We love interacting with our dogs, but sometimes we need a way they can entertain themselves for a bit! If you’re looking for a fun way to keep your best friend cool and entertained this year, frozen enrichment for dogs might just be the answer. These delightful frozen goodies not only provide entertainment but also stimulate your dog’s mind by engaging their natural foraging instincts. Imagine your pup happily licking their way through a delicious treat, keeping them entertained for half an hour or more!
In this article, we’ll explore our favorite cheap and easy ideas for frozen enrichment for dogs that your pup will absolutely love. From fruit-filled popsicles to Woof Pupsicles, there’s something here for every dog. Get ready to make mealtime (or snack time) more fun for both you and your pup!
The benefits of frozen enrichment for dogs
There are a variety of benefits to using frozen enrichment for dogs, but we wanted to call out a few specific ones.
First, and likely the most obvious, is that they are fun for your dog. They are a great alternative to using dog agility jumps or a DIY flirt pole, especially for dogs who need a little longer to recover between intense physical activity. Mental enrichment is just as essential as physical enrichment for your dog. Sufficient mental enrichment can help discourage your dog from chewing your shoes or going out of their way to find things to bark at. Check out this article from VCA Hospitals if you want more information about the benefits of foraging toys (food-based enrichment) for your pup and our post on the signs your dog is bored so you know what to look for.
We got our Squishy Face Studio flirt pole a long time ago and it's held up extremely well! We love their design and they offer replaceable lures if your pup manages to do too much damage to it. They're also fellow pitbull advocates, so if you want to help out and support someone who loves pitties as much as we do, give it a shot and you won't be disappointed!
Another benefit of using frozen enrichment for dogs is that it will keep your dog busier longer than other forms of enrichment. If you have power chewers like we do, even the most durable toys last less than 15 minutes. Frozen Toppls or Pupsicles can be long lasting frozen dog treats and usually last around half an hour for us. We do a lot of inside dog games with our own pups, but it’s nice to have a few we aren’t required for.
Finally, they’re a perfect option to entertain your dog if they are mobility restricted or older. Even the most active pups need to rest between activities, and frozen enrichment is a great option for this. From our experience, Goomba tore ligaments in both knees and had to get 3 different surgeries to fix them. During his recovery from CCL surgery, we went through every type of low-movement enrichment we could find, and frozen enrichment was a high percentage of that. It was vital to help keep Goomba entertained until he could run around again.
Safety tips and advice
Using frozen enrichment for dogs is generally safe, but there are still a few things to be aware of. First (and most important), make sure you use only dog-safe ingredients in your treats. Artificial sugars are quite common, and some of the more common ones, xylitol specifically, are extremely toxic to your dog, even in small quantities. Even some produce is toxic: check out our guide on fruits and vegetables safe for dogs and it’s a great place to start.
If your dog ingests something that isn’t dog-safe, proceed immediately to your nearest emergency vet and call the ASPCA poison control hotline on the way. We’ve used them before when Prim got ahold of a toad, and they were fantastic. Our emergency vet required them to be contacted anyway, and yours may, too.
In addition, we need to minimize choking hazards. If your dog tries to swallow everything whole, make sure their treat or toy cannot fit in their mouth completely or is small enough that it isn’t an issue. We’d recommend lick mats or a Pupsicle, as both are much harder to choke on than an improperly sized Kong or large ice cube.
Finally, if you’re using dog-safe foods that your pup hasn’t had before, we recommend introducing them slowly. If your pup has never had carrots and then gets a ton in one sitting, they’re probably going to have an upset stomach or diarrhea. Try a smaller amount first to make sure there aren’t any adverse effects since every pup is different.
Our favorite frozen enrichment ideas for dogs
Now, why you’re here: our favorite easy frozen dog treats. Different dogs have different preferences, and our dogs prefer different options from this list. For us, Primmie’s favorite is a Pupsicle, while Goomba loves his Toppls. If you’re not sure what your dog will like, see if you can borrow one from a friend!
If you want to make your own bed (we made the one in the picture above), check out our guide to making a DIY dog bed for large dogs. It’s so simple that even I could do it, and I’m terrible at craft projects.
Flavored ice cubes
For the first of our favorite frozen enrichment for dogs, we’ll start with flavored ice cubes. Using ice cube treats for dogs is the easiest option for frozen enrichment, but also is the shortest.
The process is simple: find a mold and pour your mixture into it to freeze. That’s it!
Depending on your dog’s preferences, you can use a fruit and water mixture (check out our list of dog safe fruits and vegetables!) or any combination of more involved foods. One of our dogs’ favorites is freeze-dried beef liver soaked in water until it is soft. The mixture turns into a liver-flavored broth that is a perfect option if you’re looking for low calorie dog treats.
Stewart's freeze-dried beef liver is our go to option for beef liver! We love it because it's affordable and our dogs love it for the taste. We use freeze-dried beef liver as everything from a reward for training to recipes in frozen enrichment. We find that Stewart's has the best value for beef liver for a product we feel good about feeding to our dogs.
