We recommend that you use good quality baking sheets, such as Chicago Metallic, which has a professional quality non-stick finish. Otherwise you may want to line your baking sheets with parchment paper (thanks for the tip, Jim B. of Lake in the Woods, CA!), lightly grease baking sheets, or be more generous with the flour when rolling out the dough.

If you can't find the various flours these recipes call for in your grocery store, try a food coop or health food store.

As you're trying out new recipes you find on the Internet or in cookbooks, remember that not all food that's good for humans is good for dogs. Some foods can cause allergic reactions--itchy skin, rashes, dull, thinning hair, and other coat problems. Others, if consumed in sufficient quantities, can make dogs sick or even kill them. Foods to avoid giving your dog include turkey*, pork, chocolate, onions, salt, processed sugar, soy--and rich or spicy prepared foods your dog's digestive system can't handle. Why? Read When Good Dogs Eat Bad Things from The Healthy Dog! newsletter. In addition to the foods listed in that article, be aware that grapes and raisins, when eaten in large quantities, can be toxic to dogs--causing vomiting, diarrhea, and kidney failure. While one or two grapes won't harm your pup, if you find an entire bunch of grapes missing from your fruit bowl, you should watch for signs of toxic reaction.

Although we've read many conflicting reports on garlic, it does contain the same toxin as onions, but in much smaller concentrations. You should be aware that garlic can be deadly at certain doses (the size of a toxic dose depends on the size of the dog). We've been adding seasoning amounts of garlic in our dog treat recipes for years without incident. The small amounts we use are mixed into hefty batches of dough for treats we feed to large breed dogs. Similarly, our 70-90 pound dogs have never had a reaction to prepared treats or supplements that include garlic on the list of ingredients. A teacup or toy breed may not be so lucky! So, to be safe, we've removed garlic from all the recipes we post here.

Also keep in mind that dogs have difficulty digesting corn, so if you find a recipe that calls for corn meal, try using rice flour (which you can find in most health food stores) instead. If your dog is allergic to wheat, try substituting rice flour for wheat flour as well. And if your dog is on a special diet, it's always a good idea to check with your vet to make sure these treats are OK for your best friend. Another excellent resource is the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Hotline at (888) 426-4435.

* In the book, Pet Allergies: Remedies for an Epidemic, author Alfred Plechner, DVM, states that many animals can't tolerate turkey or pork, and that even small amounts can cause vomiting and diarrhea in some pets.

For more dog treat recipes, look at these books: People Food for Dogs, The Doggy Bone Cookbook, Kooper's Doggie Desserts, and Treasured Recipes for Your Treasured Pet.

Do you want to make sure you feed your dog only the best food? Be sure to read this API report on What's Really in Pet Food.