It’s summer!
Keep your cool by making frozen treats for your canine companions, by yourself or with friends and family. Kids will enjoy creating colorful and delicious combinations of treat ingredients, then taste-testing their recipes on the dog.
Frozen-treat preparation can be inexpensive entertainment for adults, too. Invite friends with dogs over for treat-making and refreshments, reminding them to bring a cooler to take home their creations. Assemble a variety of ingredients and try them out!
Silicone Molds
Silicone molds are the current must-have for doggy treat-making. They’re inexpensive. They’re easy to find. They can be used for freezing or for baking, which I find especially enticing. They come in many shapes and sizes.
I’ve invested in two molds—one makes paw-prints, the other makes “bone” shapes (like a traditional Milk-Bone® treat). Both produce treats sized for medium to large dogs.
For my own small dog and other doggy “littles,” I make treats in an ice-cube tray that produces tiny ice cubes. My “little” is five pounds and fifteen years old. She had 17 teeth extracted several years ago. I need to make sure she can both get the treat into her mouth and hold it there (ice being slippery!) then chew it up easily with what teeth she’s got left. Frozen treats can always be broken up into smaller pieces, too!
Silicone molds can also be used for freezing (or baking) treats for humans. Don’t limit your search to “pets only” molds. Look at what’s available and imagine what you can do with it. Popsicle molds are another commonly sold item that work well for doggy treats. Or search out ice-cube trays that make cubes in unusual shapes. Check your local thrift and dollar stores for low-cost options.
Whatever size or shape of tray or mold you choose, it’s how you “style” the ingredients that reveals your true doggy-treat–making artistry. Feel free to experiment and create! You know darn well that the dogs are going to love what you’ve made for them, regardless of how it looks, don’t you?
Photo by Donna Lange
Technique
While you’re filling the silicone mold, place it on a baking sheet to stabilize it. (The baking sheet also catches any “slop over” from the filling process.)
Use an appropriately sized plastic spatula to fill the mold and clean up the edges so you don’t waste ingredients.
Your dog’s regular kibble in water or broth is the fastest fix. Canned dog food with water stirred into it is also quick.
Veggies floating in frozen broth are easy, or fruit in cottage cheese.
Layers of contrastingly colored ingredients are also easy. Just keep that silicone mold flat and work with the right size spatula. Swirl a skewer or toothpick around each section to marbleize. Insert dog biscuits so they stick out like handles! When you have more time, decorate each treat with squeeze cheese.
Once the silicone mold is filled, transfer it to your freezer very carefully—they’re floppy! I use a small plastic cutting board a few inches bigger than the silicone mold to transport the filled mold across the kitchen. That cutting board stays under the mold in the freezer.
When the treats are fully frozen in the mold, it’s easy to remove them, one by one, because the mold is flexible—just push up from underneath each treat.
Ingredients
Here are some basic guidelines for choosing safe ingredients:
Choose low-fat unless your pup needs to gain weight.
Choose no-salt or low sodium and no-sugar if available.
Peanut butter should not contain xylitol. It’s dangerous for dogs!
Ingredients to try:
Chicken broth
Beef broth
Vegetable broth
Cottage cheese
Cream cheese
Cheese, cubed or shredded
Squeeze cheese
Coconut milk
Cooked rice
Cooked oatmeal
Sugarless applesauce
Canned dog food
Cooked meat, diced or shredded
Sardines in spring water
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Strawberries
Carrots
Green beans
Peas
Pumpkin
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Yams
Zucchini
Chopped parsley
Chopped peppermint
Peanut Butter, Banana, and Yogurt Treats
32 oz plain yogurt
3 tablespoons peanut butter without xylitol
1 large banana, sliced
Blend all ingredients until creamy using a blender or food processor.
Fill a silicone mold or ice-cube tray.
Freeze and serve.
Watermelon and Yogurt Treats
2 cups seedless watermelon
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Puree seedless watermelon in a blender or food processor.
Fill silicone mold or ice-cube tray with half of the watermelon.
Add a thin layer of plain yogurt over the pureed watermelon.
Fill the mold or tray with the remaining watermelon puree.
Freeze and serve.
Tuna, Yogurt, and Parsley Treats
1 5 oz can of tuna in water
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Empty the tuna into a mixing bowl. Do not drain the water.
Break up the tuna with a fork into shreds.
Add yogurt and dried parsley.
Stir well until combined.
Fill a silicone mold or ice-cube tray.
Freeze and serve.
Store treats in your freezer in the mold or tray, or in an airtight container.
Once served, frozen treats can be messy, especially if your dog takes a while to eat them!
Offer your dog his frozen treat outside, or where the flooring can be easily cleaned—not on a dog bed or in a crate with bedding . . . or on your furniture!