We usually mix ours in a Pupsicle refill tray mold or Messy Mutts silicone treat mold because we have those on hand, but a muffin pan or mini muffin pan works perfectly, too! Silicon makes this process the easiest because the treats don’t freeze to the pan.
Dog-safe popsicles
Next up for our favorite frozen enrichment for dogs: dog-safe popsicles! We won’t spend a ton of time on this one because it’s similar to the ice cube treats. The major difference is that the popsicles have a “stick” out of the frozen treat.
We definitely want to use something that’s safe for your dog to eat if you’re not holding the stick, which definitely rules out popsicle sticks. Some of our favorites are small bully sticks, Whimzee’s dental chews, or any other long treat you have. Even softer and thinner treats work here (even fish skins!), so don’t be afraid to get creative. If you plan on holding the stick, you can get away with using traditional popsicle sticks, just be careful to make sure your pup doesn’t eat it or poke themselves with it.
We've recently discovered PBFit's pure peanut powder recipe and we're huge fans! Our dogs love it and it has around 1/3 of the calories, which makes it a great option for training and enrichment, especially for dogs with weight issues! The Pure Peanut recipe also only has 1 ingredient, which makes it perfect for dogs with allergies, too!
Two other mixtures we’ve used for popsicles that have been hits are dog-safe strawberry yogurt and PB Fit simply peanut powder. Our dogs love the PBfit powder, and it has 40% of the calories of regular peanut butter. It’s a great option for smaller dogs or dogs who struggle with their weight, like Prim did for us.
Lick mats
Frozen lick mats are our next choice for frozen enrichment for dogs! They’re typically our most recommended option since they are the perfect entry spot for food-based enrichment. Lick mats typically have a wide and shallow base, which means most of the food is at the surface. Your dog won’t have to lick as hard to get the reward as they would for a Kong, which means even less food-motivated dogs are even interested.
Our first food-based enrichment was the Messy Mutts lick mat, and we still have it! We use our Frisco lick mats more because they are a bit smaller and cheaper, but both are great options. We do more treating and snacking than giving meals on our lick mats, but if you intend to freeze your dog’s meals, we’d highly recommend the larger mat. Our dogs love both options, and we use them routinely as one of the easiest options for frozen enrichment for dogs.
The Frisco silicone lick mats are our favorite lick mats that we've tried. They're cheap, safe, and work great! We use these more than any of the other options we have. They're the perfect size, even for our 80 lb dogs, and have a double lip on the outside to prevent spilling. We also love that they are dishwasher-safe, which makes cleanup a breeze!
- Made of silicone (food-safe & flexible)
- Easy to clean & dishwasher safe
- Extremely affordable
- Extremely durable
- Only available on Chewy
- Smaller than some other options
You can put anything dog-safe you want on a lick mat, but some things work better than others. The best foods are thicker and stickier, like yogurt, cottage cheese, and dog-safe crunchy peanut butter, especially for regular lick mat recipes. If you’re going to freeze your lick mats, they last much longer, and almost anything works. Check out our guides on the benefits of lick mats for dogs and frozen lick mat ideas for more information.
Frozen dog bowls
Frozen dog bowls are a fantastic option for frozen enrichment for dogs, especially if you feed your dog something other than kibble. The idea is pretty simple: you put all of your dog’s food in a bowl and then freeze it. You can add a liquid like broth or water or simply leave it as frozen food. We prefer to add a bit of water and mash things up a bit, but that’s primarily to make it last longer and turn it into a larger version of a lick mat.
For supplies, we highly recommend using a silicone material for this so your dog doesn’t have to put their tongue on frozen metal. We’ve all seen the stories of tongues (both human and dog) getting stuck to something when it’s cold out, and that’s not what we’re going for here. For food, you can just use your dog’s food, even if it’s kibble. If you want to use it as a treat, our preference is using a combination of unseasoned meat, fibrous vegetables, and some liquid. One of our dogs’ favorites is chicken, sweet potato, and green beans with low sodium chicken broth, and it’s always a hit!
The Wobble is a great option for pups who rip through lick mats too fast. It's somewhere between a lick mat and a Toppl on the difficulty scale, but it's a perfect option for making your enrichment last longer with your dog. It's wide opening and depth means that even less motivated dogs will enjoy it, but it will end up with a lot more food in it due to the size. As long as you watch out for your dog's weight, it's a great enrichment option!
Our 2 favorite options for this are the LickiMat Wobble and the Woof LickMat. We’d recommend the LickiMat if you plan on doing meals and the Woof option if you’re just using it as a treat. Both are great options for frozen enrichment for dogs, and you can’t go wrong with either!
West Paw Toppl
The Toppl is Goomba’s favorite out of these options of frozen enrichment for dogs and one of his favorite dog enrichment toys overall! It’s one of the easiest options to use, too, which makes it great for beginners or advanced pups. Our Toppls have been extremely durable and have held up great over hundreds of uses despite Goomba’s persistent biting. We find it works best with the Toppl stopper, which functions as a plug and stand during the freezing process.
We love this take on a treat holder by West Paw! It's a great alternative to a Kong, especially for those pups who are more inclined to bite the treat than lick it out, like Goomba. It's extremely easy to clean and has a wide opening. The Toppl is one of our pup's favorite sources of enrichment!
