Throw a Fun Party with Ice Cream for Dogs

With Summer still blazing on and heat records being shattered all over, it can be tempting to keep pups inside all day. That’s a shame, because we think that time spent outside is enriching and healthy for dogs—that’s why we wanted to pass along a recipe for ice cream for dogs that can make hot days more bearable and fun for everyone.

Everybody loves ice cream, even our dogs! We have that on good authority. But human ice cream isn’t very good for dogs at all. A little taste now and again likely won’t hurt—but according to inside sources (our intern, Bear, among other confidants), a little taste isn’t enough to satisfy a pup in the hot weather. Dogs need their own ice cream.

Luckily, it’s easy to make ice cream for dogs. It can serve as a delicious treat, but is healthier for dogs’ bodies. You can give pups a sweet treat without the guilt or digestive fallout real ice cream would cause. We hope you use this recipe to plan a fun ice cream party at your pet business, so pet owners will know how sweet you are with their best four-legged friends. If you’ve ever wondered how to make ice cream for dogs, you’re in the right place.

What You’ll Need::

• 16 oz Dog-safe Yogurt
• 2-3 Ripe bananas
• 6 oz Natural peanut butter
• Blender or food processor
• Ice tray or silicon mold

Optional: You can add whatever your pups’ favorite treats are! Bacon ice cream might not sound the most appetizing to you and me (or does it?), but to a dog that’s pure heaven. You can even make pupsicles if you place a stick-shaped treat into the servings of ice cream before you freeze them!

What You DEFINITELY Don’t Need (VERY IMPORTANT)

Long story short: Make absolutely sure that anything you give to a dog does not have the sweetener ‘xylitol’*. This is not something to mess around with; it’s not like giving your dog a taste of your human ice cream. Xylitol will quickly and easily cause serious harm to a dog, even if just a small amount is ingested. Make sure the yogurt and peanut butter you use don’t contain xylitol. The bananas should be safe, of course.

How to Make Ice Cream for Dogs

Place the yogurt, bananas, and peanut butter in your blender or food processor and blend until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Now is the time you can add fun treats like bacon, blueberries, or whatever the pups ask for, choosing to keep them whole for texture or continue blending to incorporate the addition evenly.  

Pour the mixture into ice trays or silicon molds and place them in a freezer for 4+ hours. Ideally, you’d want to knock this out at least the night before your pup ice cream party. This should yield around 15-20 treats, though this is dependent on the ice tray or mold you’re using. As you know, it’s usually better to have too many treats than too few, especially when it comes to ice cream for dogs. You can adjust the number of treats by dividing or multiplying the ingredients to make bigger or smaller batches. Just be sure to keep the proportions similar as you scale the recipe up or down.

Once frozen, simply take the treats out of the ice tray or mold and watch the pups drool. We can pretty much guarantee they won’t last more than two seconds in your hand once you offer them to the dogs.

A Note on Moderation:

Bananas, yogurt, and peanut butter are safe for dogs to eat, but because yogurt contains fat and lactose it may be hard to digest in large quantities. In truth, this is also the case for a surprisingly large section of the human population; we’re just usually better at finding and using toilets.

So, treat ice cream for dogs as sensibly as you’d treat human ice cream. It’s a treat. It’s perfect for a celebration, even if you’re just celebrating the last throes of summer. We don’t want to be the reason one of your pups gets an upset tummy—we love dogs and want the best for them! It’s pretty much ‘our thing’.

Make an Event Out of It

An ice cream party is a great way to prove to pet parents that their precious pups are in good hands. You can plan it on any day, for any reason, but there are several dog holidays in August that might be perfect for an ice cream party. August 10^th is National Spoil Your Dog Day and August 26^th is National Dog Day, to give two examples. If the heat sticks around, September 4^th is National Wildlife day and September 17^th is Responsible Dog Ownership Day.

We encourage you to set up some decorations in your outdoor yard area and invite pet parents as well. We recommend getting human ice cream for the pet parents but, hey, we won’t tell you how to live your life. If you have an area away from the dogs to safely set up a grill, you can give your clientele the whole cookout experience. Toss a few handfuls of ice in the dogs’ water bowls, make sure there’s shaded areas available, break out the ice cream for dogs, and watch them have a ball. Throw in a kiddie pool and a sprinkler (again, for the dogs, but we won’t judge) and you have yourself an event that will thrill the pups and instill confidence in your business.

As always, watch out for signs of overheating. Luckily, some ice cream for dogs, shade, and natural grass under their paws will go a long way towards keeping pups safe and cool.

You Deserve a Treat Too!

A party and ice cream for dogs makes pooches and their owners happy, but as a business owner, it’s also important to remember your employee morale. While it may take an extra bit of work to set up the party, the event can also serve as an enjoyable diversion for your staff, too. It’s a good time to treat them, even if it’s just as simple as giving them a grilled portabella burger and a sincere thank you for the work they’ve done to make the event happen.

We hope you get the chance to make the best of the hot weather and treat pets and pet parents to a fun afternoon. Even in the heat, it’s important that dogs get outside to exercise their bodies and minds. Dogs love to sniff the ground to get a read on their surroundings, and there’s no better place to do that than a grass yard. An occupied and stimulated dog is a happy dog, and happy dogs are well-behaved.

Hot weather can make everything more stressful, but it’s doubly stress-inducing when you’re running a business. At the end of the day, don’t forget to treat yourself to a pat on the back and a sundae for your hard work and dedication to pets and their parents.

If you’ll excuse us, we have a sudden craving for bacon ice cream. Stay cool out there.

If you want to make your outdoor space the perfect spot for fun get-togethers like this, Natura turf can keep your yard green and tidy in any weather. Learn more here.

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*Let’s get a little technical for a second. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is used as an alternative sweetener in products made for human consumption. In humans, xylitol doesn’t stimulate the release of insulin. That means it doesn’t affect your blood sugar. That’s why it’s an artificial sweetener; it gives that sweet taste on your tongue and releases feel-good chemicals in your brain, but it sidesteps some of the less desirable aspects of real sugar.

In dogs, however, xylitol does cause their pancreases to release insulin, and at alarming, life-threatening levels. Death from hypoglycemia can occur in as little as 10 minutes. In higher doses, xylitol causes liver failure in dogs.

If you suspect that a dog has ingested xylitol, contact your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680