Winter storms, snow days, and further mandated lock downs lead to one thing – time to experiment with homemade frozen dog treats. Ok, that might not be the first thing you thought of digging your way out the driveway, but this month its fun frozen dog treat creation for me.

My plan was to travel somewhere, even close to home via car. Definitely, somewhere with the dog and that’s still on the agenda.

But with so many uncertainties about health, safety, and then forecasts dumping unprecedented amounts of the white stuff over the roads, travel has been post-phoned or delayed, only a few weeks.

In the meantime, check out these frozen dog treat recipes. I christened a silicon treat tray (similar to the molds pictured here – affiliate link) I bought impulsively a year ago, and it worked well popping out frozen treats with yogurt, peanut butter, and broth in perfect paw print form.

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The fun part is actually experimenting with fillers. Start with a base, stir in a flavour your dog will love, then throw in a few ‘mix ins’ that add extra texture your dog can lick around. Like a popular ice cream chain – pick the base flavour and add some extras. If nothing else, it’s an amusing distraction on a dreary day.

Here’s the suggested process to make your own homemade frozen dog treats:

1. Select one dog-friendly base that will fill most of the tray shapes and freeze easily:

1. Water
2. Plain yogurt
3. Bone broth

2. Select one homemade frozen dog treat flavour to entice your pup:

1. Pumpkin puree
2. Mashed sweet potato or yam puree
3. Chopped watermelon
4. Peanut butter
5. Broth (usually meat flavoured, low salt, and no onions powder or flakes)
6. Blueberries
7. Baby food (containing no onion)

3. Select one (or two) textures that add additional flavour:

1. Bacon bits
2. Left over chopped meats like chicken
3. Kibble
4. Bit-sized training treats
5. Oats
6. Peas
7. Shredded or diced carrots
8. peanuts

Note: As you are experimenting with combinations, first check out the list of foods you should never feed to your dog here.

The fun part is thinking of combinations that appeal to doggie palates – and using up a few things in the fridge. What did we do?

Here are some suggested combinations that worked for me … or specifically, my pup Victoria:

Pumpkin Watermelon Melts

1. Start with some water in a measuring cup.
2. Add some pumpkin puree for flavour into the water and pour it into the molds.
3. Sprinkle in chopped watermelon (because slices were in the fridge).
4. Freeze trays overnight, then pop out the frozen treats easily. These can be kept frozen in a zip-lock plastic storage bag.

Peanut Butter Snow Paws

1. Add a cup of plain white yogurt in a cup. Stir in a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter.
2. Fill silicon molds using a spatula to spoon in the mixture.
3. Drop in bite-sized training treats in beef (or other) flavour.
4. Freeze trays overnight, then pop out the frozen treats easily. These can be kept frozen in a zip-lock plastic storage bag.

Frozen Bacon and Beef Broth

1. Add one container of Campbells’ concentrated beef broth and two cups of water. (The package suggests three, but less for a stronger flavour).
2. Pour water and broth into silicon molds almost full.
3. Sprinkle in bacon bits until the liquid rises to the end of the mold.
4. Freeze trays overnight, then pop out the frozen treats easily. These can be kept frozen in a zip-lock plastic storage bag.

Frozen Yogurt and Blueberries

1. Fill the silicon molds two thirds of the way through with plain yogurt.
2. Fold in frozen (or fresh) blueberries, enough to make the yogurt purple in color but not enough to over-fill the molds.
3. Sprinkle in bacon bits for added doggie flavour.
4. Freeze trays overnight, then pop out the frozen treats easily. They can be stored in a the freezer in a bag or air-tight container.

I’m Sherri Telenko, a professional writer for 30 years and travel writer for the last 20. I’m a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America. I’ve lived with cats, dogs, horses and guinea pigs all my life, and I travel almost weekly with my canine companion, Victoria.