I'm all for treating my dog, I mean dogs are the best after all, but with the cost of everything going up I've been trying to scale back on how often I buy her the rewards.
Buying treats and other gifts for your dog can be done cheaply of course but in the long-run everything adds up and when we are facing a cost of living crisis, saving every little penny can help. I have a miniature Dachshund called Evie and she loves nothing more than cuddles and of course, treats aplenty.
She can be quite fussy when it comes to treats though and one particular bag she likes, from Pooch & Mutt, costs £3.79 for a 120g which roughly lasts her about a week and a half at a push. While I try and limit the treats I give her, (you have to be careful with Dachshunds' weights due to their fragile backs) I do a lot of training and treat playtime to keep her entertained while I work from home so I can easily go through a bag quicker than normal.
READ MORE: Sky launches device that gets you Sky TV and Netflix for less than £1 a day
I've tried to buy treats in bulk to save a bit of money, with the theory I won't need to buy any for a while in the long-run but this works out quite expensive initially. While I was researching ways to save on dog treats, a family-run businesses popped up that I had not heard of before.
Doggy Baking Co, a spin-off of the Bottled Baking Co, is a family-run business which was set up by Greg Fraser in 2016. He developed the bottled baking idea from a love of high-quality family baking. Based in Yorkshire the business uses high-quality ingredients which are packed into signature reusable glass bottles.
The idea is that you have everything you need in the bottles to bake, minus the egg and additional add-ons. The business has boomed and they are now stocked in hundreds of independent retailers across the UK, and so too is the dog version which I came across.
Doggy Baking Co offer glass bottles containing all the dry ingredients required to make delicious cakes and treats for dogs. Evie tried their Ultimate Doggy Baking Mix Bundle which costs £32 and contains three bottles, with three flavours to choose from - p umpkin seed and banana biscuit mix, l inseed, oregano and parsley baking mix and c arrot cake mix.
Her favourite so far is the pumpkin seed mix which contains wholemeal wheat flour, banana and pumpkin seed in the bottle. You just need to add two large eggs and 200ml of water to the mix.
It is fairly easy to make, you just add all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and water and stir together until a dough is formed. Once formed you need to roll it out with a rolling pin so the mixture is 5mm thick. Pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees (conventional or 180 degrees (fan) gas 5, and cut the dough mixture into bite-sized pieces, using a knife or a cookie cutter.
I used a gingerbread man cutter and while some of the mixture stuck a little to the cutters, it was fairly simple to do and then add to two lined baking trays. You only need to bake them for around 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and they are done.
The mixture makes 76 biscuits in total, mine were around 60 though as I was using gingerbread cutters. However, that's enough to last Evie two months as they are quite big treats that can be broken up, and with the price of the bottle costing £10.99, it saves me money in the long run instead of buying her a bag of treats at £3.79 every week or so.
Buying the bundle at £32 saves me even more money as I can freeze the treats too. I've made the linseed, oregano and parsley biscuits, which require two eggs and 100ml of water adding, and frozen some of the mixture to bake for next month. All I will need to do is take some of the small frozen bags when I need them, defrost and bake the rest.
Evie is yet to try the carrot cake mix which contains, wholemeal wheat flour, oats, linseeds, parsley and oregano but she will probably devour this one as she loves carrots.
All of their mixes have a 12-month shelf life from the date they are made. The majority of mixes have been made within the last two months, so you should have 10+ months to use them from when they arrive with you.
Doggy Baking Co make ideal gifts for pets, and presents for pet-lovers for Christmas too. They are not only a great way to save money but you know exactly what your dog is eating, which is so important.
READ NEXT:
-
Expandable heated airer which costs 4p an hour to run could help reduce energy bills this winter
-
I tried Dani Dyer’s comfy £12 Matalan bodysuit perfect for autumn styling
-
Review: Franz Ferdinand celebrate 20 years of hits at Victoria Warehouse
-
Aldi slash price of ‘snuggly’ duvet set perfect for ‘colder winter nights’
