Short answer: A dog treat mix is a pre-blended dry base — usually flour, oats, and a few flavor or fiber add-ins — that you combine with wet ingredients and bake into homemade treats. It's a convenient way to make treats at home, and it's fine for most healthy dogs in moderation. But a mix is still a multi-ingredient, baked, carb-heavy snack. If your goal is a treat that's genuinely good for your dog, a single-ingredient chew does more with less.
I'm Preston Smith, co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. We've sold single-ingredient chews for years, and I get asked about homemade mixes constantly. Here's the straight version.
What actually goes in a dog treat mix?
Most mixes — store-bought or homemade — are built from three layers:
- A base flour. Whole wheat, oat, or chickpea flour for grain-free. This is the bulk of the mix and most of the calories.
- A binder or texture ingredient. Rolled oats, dry milk powder, or ground flaxseed.
- Flavor and function add-ins. Dried apple, parsley, pumpkin powder, or peanut butter powder.
You store the dry mix in an airtight container, then add an egg, water or unsalted broth, and a little oil when you're ready to bake. Roll it out, cut it, bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes.
Is a dog treat mix good for dogs?
In moderation, yes — with two caveats.
First, calories. The American Kennel Club and most veterinary nutritionists point to the same rule: treats should make up no more than about 10% of a dog's daily calories (AKC). Baked flour-based treats add up fast. Three or four biscuits can quietly blow past that ceiling on a small dog.
Second, ingredients. A few common pantry items are genuinely dangerous. Xylitol (also labeled birch sugar) is in many "sugar-free" peanut butters and is toxic to dogs — the FDA has warned about it specifically. Raisins, grapes, chocolate, macadamia nuts, and onion powder are all off the table (ASPCA). Read the label on every add-in, every time.
If your dog has food sensitivities, a mix works against you. Every ingredient you add is another variable. When something upsets your dog's stomach, you won't know which one did it.
A simple dog treat mix recipe
If you want to bake, this is a reasonable base. It makes roughly two batches' worth of dry mix.
Dry mix:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (or chickpea flour for grain-free)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk powder
- 1/4 cup dried parsley
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dried apple (no added sugar)
To bake: Take 2 cups of the dry mix. Add 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup water or unsalted chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir into a dough, roll to about 1/4 inch, cut, and bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes until firm and dry. Cool completely before storing.
Storage: Keep the dry mix cool and dry. Baked treats have no preservatives — refrigerate them and use within about a week, or freeze. VCA Animal Hospitals notes that homemade treats spoil faster than commercial ones precisely because there's nothing in them to stop it (VCA).
Want to flavor it? Peanut butter is a safe add-in as long as it's xylitol-free.
Why we don't make a treat mix
Here's the honest reason: we couldn't make one that beats what we already sell.
Every chew we make is single-ingredient and 100% real meat — 100% natural, fully digestible, and no rawhide. One ingredient on the label. Nothing to cross-reference against a toxicity list. Our beef is ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms, and every chew is 100% high-quality guaranteed.
A treat mix can't say any of that. It's five ingredients minimum, mostly flour, and the nutritional payload is thin. That's not a knock on baking — it's a fun thing to do with your kids on a Sunday. It's just not the same product.
Chews also do something a biscuit can't: they last. A baked treat is gone in four seconds. A beef trachea or bully stick gives a dog twenty minutes of real chewing, which is where the dental and mental-enrichment benefit lives.
Should I make treats or buy them?
Do both. Bake when you feel like baking — it's satisfying, and you control what goes in. Keep single-ingredient chews on hand for the daily stuff, because they're simpler, they last longer, and there's nothing on the label to worry about.
Whichever way you go: watch the 10% rule, skip the toxic add-ins, and check with your vet if your dog has a condition that touches diet.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use regular flour in a dog treat mix?
Yes. Whole wheat flour is fine for most dogs. If your dog has a wheat sensitivity, chickpea or oat flour works as a direct substitute.
How long does homemade dog treat mix last?
The dry mix keeps about three months in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Once baked, treats last about a week refrigerated or a few months frozen — there are no preservatives holding them together.
Are homemade dog treats healthier than store-bought?
Not automatically. Homemade means you control the ingredients, which is good. But a flour-based baked treat is still mostly carbohydrate. A single-ingredient meat chew is nutritionally denser and has a shorter label.
Is peanut butter safe in a dog treat mix?
Only if it's xylitol-free. Check the label for xylitol or birch sugar — both are toxic to dogs. Plain, unsalted peanut butter with no sweeteners is safe in small amounts.
This post was last updated at July 17, 2026 14:56
