Valentine Treats For Dogs!

Love your dog? Make sure you remember him or her on Valentine's Day, with yummy dog treats like these Valentine treats for dogs made by 
Thefive DogBarkery based in London.

Valentine treats for dogs

Dog bakeries are gearing up for this holiday just like other bakeries! Your dog will appreciate the special treat even though he likely will have no idea why people are acting so mushy and lovey-dovey. 

It is thoughtful and fun for us humans to give decorated dog treats like these as holiday gifts to the dog lovers (and dogs) we care about. 

You can make your own homemade dog treats for Valentine's Day using a heart shaped cookie cutter or a bone shaped cookie cutter. Try this easy 

dog biscuit recipe. 

To decorate, use Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs colored with red, pink and blue powdered icing coloring. To get the interesting marbling effect, lay down a thin coat of one color, then put a few small drops of a second color over it. Take a toothpick and drag the toothpick through the colors.

Click this link to see more "heartfelt" ideas for Valentine treats: Lovecakes for dogs - also baked by Thefive Dog Barkery. A list of available hues of red and pink icing colors is provided.

Dog Treat Business Ideas For Finding Customers

Looking for new dog treat business ideas of where to sell your treats for dogs? Best place for small dog bakeries to start is in your own neighborhood.

More and more small businesses that cater to dog owners are coming onto the scene. There are two main factors for this: the pet business has proven itself to be recession proof, and over half of U.S. families own dogs. 

Dog cupcakes decorated with
Fido's Frosting

As a small dog treat baker, you have a product that these businesses don't have time to make: homemade dog treats! Fresh treats always smell delicious. 

Some examples of local dog businesses to partner with include:

• Dog groomers
• Dog trainers
• Pet hotels and spas
• Dog daycare facilities
• Boarding facilities
• Veterinarians
• Pet stores
• Dog rescue organizations 
• Petsitters

What to do:

• Make up a batch of your most amazing dog treats and arrange them as a gorgeous display on a tray, plate, box, etc. You are going to show these off!
• Place more treats in a box or bag tied up with a nice ribbon - make sure you have a label with your contact information on it. You are going to leave these as a gift.
• Make a list of all the dog businesses close by that you can visit. You want to concentrate on those that you can easily access. Walk down down the busiest street in town and you will probably come across quite a few.
• Find out when the owner or someone in charge will be available. You can happen to be walking by with your treats (when customers are present so they can see your treats too!)
• You want to build a relationship with the business. Think of how their business would be a more amazing place if they featured your treats. How can they show off their services better than their competitors? For example, a retail store, a daycare or boarding facility, a vet - could feature you and your fresh treats. Ask if you can set up a table. Offer to advertise your presence while advertising their business to help bring in traffic.  
• Find pet sitters and groomers who want to offer treats as a thank you gift. Offer to make up treats in nice packages. You would then put your business name along with theirs on the package. 
• Offer to bake a dog birthday cake for loyal customers. (The business would pay you for the cake of course.)

For this type of marketing, you want to find small businesses that make their own decisions. As a small business, you can be creative with your efforts and try new ideas. Corporations do not have this flexibility. 

The idea is to help these small businesses stand out in the minds of their customers. Help them to offer a service that the big stores cannot. This is your mission, should you decide to accept it!

For more ideas for small business marketing for your pet business, join us in the Facebook group Homemade Dog Treats.

Difference between dog treat icing and dog treat frosting

Q: Is there a difference between dog treat icing and dog treat frosting?
A: Actually, there is.

As one dog lover explained: "Frosting is the fluffy stuff on a cupcake and icing is the sweet, hard stuff on a cookie."

K9Cakery has a slightly different twist to this specifically for dogs. Fido's Frosting is used to frost a dog cake and Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs is used  to dip, glaze, drizzle and decorate dog treats and dog biscuits. All Fido's Frosting brand icings dry hard and do not need refrigeration. The dog treat icing dries shiny and makes an interesting finish.

The Frosting Guy shows the difference between dog treat icing 

and dog treat frosting in this Youtube video

Many bakers choose to make their own icings and frostings. But those who have tried the Fido's Frostings enjoy the ease which it offers. Just add water and stir. 

They are sugar free and only made with human grade ingredients. People will not necessary like the taste because there is no sugar, and humans love sugary desserts! But there are some who do not mind. When dogs smell it, they can't wait to try it. 

K9Cakery will look for a vendor in your geographical location who carries it if you so desire because sometimes the shipping charges can be high, both in the US and  internationally. As more and more dog bakeries try Fido's Frosting, they appreciate its merits and distribution is growing.

These dog treat icings come in various flavors and there is a cream cheese frosting for dogs as well.

Just remember that life is short, especially for our pets. Let them eat more dog treat frosting.