At The Dog Chef, I’m frequently asked about the best flour for dog treats. And to be honest, there’s no simple answer. At least, there’s no one single answer.
For certain though, I don’t recommend the use of highly-refined white flour most commonly used in human baking. Use whole wheat flour if you must. But there are a number of other types of flour that offer so much more in the way of nutritional benefits for man’s best friend.
That caveat aside, you will find that when you bake for dogs as I do, different flours work better for different treats. Sometimes a combination of flours work best. And then again of course, as with everything you feed your dog, the wider the variety the better.
For all those reasons, in my dog treat mixes I mainly use almond flour, coconut flour, rice flour, oat flour, cornflour, tapioca flour and buckwheat flour. While there are a great many more varieties of flour, my most commonly used flours are:
Almond flour
At The Dog Chef I’m very fond of almond flour. It’s grain and gluten-free and high in plant-based proteins. It’s rich in healthy fats, calcium, fibre, iron and vitamin E as well. Yes it’s higher in calories than some flours. But it’s not something you use a huge amount of when baking treats for dogs so it’s not something to be overly concerned about unless your dog has a real weight issue.
Tapioca flour
Like almond flour, tapioca flour is both grain and gluten-free. It’s also low in sugar and calories, making it the ideal choice of flour for a dog suffering from diabetes.
Buckwheat flour
Buckwheat is a pseudograin. In other words, it’s not a grain at all. Buckwheat flour is made from ground and roasted buckwheat. Like both almond and tapioca flour, buckwheat flour is both grain and gluten-free. It’s a great source of dietary fibre and plant-based proteins. Antioxidant rich, like tapioca flour, it’s an excellent choice of flour for any dog suffering from diabetes.
Oat flour
Oat flour, made from rolled oats, is a good source of both fibre and protein. It’s an excellent low-calorie choice for a dog needing to lose weight.
Coconut flour
Coconut flour is made from dried and ground coconut meat (the pulp). High in fibre and healthy fats, coconut flour is a real favourite at The Dog Chef.
Best flour for dog treats
When it comes to the best flour for dog treats, those are some of those I most frequently use. There are a great many more types of flour, each of which offers a different range of nutrients.
My in-house dog nutritionist lists all of these on his own website.
I am interested in learning more about my Great Dane’s nutritional needs.
Please visit my dog nutritionist’s website, http://www.caninenutritionist.co.uk.
I love the thought of making & baking for my dog. I don’t particularly like dog foods from cans but I’m not sure on wa’t to cook my dog or how to go about making it healthy for my pit.
I have a 1/2 yorkie 1/2 schipperke 2 year old dog with food allergies. Was told no wheat corn or soy. I would love to make her some treats because all the treats in the stores contain stuff she can’t have..what would be the best flour to make her some treat with. Also what flour would be good to make sourdough starter with for sourdough treats for her…thank you in advanced.its been so hard finding stuff she can have
Hi Terri, You could use single-grain or seed-based flours like brown or white rice flour, certified gluten-free/wheat-free oat flour, sorghum flour, almond flour or coconut flour. That said, you would be better addressing your little dog’s problems. It is highly unlikely she has allergies which are actually rare in dogs. She is almost certainly suffering from a number of gut-related problems which can be addressed only by a qualified dog nutritionist such as Gerald Pepin at http://www.caninenutritionist.co.uk. A nutritionist could fix your dog’s gut problems so that she could then enjoy a full diet. And if you do not address her underlying problems, sad to say, you are simply exposing her to greater health problems later in life! You can contact Gerald directly at gp@caninenutritionist.co.uk.