Ice Ice Baby: 4 Easy Ice Cube Tricks to Help your Dog Beat the Heat

After a few hours of walking, playing or running, your dog may need to cool down quickly. Ice cubes are the perfect treat to bring your dogs temperature down, keep them hydrated, occupied and even get them to eat slower. Read on to find out why we think ice cubes are a great treat to help your dog beat the heat.

Plain Cubes    

If your dog is willing to munch down on plain old ice cubes you’ve got it good! Placing some ice cubes in their water bowl is a great way to cool down their water and let your pup have some fun bobbing for cubes! Remember, as your dog munches on the ice cube it will melt and probably make a bit of a mess on the floor so watch out for slippery spots. Feeding your dog ice cubes outside is a great way to avoid the mess.

Chicken Broth Cubes

If your pup is a bit picky and prefers ice cubes with some flavor, try using some low sodium chicken broth in a 1:3 ratio of chicken broth to water and freeze the mixture in an ice cube tray. The extra smell and flavor of the chicken broth should be enticing enough to get your pup to chow down on the ice cubes. Putting the chicken broth cubes in your dog’s water bowl is a great way to get them to drink more water and stay hydrated in the summer. As the cubes melt, they will lightly flavor the water in the bowl.

Treat Cubes

Treat cubes are another fun and easy ice cube idea. Try taking some fruit, a few pieces of kibble or a small treat and freezing it with water in an ice cube tray to make treat cubes. Blueberries and watermelon are great, dog safe fruits that easily freeze into ice cubes. Plus, you can use the fruit cubes in your own drinks for a fun summer twist on your favorite beverage. Once the treat cubes have frozen, you’ll watch your dog have a great time working out how to free their treat.

Cubes in a Food Bowl    

The last and certainly not least interesting way to use ice cubes is to place the cubes in your dog’s bowl of food. If you have a dog that chows down on their food too quickly, a few ice cubes should create enough of a hassle that your dog is forced to slow down as they move the ice cubes out of the way to get to their kibble. The ice cubes will also melt as your dog eats and do a great job of softening their food making it easier to chew. 

Enjoy these quick, cheap, easy ways to keep your dog hydrated and cool.