How to Make Homemade Dog Treats Last Longer
Homemade dog treats are fun and easy to make but if you've made them and found them growing mold after a few days at room temperature you might want to know why.
The reason is moisture.
We all need water to live but it's not a friend to anything kept in storage.
If you've ever had a flooded basement and later found a moldy box, you know what I mean.
Your freshly made treats will last longer in the refrigerator of if you freeze them.
The Problem with Moistness Dogs love fresh baked treats.
They definitely know the difference.
No surprise there, especially if they're used to supermarket variety baked the death treats - ahem - Milkbone.
With homemade treats, you can control the ingredients, even baking grain free ones if you choose.
And if you have a dog who has gum problems, he'll appreciate the softness.
However, it's precisely this softness that causes them to mold quickly.
They have a high moisture content.
You should definitely refrigerate them for longer lasting treats.
For example, take pupcakes made with applesauce, after you bake them, they're moist and delicious.
They're going to last a couple of days on your counter, up to three weeks in the fridge.
Dogs love them but if you want to give them as gifts or just have them last longer, you'll need to dry them out.
How to Make Them Last Longer One way is to bake a treat with drier ingredients.
Right off the bat these will last longer.
Another way is to bake low and slow.
You can bake homemade treats at a lower temperature for a longer time.
For example, if the recipe says to bake at 375 for 20 minutes, you can turn it down to 225 and bake 60-90 minutes (or longer, you'll have to check them frequently to make sure they don't burn).
Thirdly, you can bake them per the recipe instructions, let them cool and then put them in a dehydrator.
A dehydrator will pull out the moisture and you'll have dry, hard treats that will last months.
Another thing to consider is storage.
Before you package them up into storage containers or cute bags, make sure they're at room temperature.
If they're warm and you put them away, you'll increase the possibility of mold.
Some dog treat bakers bake, dehydrate and then freeze the treats bringing them back to room temperature before packaging.
So, there you are, key considerations for making homemade dog treats last longer.
You can find great homemade dog treat recipes here.
The reason is moisture.
We all need water to live but it's not a friend to anything kept in storage.
If you've ever had a flooded basement and later found a moldy box, you know what I mean.
Your freshly made treats will last longer in the refrigerator of if you freeze them.
The Problem with Moistness Dogs love fresh baked treats.
They definitely know the difference.
No surprise there, especially if they're used to supermarket variety baked the death treats - ahem - Milkbone.
With homemade treats, you can control the ingredients, even baking grain free ones if you choose.
And if you have a dog who has gum problems, he'll appreciate the softness.
However, it's precisely this softness that causes them to mold quickly.
They have a high moisture content.
You should definitely refrigerate them for longer lasting treats.
For example, take pupcakes made with applesauce, after you bake them, they're moist and delicious.
They're going to last a couple of days on your counter, up to three weeks in the fridge.
Dogs love them but if you want to give them as gifts or just have them last longer, you'll need to dry them out.
How to Make Them Last Longer One way is to bake a treat with drier ingredients.
Right off the bat these will last longer.
Another way is to bake low and slow.
You can bake homemade treats at a lower temperature for a longer time.
For example, if the recipe says to bake at 375 for 20 minutes, you can turn it down to 225 and bake 60-90 minutes (or longer, you'll have to check them frequently to make sure they don't burn).
Thirdly, you can bake them per the recipe instructions, let them cool and then put them in a dehydrator.
A dehydrator will pull out the moisture and you'll have dry, hard treats that will last months.
Another thing to consider is storage.
Before you package them up into storage containers or cute bags, make sure they're at room temperature.
If they're warm and you put them away, you'll increase the possibility of mold.
Some dog treat bakers bake, dehydrate and then freeze the treats bringing them back to room temperature before packaging.
So, there you are, key considerations for making homemade dog treats last longer.
You can find great homemade dog treat recipes here.
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