Her very very very favorite thing in the world is canned spray “cheese.” (The brand name is Kraft Easy Cheese.) I’ve always thought it was the thing that tamed her. I have done a lot of counterconditioning over the years with my formerly feral dog, Clara.

These proportions make it the right texture for a Coghlan food tube: not too thick, too runny, or too sticky.

Put it in a food tube (I use Coghlan’s).

You can raise the proportion of pumpkin, but you will eventually lower the value of the treat.

Mix Cheez Whiz, the commercial stuff that comes in a jar, approximately half and half with pure (unseasoned, unsweetened) canned pumpkin in a bowl.

Recipe for Canned Spray Cheese Substitute product I have ideas for my friends in other countries at the end of the post. But feel free to read the story of my experimentation.

To save some of you from scrolling down, here’s my best substitute for canned spray cheese. I won’t make you read the history of the world before presenting the recipe. But I will say that my concoction of goopy stuff is healthier than the original. If the idea of giving junk food to your dog appalls you, don’t read this.

Canned cheese whiz