Fall is fast approaching and we can feel the crisp of leaves under our boots and the smell of nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin fills the air. But, it's not only us humans that love the turn in season; our furry friends also love the change too. So what better way to reward them than with some home-baked pumpkin dog treats!

Why pumpkin? Pumpkin is super nutritious for your doggy. Pumpkin can help with a range of ailments by strengthening their digestive system and relieving any digestive problems, helping to eliminate worms, and of course bringing a bright shiny smooth coat.

And pumpkin treats are not only great during fall season… you can treat your pup all year round!

Here is our list of favorite pumpkin dog treats!

1. PUMPKIN DOG TREATS

All the recipes we have listed include either canned or fresh pumpkin but this one worked best with fresh, making this one from Food With Feeling my favorite homemade dog treats with pumpkin puree. The mixture made a lot of treats that lasted nearly two weeks when stored in the fridge (they may have lasted a few days longer if my pups hadn't gobbled them all up!)

Ingredients
•1/2 cup pureed pumpkin: canned or fresh either is fine
•2 tbsp coconut oil
•4 tbsp water
•2 cups wheat flour
•1 tsp cinnamon
•1/4 tsp baking soda
•1/4 tsp baking powder
•1 egg

Recipe
1.Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
2.Mix your pumpkin, coconut oil, and the water together in a large mixing bowl.
3.Now add the flour and mix, then add the cinnamon, baking soda, & baking powder.
4.Mix and add the egg, stirring the mixture until it all sticks together. It might take a few minutes and you may need to add a little more water to get the desired consistency. You should make a round sticky ball.
5.Now roll your dough out to 1/4 inch thick. (Dust the surface with flour to minimize sticking)
6.Use a cookie cutter to cut out your shape, I have a dog bone one for my pups, but any will do the trick.
7.Place your treats on a baking sheet on a tray and place in the oven. Cook until dried through, approx. 30 minutes.
8.Let cool on a drying rack and let your dogs enjoy!

2. Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Treats

This was my dogs favorite because she loved peanut butter! the recipe was super simple to follow, the biscuits cooked perfectly, smelt delicious and had a great texture when they were finished. I didn't add the salt as stated in the recipe because I am little cautious of adding salt to my doggy's food and they didn't notice so I would say it is optional.

Ingredients
•1 cup of whole wheat flour
•2 eggs
•1/2 cup pureed pumpkin: canned or fresh either is fine
•2 tbsp peanut butter
• tsp salt (optional)
•1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Recipe
1.Preheat oven to 350F
2.Mix together flour, both eggs, the pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
3.Add water as required to make the dough the right consistency; the dough should be dry and stiff.
4.Now roll your dough out to 1/2 inch thick. (Dust the surface with flour to minimize sticking).
5.Use a cookie cutter to cut out your shape
6.Place your treats on a baking sheet on a tray and place in the oven.
7.Bake in the oven until hard, approx. 40 minutes.

3. Pumpkin Dog Treats

Again, another super simple recipe that took about 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to bake. I was dubious because my dogs are not huge apple fans but they certainly enjoyed them. I stored them in the fridge and they kept for a week. This recipe is from Delicious Everyday

Ingredients
•2 cups of all-purpose flour
•1 tsp of baking powder
•2 apples peeled, chopped and diced
• cup of pureed pumpkin: canned or fresh either is fine
•1 egg
•1/2 cup of water

Recipe
1.Preheat oven to 350F
2.In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients mixing together until your mixture is dough-like and the right consistency.
3.Add water as required to make the dough the right consistency; the dough should be a little sticky.
4.Now roll your dough out to 1/2 inch thick. (Dust the surface with flour to minimize sticking).
5.Use a cookie cutter to cut out your shape
6.Place the dog bones on a greased baking sheet.
7.Bake for 30 minutes.
8.Remove from oven and let completely cool.

4. Pumpkin Treats (Grain Free)

This grain free pumpkin dog treat recipe from A Cozy Kitchen is great if your dog has dietary requirements or if you are trying to eliminate grains from their diets. It seemed very similar to the other PB recipe just substituting the wheat flour for garbanzo flour and my dogs enjoyed the crumbly biscuit treats. Garbanzo is a cheaper wheat flour alternative but you can also use quinoa or potato flour.

Ingredients
•1 cup of garbanzo flour
•2 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
•2 large eggs
•3/4 cup of pureed pumpkin: canned or fresh either is fine

Recipe
1.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2.In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients mixing together until your mixture is dough-like and the right consistency.
3.Add water as required to make the dough the right consistency; the dough should be a little sticky.
4.Now roll your dough out to 1/2 inch thick. (Dust the surface with flour to minimize sticking).
5.Use a cookie cutter to cut out your shape
6.Place the dog bones on a greased baking sheet.
7.Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
8.Remove from oven and let completely cool.

And there you have our top 4 pumpkin-based dog treat recipes! You can make some small substitutions if you wish to adapt them to your pup's taste but other than removing the salt, I cooked them all as is and my doggies gobbled them down and their tails were wagging for more!