The Dog Days of Summer

1. Serve Your Dog a Scoop

It wouldn’t be summer without ice cream! Puppy Cake’s ice cream mixes for dogs come in a variety of flavours like bacon, peanut butter, and blueberry. Add water, freeze, and let your pup enjoy! (from $6, puppycake.com)

You can also whip up a dog-approved ice cream with just banana, peanut butter, yogurt, and strawberries—just blend, freeze, and serve! Natural, unsweetened yogurt is a great, gut-healthy treat for dogs. Find the recipe at moderndogmagazine.com/icecream.

Photo by Tanya King

2. Share Some Watermelon

Cats don’t have taste receptors for sweet, but dogs do! Many dogs love the sweet taste of watermelon. Cut slices or cubes of this summer staple (remove the rind) and enjoy with your dog. It’s hydrating and healthy for you both.

Photo by masarik/bigstock.com

3. Keep Cool

Does your dog suffer in the heat? Prevent your dog from overheating and developing heat stress with the Dry Cooling Vest from Suitical. Simply fill the vest with water, put it on your dog, and the ingenious cooling technology works within minutes and stays cool (and dry!) for an incredible one to three days. (from $105, suitical.com)

In a pinch? Try an easy, temporary solution: wet your dog’s bandana, wring it dry, and place it in the freezer for a while before tying it around your dog’s neck.

Photo by New Africa/bigstock.com

4. Freeze Things!

The water you drained from a can of tuna? Pour it into a Kong, seal the hole with a smear of natural peanut butter (no added xylitol—it’s toxic to dogs!), and pop it in the freezer. Give to your dog to enjoy—outdoors, of course. (Tuna water plus carpeting are a less than ideal combo.) That too-ripe banana? Peel and then freeze—either in slices or whole, depending on the size of your dog—for a cool, healthy treat. Packed with potassium, fiber, and vitamins B6 and C, bananas are a healthy, sweet treat for dogs.

Banana photo by Stivog/bigstock.com

5. Refreshing Fun

Keep cool, bust boredom, and engage your dog’s brain with the Lickimat Wobble! Just spread your pup’s favourite soft food or treat on the Lickimat, freeze then give to your dog for long-lasting summer entertainment. ($16, amazon.com/lickimat 
or lickimat.com)

6. Kibble Toss

Throw a Handful of Kibble Into the Water and let your dog swim around and retrieve it. Fun for everyone! 

Photo Ryan Brix/Shutterstock; Kibble photo by Rawf8/bigstock.com

7. Serve Your Dog a Slushy

We found the perfect, summer dog refresher: MyPup freezable Slushy Dog Treats! These hydrating, human-grade, no-mess, grain-free and dairy-free treats come in chicken, peanut butter, and beef flavours—and dogs love them! ($6 per bag, mypupus.com)

This article originally appeared in the award-winning Modern Dog magazine. Subscribe today!

Tips to keep your dog safe and comfortable in the extreme heat!

DIY Eat – Frozen Tuna Treats

We can’t forget about our little friends this summer. They enjoy the sunshine just as much as we do, but unfortunately they can get heated pretty quickly. Why not cool them down with some easy to make frozen treats? Your dog will love you a million times more once he gets his paws on this yummy delicacy. (Your cat friends will love them too.)  

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• An ice cube tray
• Can of water-packed tuna (alternately, you can use canned salmon)
• Approximately ½ c water
• A mixing bowl or Magic Bullet
• A Ziploc bag

1. Start by mashing up the tuna in your bowl or stuffing it into your food mixer. Don’t drain the tuna water as it helps with the freezing. Add about half a cup of water to the mix.

2. Then mix up that tuna! I used my Magic Bullet because, really, it’s my go-to kitchen appliance and takes 10 seconds. Yum… doesn’t that just look delicious?

3. Fill your Ziploc bag with the mix and cut a small hole in one end. This helps save you from making a huge mess while filling up the ice cube trays. Fill your trays and place in the freezer for a couple hours. Let dogs lick the bowl.

4. When the treats are nice and frozen, you can pop them out and let cats have a taste! I recommend letting them chew on these on a tile floor or a plate, because I’m pretty sure you don’t want tuna bits all over your house. You can store these in a plastic bag in your freezer for up to six months, so if you make a bunch you’ll have some on hand for hot days!

For more of all kinds of wonderfulness, from style to design to life, check out Dana’s blog, thewonderforest.com