*a.--You can use any ground beef, but they'll love these - and you'll be tempted to feed them extra during the holidays. Leaner ground beef will be better for the dog and help with weight problems.

Mix well.
You don't want to worry about grease cooking out and running all over the oven, so line a cookie sheet that has sides, or an oblong baking pan with aluminum foil. At Christmas time, you're busy enough. You sure don't want to worry about having to stop and clean the oven.

Spread the meat mixture on the sheet and flatten it with your hands or a rolling pin. Make it thin - about 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

Put it in the oven for 2 hours. Keep the door cracked to allow steam to escape. You can use a wooden spoon or piece of dowel to keep it open.

When you remove it from the oven, blot it carefully with paper towels to remove the extra grease. Remember, this is pretty rich food for them, and fat is hard on their pancreas. We're trying to eliminate all the fat we can.

After blotting, cut into little squares, or if you happen to have one of those bone-shape cookie cutters, this is a good place to use it. Put another cookie sheet on top of this one and carry it to the sink to flip them over and transfer the cookies to the clean sheet. If any grease spills, it should end up in the sink. You may have to spread them out a little so they're still one layer thick. Return the treats to the oven for another 2 hours until they're dried out - like beef jerky.

Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator .
They probably won't last long enough, but they can also be frozen.