Sardine Dog Treats
I am not saying that our dog, Max, is a “pampered pooch” but he is BBC2’s first ever pet and they adore each other. So much so that they are almost inseparable. Since reading somewhere that puppies teethe twice and that ice cubes helped them cool down and soothe the pain of teething, Max has always loved ice cubes and sits patiently by the freezer whenever it is opened. BBC2 now makes him his own ice cubes out of Bovril, a beef drink! He also experiments with baking dog treats. I can’t remember what was in the ones he made before these little morsels but I do know his resident critic, Max, turned his nose up at them. It was so funny, to see the look of disappointment on both their faces! I will now hand over to BBC2 and let him tell you about his latest success…

These are easy and cheap to make for your dog and if Max and his brother Teddy are anything to go by they are tasty! I’ve tried them myself (as I know what went into them) and they’re alright but a little too hard for me.

Ingredients
120g/50 oz tin Sardines in sunflower oil
200g/7 oz plain flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 ½ tablespoons cold water

Method
Preheat the oven 170c Fan.

Put the flour and parsley into a food processor and pulse for a second or two, break up the sardines with a fork and add to the processor and pulse until combined, then add the egg and with the processor running at low speed add the water and the mixture will come together in a ball.

Take the mixture out and roll it out on a clean surface there is no need to flour the surface as the mixture should not stick due to the oil in the sardines, it should be about ¼ inch thick and cut into small bit size treats, I used a very small piece of plastic pipe about £1 coin size, but this was taking forever, so I just cut it into strips and cut the strips into large postage stamp size.

Then place on a baking sheet and put in the pre heated oven. Again no need to grease the sheet due to the oil in the sardines. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until brown and dried, leave to cool on the sheet, then feed to your dog only when they do nice things for you or to you, they are rich in Omega 3 and the parsley helps with their breath!