The best part? You can put anything dog-safe into it, often without using a blender because of the wide opening. Our dogs (both 80 lbs) use the large size, and it works great! Check out our favorite Toppl recipes if you want some ideas for your pup. Our dogs’ favorites are the peanut butter and banana and sweet potato and tuna recipes. Our most common option is “the kitchen sink”, which is a mixture of a lot of different dog-safe food we have laying around our house.
Woof Pupsicle
The Woof Pupsicle is Primmie’s favorite option for frozen enrichment, and we love it, too! Compared to the Toppl, it’s less rewarding for pups who try to bite their rewards out of lick mats and Toppls. Even if your pup doesn’t try to bite the reward out, it’s great for calorie-restricted dogs and pups who prefer licking (like Prim). It’s extremely resistant to biting, too, so even determined pups like Goomba shouldn’t have issues with destroying the toy.
The Pupsicle is one of our two favorite options for food-based enrichment and it's Prim's favorite enrichment option! It's extremely durable and lasts surprisingly long, even without using the Woof refills. We highly recommend it and think your dog will love it, too!
Depending on your preferences, you can either make your own refills or buy them from West Paw. Our favorite pre-made options are the peanut butter and beef and calming refills. They are a little expensive per serving, but last half an hour or more. If you don’t mind DIY-ing your recipes, you can make your own with the Woof treat tray mold. We do both options and try to have the pre-made refills on hand in case we forget to mix some up before we need them.
If you’d like some Pupsicle refill recipes, you’re in luck! You can put just about anything in them. Check out the previous link for our pups’ favorite recipes and our opinions. We think you’ll love them, too!
Frozen Kongs
Frozen Kongs are one of the harder types of frozen enrichment for dogs, but are a great option for motivated pups. The reason they are more challenging is that there is only one opening your dog can use on a
Both of our dogs love Kongs and they are a staple in our enrichment rotation! You can dump anything pup-safe into them, they're relatively easy to clean, and they are durable. Goomba's been intermittently biting his for years and it's still holding up well. In our 5 years of owning them, we've only ever had to replace one!
As for supplies, you’ll need to rig up a way to seal and hold your
Your options for recipes are pretty open because of the size and depth of the
Introducing frozen enrichment to your dog
For most pups, using frozen enrichment is a skill that they will figure out within a few minutes. If that’s not the case, don’t worry! Some dogs just need a little extra guidance to figure out what they’re supposed to do with the device you provided.
If your pup needs that little extra guidance, we recommend using food that encourages licking (peanut butter or PBFit are our favorites) to help cue them in to what they are supposed to be doing. This should work for most pups, but if it doesn’t, we’d recommend getting a more desirable recipe. For example, Primmie will happily lick away at a Toppl with frozen kibble in broth, but Goomba will just stare at it with no interest. Once we substitute the frozen kibble with peanut butter and chicken, Goomba is much more interested.
We've recently discovered PBFit's pure peanut powder recipe and we're huge fans! Our dogs love it and it has around 1/3 of the calories, which makes it a great option for training and enrichment, especially for dogs with weight issues! The Pure Peanut recipe also only has 1 ingredient, which makes it perfect for dogs with allergies, too!
If neither of those works, we’d recommend decreasing the difficulty of your frozen enrichment for a while. Our list is in rough order of difficulty for most pups, so we recommend trying one of the earlier options before going straight to a Kong. Dogs are more motivated for the frozen enrichment if they can see more of the reward, like with a lick mat.
Storing and serving your frozen treats
Fortunately, storing your frozen enrichment for dogs is easy, especially if you plan on using it in a few days! You can stack them in your freezer once they solidify without issues. We try to make our frozen enrichment in batches, and it really helps to cut down on the prep time. If you have enough toys, we recommend trying the same.
When you serve frozen enrichment to your pup, we recommend giving it in a spot that can get a little wet. For us, we usually put one of our dogs’ blankets over a dog bed or use a waterproof bed. After they finish, we let the bed or blanket dry, and there’s no mess at all! Using an elevated dog bed, like Kuranda’s elevated dog beds, is another great option. We’ve had one of their beds for as long as we’ve had our dogs, and it’s been great! If your dog isn’t too slobbery, you can provide their frozen enrichment on a rug and be fine, too!
If you’re looking for something a little less frozen, check out our favorite DIY dog puzzles! They’re all cheap and easy to rig up. Our dogs surprised us with their favorites, and the amount of droll is much smaller.
Conclusion
Using frozen enrichment for dogs is a great way to entertain your dog and lengthen mealtime. There are a variety of different options, which means every pup can find something that suits their preferences. Our dogs’ favorites are Toppls and Pupsicles, but we also use many lick mats, too! If you’re just getting started, we’d recommend lick mats as a perfect entry option. They’re also the cheapest at $6/each if you get the Frisco ones from Chewy.
Do you have other favorite options for your favorite frozen enrichment for dogs? Let us know your favorite choices for frozen enrichment for dogs on Facebook or Instagram at The Ruly Bully!
Have fun!