so fast my camera can barely catch him.
I’ve learned that this look means, “I may be doing something bad, but I don’t care. I’ll get away with it. Someway. Somehow.”
In this case, Calvin stole the hair tie I dropped on the ground.
My husband tried to win it back for me.
But Calvin commits himself to every game of tug-of-war with the devotion of a top athlete training for an olympic event.
Calvin throws all four pounds of his furry self (he must think he weighs 400 pounds), gives 120 percent and Does.Not.Ever.Give.Up.
Naturally, Calvin wins the tug-of-war.
My husband likes to scoop Calvin up and let the tiny pup see what things look like from his 6’3 height.
Calvin loves the view.
It gives him the perfect opportunity to really survey the scene and determine what to chew on or dig through or destroy next.
At the end of a long day, Calvin sometimes gets a bath, which he hates more than any cat.
Here, he desperately tries to escape from the tub: Pure Puppy Panic!
But all is forgiven quickly. At night, before bed, Calvin is allowed on our old couch in the basement rec room.
He likes to dive into the throw pillows, which are all bigger than him.
It must feel like a never-ending obstacle course to Calvin, making his way through those pillows.
Naturally, he prefers chewing the pilllow to chewing on his own toy (the orange ball in the background that he’s completely ignoring.)
Finally, Calvin falls asleep.
Sometimes he’ll bark quietly or flutter his paws while he sleeps.
And Chris and I know he’s dreaming about what havoc he can wreak tomorrow.
As much as Calvin exhausts me on a daily basis, who could resist baking homemade treats for this cutie?
The latest recipe I tried out, from the book Beagle: Smart Owner’s Guide, is a cheddar and applesauce biscuit.
I found these adorable dog treat cookie cutters at the website GoodDogExpress.com.
Calvin adores these treats so much, he will ‘sit’ or ‘heel’ for any length of time, just for the smallest bite.
These treats are healthy and easy to make, with just four ingredients.
Your dog will love you for making them!
Here is the complete printable recipe:
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 30 treats
- ¾ cups whole wheat flour (or rye flour or brown rice flour)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 3 tablespoons all-natural applesauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about half an inch thick. Cut treats with a cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until treats are firm to the touch.
- Before freezing or storing, allow cookies to cool and harden, about 50 minutes.
Always consult your veterinarian before introducing any new ingredients into your pet’s diet.
Get More Recipes for Homemade Dog Treats and See More of Calvin’s Adventures.
With a face like that, how could you possibly resist giving a cookie! Your puppy is the epitome of cute, adorable, gorgeous – everything!!!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
P.S I was wondering if the sharing was working with your foodbuzz since mine is not and I am opted in to receive posts but have not therefore think the posts I send out to share have also not been shared – any help would be great and I have contacted foodbuzz too!
The sharing seems to be working for me. If I do receive any “shares” from you, I’ll let you know. I can relate to your tech-related frustrations though – I’ve had many with Facebook!
Calvin is SO cute! Last weekend I was in Carmel and stopped by the pet store, Diggity Dog. They sold dog treats that looked like iced sugar cookies. Amazing!
Too funny – our pets are so spoiled these days 🙂 But you know, now I’m going to have to try to figure out an ‘icing’ recipe for dog treats 🙂
Hi,
He is so adorable, and it is amazing what puppy’s can find to chew on, you can have a 100 toys but it doesn’t matter nothing is as good as a sock or a hairband or whatever Mum and Dad owns or doesn’t want you to have, at least teething doesn’t last forever. 😀
With a face that cute….one can’t help but be preoccupied! Calvin is too adorable for words!
I loved looking at your pictures 9f Calvin. The treats are really cute too and I’ll have to try them with Ladd and Happy.
Joy
I think Ladd and Happy will love them 🙂
It’s so hard to be cross at them when they look like that. What a cutie! What a wonderful addition pets make to our lives.
It’ so true – they’re so worth all the troubles they put us through 🙂
This adorable little puppy deserves all the treats and best things 🙂 I am in love.. 🙂
That is one adorable puppy. Lovely photos too! And nice looking biscuits. He is one lucky little fellow!
The most faithful creature on the face of the earth is the dog..Love comes in many shapes and in unexpected times .But it is love ,only the lucky ones know the taste of love.your puppy is sooooo loveable. Best regards.
So true! As much work as he is, he’s such a sweet and faithful dog. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Awww omg I am OBSESSED with Calvin! He is maybe the cutest little pup I have ever seen 🙂 Totally deserving of those cheddar biscuits! (which by the way are almost as adorable as Calvin! I love the cookie cutters!)
What a cutie-pie.
We don’t feed our puppies a lot of treats, because I worry about them being “junk food” for dogs… but I’ve been enjoying your different treat recipes, and would feel better about feeding the natural ingredients to our babies 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration!
Dogs really do notice the difference in homemade treats too. I’ve had no problem teaching him commands because he’ll do anything for the tiniest piece of a treat! 🙂
Calvin, he is so heartbreaking …. Understand fully why it’s more fun to take photo of him and then food – but those puppy-cookies looks stunning. Would love to be a puppy in your household. My favorite shot is with Cavin and the “rope”- he looks so naughty. I’m sure that Calvin will know the difference between homemade cookie and bought – he are going to be so spoiled, but puppies should be.
