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Excerpts

From Throw Me a Bone

GO-BANANAS TRAINING TREATS

I personally have an issue with coming when I'm called. It's not that I don't intend to ever come; it's just that I'm usually in the middle of doing something really interesting when Susan calls me. As a result, I tend to dawdle, and Susan tends to get a little, uh, exasperated. Then one day, she brought one of these treats with her when we went out for a walk, and when she called me to come, she held up a treat. Suddenly it all made sense: if I showed up in a hurry when she called, I would get one. What a scam! I mean, really -- just for coming to say hello, I got a delicious oatmeal nibble. (This is a great can't-miss deal, my fellow dogs: I suggest you look into it with your humans.)

Mix up a batch of these, and you can cut them into any size or shape you want: tiny squares for training a Teacup Poodle, more substantial chunks for motivating a Mastiff...

Vegetable shortening
3 to 4 large eggs
1Ž3 cup canola or corn oil
1Ž3 cup honey
1Ž3 blackstrap molasses
1 cup skim milk
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3 cups whole-wheat flour
3 to 6 cups uncooked oatmeal, depending on texture preferences

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet with vegetable shortening.

Place the eggs, oil, honey, molasses, milk, and mashed bananas in a bowl and mix with a hand blender. Add the flour and oatmeal and mix until it has the consistency of cake mix. Let the dogs lick the spoon and bowl!

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour; turn off the oven, and let the treats sit until the oven cools. Turn out onto the counter or a cutting board and using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into whatever shapes suit your fancy (or break into pieces). Dogs don't care! Cover and refrigerate or freeze up to 2 months.

YIELD: DEPENDS ON THE SIZE YOU MAKE THEM

SERVING SIZE: 2 TO 3 PIECES

Blackstrap molasses is the thick, very dark brownish-black syrup that remains after the last extraction of sugar from cane or sorghum. Strong and slightly bitter-tart in flavor, it has the lowest sugar content of all types of molasses and is more nutritious than other sweeteners.

Copyright © 2003 by Susan Orlean and Sally Sampson