Homemade summer dog treat recipes your Pooch will love

It’s not just hoomans who can enjoy frozen snacks in the summer. Help your dog cool down with some tasty homemade treats.

Quick, healthy and easy – we’ve got some recipes below. Have fun trying them out!

1. Pooch-friendly peanut butter & banana ice cream (with secret hidden treats)

All you need are the following ingredients and an ice cube tray (although you might want to use an ice lolly mould for bigger dogs!).

For Instagrammable treats, invest in doggo-inspired shaped ice-cube trays. Cute pics incoming...

Ingredients:

• 500g plain yoghurt (Greek yoghurt for dogs is great, provided it is xylitol free)
• 60g smooth peanut butter (xylitol free)
• 2 tablespoons honey 
• 1 ripe banana

(Makes 30-40 cubes.)

How to:

• Use a microwave to melt the peanut butter for around 30 seconds
• Mash the banana into a paste
• Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and mix until smooth
• Pour the mixture into ice cube trays. (You can also tuck one of your dog’s favourite Pooch & Mutt treats inside, they’re the perfect size)
• Once frozen, pop the frozen treats out and let your pooch enjoy!

This recipe is super flexible. You can use the same method with fresh strawberries or any other dog-friendly fruit of your choice.

For a dairy-free option, the treats freeze well without yoghurt. You can substitute with a dairy-free alternative, such as coconut milk, which is rich in nutrients. If you skip the dog-treats, these frozen goodies are human-friendly too!

Healthy doggo ice cream toppings: 

• A sprinkle of Rice Krispies
• A dash of chia seeds (rich in Omega 3, antioxidants and dietary fibre)

2. Pooch-friendly meaty-flavoured ice lollies

Meaty ice lollies might not sound too appealing to us, but wait until your pooch gets a whiff of them…

Ingredients:

• 1 low salt stock cube, in your pooch’s favourite flavour
• A chew treat or healthy dental stick to use as the ‘stick’ for each ice lolly

How to:

• Boil 500ml water and mix with the stock cube, leave to cool
• Pour liquid into ice lolly tray
• Add your pooch’s favourite chew, in place of the usual wooden lolly stick
• Leave to freeze
• Enjoy!

3. Easy-peasy frozen veg

If you need an even quicker frozen treat to keep them feeling cool - you can simply stick their favourite veg in the freezer to munch on. It requires practically zero effort, but has big results! And they're healthy too...

Here's some ideas on what to use:

• Carrots (whole so it's an exciting chunky treat)
• Parsnips (whole so it's an exciting chunky treat)
• Broccoli (floret and stem)
• Sprouts, green beans and celery (chopped into chunks)

Always supervise your pooch when they're enjoying any treats, to avoid choking.

And check out our blog piece on toxic summer food to make sure they're not eating anything poisonous.