Make Healthy Dog Treats

On hot days or cold, your dog and his pals will love this refreshing homemade dog treat — and it's low fat too! You definitely want to let them lick and slurp their Chick-n-sickles alfresco.

1. Dice cooked chicken into tiny 1/8 inch cubes.

2. On a baking sheet that fits into your freezer, line up 12 small paper cups (3 or 5 ounce). In each cup, drop 4 to 6 chicken cubes. (For smaller Chick-n-sicles, use an ice cube tray and only 2 to 3 meat cubes.)

3. Fill the cups to just below the top with low-sodium chicken broth and then freeze the cups.

4. Before serving, let Chick-n-sicles defrost for a minute or two. Peel off the paper cup.

For variety, use cooked ground beef and beef broth instead.

Raw chicken necks may not tempt your appetite, but your dog is all for it. Chewing gristle cleans your dog’s teeth and aids digestion. Raw necks aren't a splintering hazard — only cooked chicken bones are.

Ask your butcher or grocer for chicken necks. For a small dog, chop the neck in half and serve once a day. You can also grind chicken necks in a food processor and feed about a half cup a day to your dog as a treat.

A pocketful of hot dog cubes as a homemade dog treat — really? Absolutely.! When you're walking your dog, having hot dog cubes in your pocket helps if you need to get your dog’s attention quickly (or if you need the attention of any dog within, say, a 1-mile radius).

1. Cut a single, cooked hot dog (the healthy kind, the cheap kind or even low-sodium chicken dogs) into quarter-inch cubes.

2. Before you head out for your dog’s next walk, fill a sandwich bag about one-third of the way with hot dog cubes. Put it in your pocket.

3. On your walk, say your dog’s name. If he looks at you, reward him for paying attention with a hot dog cube. As you continue to walk, ask him to sit on the curb before you cross the street. If he sits when you say "sit," reward him with another cube.

A quick search of the Internet yields many recipes for cookie-type homemade dog treats you can cut with seasonal cookie cutters and then decorate. You can also buy dog biscuit mix from online retailers like boneafideotreats.com or callingalldogs.com.

Check out the breed-specific and dog-related cookie cutters from online retailers like cookiecuttershop.com, including a cute doghouse cutter that you can personalize for birthday and holiday gifts. Try a scary cat with orange icing for Halloween fun, a Santa- or snowman-shape for winter, a heart for Valentine’s Day or just a regular old doggie-bone shape for everyday.

1. Prepare the dough, cut and bake as directed on the recipe or the directions on the package. Cool thoroughly. (Use leftover dough to make small coin-sized treat pieces for training or outings.)

2. Decorate with dog-safe icing made from 1/4 cup corn starch and just enough cold water make it a little bit stiff but still flow easily. If you want, separate the icing into bowls and mix with a few drops of food coloring in different colors. Pipe the icing onto the cookies with an icing bag or sandwhich bag with a hole cut in one corner.

3. Let the icing harden and then wrap a few treats treats in clear cellophane bags tied with ribbon for individual gifts. You can also pack them in a box or tin.

Eating too many treats can cause digestive problems for your dog and imbalance his diet. Serve treats sparingly and with purpose, like to clean his teeth or as incentives for training. And — this is important — insist on good manners. He must take the food gently and only when you offer it. Now, if you could just get him to wipe his face with a napkin afterwards!

When you offer your dog a treat, do this:

1. Show the treat to him.

2. Ask him to sit.

3. When he sits, tell him “good sit.”

4. Feed him the treat.