Dog Treat and Dog Food Storage:
How, and for How Long?

Learning about dog treat and dog food storage may be the last thing on your mind when you first start baking for your dog. Let's face it, it's way more fun picking out cute dog cookie cutters, than thinking about an airtight dog food storage bin.

But you don't want to go to the effort of making your first batch of dog biscuits to see a week later they are stale or have gone bad.

How do you Store all those
Homemade Dog Treats?

Things to Consider:

• Where you live -Is it hot and humid, cold and dry or a combination of these? Homemade dog biscuits that are left in a dog treat jar on the counter will last a lot longer in a cool and dry environment than one that is hot and humid.
  
  
• Preservatives - Even though store bought dog treats may last longer because of their preservatives, one reason we bake our own is because of all those undesirable additives, including the preservatives.

  But not all preservatives are bad. You can bake with natural preservatives such as vitamin C and E. You can also use citric acid (like those found in citrus fruits) and rosemary.
  
  

• Ingredients - The type and amount of certain ingredients plays a part in how you store homemade dog treats. If you have baked dog cookies with butter or oil, they will not last as long as ones made with margarine. Also, treats made with meat and/or meat juices, will need to be refrigerated and will not last as long as other treats.
  
  
• Moisture - The moisture, texture and denseness of your dog treats also plays a part. A crunchy or hard treat will last weeks longer than soft dog training treats or moist dog cupcakes.
  
  
• Cool - No, we're not saying you're cool for baking homemade dog treats (even though you are!). We're talking about temperature. Before storing homemade dog treats, you need to be sure that your treats are completely cooled. If you don't you could end up with a moldy dog treat jar, because of condensation, definitely not good dog eats.
  
  
• Light - You and your dog treats have an enemy, it's light. Well, really, direct bright sunlight and heat are your enemies. The best place to store homemade dog treats is in a cool, dark and dry place.

If you consider these few things when it comes time to store homemade dog treats, your dog will be enjoying your baking efforts for many weeks!

Longer Term Storage:

This is where the real fun begins. You can make your homemade dog biscuits last for months.

Refrigerator: Using an airtight container is the best way to go. If you use this, your treats can last for at least 2 months in the refrigerator.

Freezer: If you use an airtight container your homemade dog cookies should last for at least 8 months in the freezer.

Depending on your dog's taste, you may want to bring the refrigerated treats to room temperature before serving. Or, if you have a dog that loves ice cubes and other cold treats, she may enjoy them straight from the refrigerator or even the freezer.

A great reason to properly store your treats, and to learn about dog food storage options, is to take advantage of harvest time. If you and your dog frequent the local farmers markets, you can pick produce at it's freshest, make it into dog treats, and enjoy that goodness all year.

Correct storage also allows you to host a stress free dog party if you have a majority of the treats already made in the refrigerator or freezer.

Learning how to correctly store homemade dog treats and learning about dog food storage just makes sense. You have spent time (and money) baking great dog treats for your special little family member. There is no reason to let those efforts go to waste. So keep these tips in mind the next time you get in the kitchen and bake up some homemade dog treats.