Yay! Another Calvin post…I can’t resist your dog. He is almost unbearably adorable 🙂
Also thanks for the new recipe – your last dog treat recipe is all finished. Dog wolfed those down quickly. I’m excited to try him on the cheese ones since cheese is his favourite thing ever (after frisbee games, swimming and chasing cats).
Jen … You have been nominated for my NEW Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling. Check out my site for the details (foodstoriesblog dot com). Maybe we should have a cute puppy award 🙂
I would love to have a dog but I work long hours and I’m only properly at home at weekends so it wouldn’t be kind or fair. Your post has reminded me that puppies are adorable but hard work… he really has the most lovely eyes and your stories make me smile!
How could you think about food when you have an adorable puppy like Calvin!! I love looking at your pictures of him!
omg, your dog is the cutest thing!!! how sweet is this puppy, i don’t think a face like that could wreck havoc.
Calvin sure is adorable. Puppies are such a handful, I’m glad my two are old guys now (7) they sleep most of the day, they sure would love these treats though.
-Gina-
OMG Calvin is so cute, I can’t get enough of him!!!
What an adorable little guy! He must be very special to get his own homemade treats!
I know I’ve already been by this post and commented but I just had to stop by again and get my Calvin fix … He’s adorable 🙂
Ooomg beagles are the cutest as puppies! And their ears are so soft! He is such a little cutie 🙂
I could look at pictures of that cute puppy all day – it’s unreal! I wish I had the patience for puppies (we always adopt our dogs after this age), but I’ll be happy to drool over your pictures of the cutie. 🙂
You’re killing me with these pictures!!!!! I want a Beagle puppy! Of course my old man kitty cat would problem have a heart attack if I brought a puppy home. 🙂 So, so cute!
Oh my, little Calvin is WAY too precious:-) I would be taking pictures of him all day too. Have fun with your sweet baby. Those biscuits look fun, my puppy would adore them, especially because they have cheese in them:-) Hugs, Terra
Don’t know how I missed this post earlier in the spring. Calvin is just criminally cute! Love the dog treat recipe; this is the second one I’ve collected from a WordPress blogger so that I can make treats for our own puppy. Awesome!
Calvin is just so adorable. It has been ten years since I have had a puppy and now we have a 9 week old Golden Rottie, “Lexie” and she is our version of Calvin. Wow, I had forgotten how much work a pup could be but we are having so much fun. She is absolutely so entertaining and never seems to be still – into something ALL the time. I have had to “puppy proof” the entire house. I am going to try the doggie treats and I am sure she will love them, as well as our older dogs. So much better for them than the others and my husband loves to give them treats!
Lexie sounds like so much fun! Yes, we didn’t realize what we were getting ourselves into with Calvin either! 🙂 I hope your dogs like the treats as much as Calvin 🙂
Thanks for this recipe!
Question: Can these dog treats be stored at room temperature in an airtight container? For how long can they be stored this way?
Hello and thanks for this question, I should have mentioned this in the post:
I’ve found these hold up best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They typically last up to 1 – 1 1/2 weeks in the fridge (if you don’t plan to use up all the treats right away, they can also be frozen).
I love your little Beagle. Is Calvin a pocket beagle? I have a pocket Beagle who is 15 months old and her name is Bella. She is just like Calvin, always getting into things. I am going to try and make the cookies that Calvin llikes for Bella. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Calvin isn’t a pocket beagle, he’s a 15-inch beagle. I bet Bella is adorable – – I’m sure she’ll love you for the treats 🙂
Calvin is just adorable! I have scrolled up and down this post so many times!!! Such beautiful photos.
I will be sharing the photos with my little missy! She is a puppy lover. A second dog is her biggest dream!
And I will be sharing these treats with my old boy! He is a biscuit lover! His big brown eyes grow, his tail wags and I give in/forgive anything!!!
I have recently started a recipe sharing site (food photo site) specifically for pet treats, as I found the big food sharing sites, don’t always accept treats for our fur babies!
I would love to have you submit your recipes and photos.
Author
Thanks so much for your note, and I can’t wait to check out your recipe site for pet treats (great idea)!
Hi there, thanks for the recipe as I will make them tomorrow. We adopted our 10 month old puppy through a rescue shelter here in British Columbia, Ca. We don’t know the extent of neglect she has had, or abuse, but she acts just like your very young puppy at this point. She’s been with us for three months and now feels she is safe. We love her dearly, but she doesn’t understand dog food, doesn’t like dry food, only table food which to me means she has eaten food scraps. We buy dog biscuits of all sorts to try them out on her, but we have given dozens of bags to untouched food to my two children who have dogs. I will make these treats tomorrow for sure. They sound great and she loves cheese. Hope your puppy is growing strong and beautiful. Sandy
p.s. Her name is Savannah and she is toy cocker spaniel and poodle. All black with a pink collar and bow.