Introduction: DIY Frozen Dog Treats

So I recently adopted a puppy and have been working on training her. Anyone who has trained a dog knows that it takes A LOT of treats. While store bought treats are great, she ended up gaining quite a bit of weight pretty quickly during training. So I decided to make some of my own and control what she is eating a bit closer. I wanted to focus on proteins for her muscle development, calcium for he teeth and bones and grains for some extra energy or her. With it being summer I decided to make her some frozen treats to help keep her cool on hot summer days. So if you would like to find out how to make these quick and easy treats, read on!

Step 1: Ingredients

To make these tasty treats for your canine friend, you will need a few ingredients. You will need...

  • Peanut butter (protein)
  • Plain yogurt (calcium, I went with nonfat to help maintain her weight)
  • Cheerios (gains)
  • Mixing bowl
  • Microwave
  • Spoon
  • Ice cube tray
  • Freezer

Step 2: Heat the Peanut Butter

In the first step you will be putting the desired amount of peanut butter into the mixing bowl. Make sure it is microwave safe as we will be putting it in to make it easier to mix. 4 scoops of peanut butter will make about a dozen of the cube shaped treats. Put it in the microwave and heat for 30-45 seconds or until the peanut butter is gooey and has a runny consistency.

Step 3: Add the Yougurt

The purpose of the yogurt is to thin the mixture down an make it less sticky while also adding some nutritional value. In this recipe, the yogurt is the base of the treat so double the amount of scoops of peanut butter and mix it in. You need to work fairly quickly as the cold yogurt will cool the peanut butter and cause it to start to solidify. Mix until the ingredients are a evenly distributed, it should have the consistency of soft serve ice cream. If it is too loose/solid add more peanut butter/ yogurt and mix.

Step 4: Mix in the Cheerios

Pretty early on, I found out that Charlotte (puppy) loves cheerios, I am happy to give them to her since they are a quick and easy treat for her. This made the decision easy when I was considering ingredients for the diy dog treats. In this step, I just mixed in a few handfuls just to add a little bit of texture but also give her just a little extra bit of grains to her diet. Mix them until they are evenly distributed.

Step 5: Pack Into Ice Trays and Freeze

Before the peanut butter is completely cooled, spoon the mixture into the ice cube trays. This can be a little bit messy so make sure you have some paper towels nearby to clean up any messes. Once all of the mixture is packed into the tray, leave it in the freezer for a few hours.

Step 6: Finished!

You have now finished creating your own dog treats for your furry friend. I gave her one to try tonight and it was gone by before I could get a photo of her eating it so I consider the project a success! Thanks for reading!!