Get Stuffed: 3 Healthy Treat Toy Recipes Your Dog Will Love!
by guest blogger, Samantha Meyers
When I need to keep my overactive pup busy and distracted for a long period of time (or let’s be honest, more than 5 minutes) then only a treat-stuffed toy will do. And while she is generally pleased with whatever I put in there, there are definitely some fillings that have the double benefit of being more likely to peak her interest and providing more nutritional value than a quick swipe of peanut butter (although that is a fan favorite!).
Creating a mix of texture, flavor, smell and difficulty can take your toy to a new level every day, ensuring that you are keeping even the brightest doggie minds excited for toy time. Not only will your dog love the healthy snack, but they will also get the mental stimulation they need to minimize many destructive and anxiety-related behaviors.
Below are some Easy, Healthy and Tasty Fillers to stuff into your Toppl®, Tux® or Tizzi®.
Breakfast of Champions
You Will Need:
Plain oatmeal
Berries – blueberries, strawberries or raspberries. Frozen works too as long as there is no added sugar.
Prepare your plain unsweetened oatmeal according to the directions
Put in your refrigerator and allow it to cool and thicken
Add 1-3 berries depending on the size of your dog and the toy. You can smash them up to spread them around
Fill the toy with the oatmeal, berry mixture
For an extra challenge – freeze
For extra flavor add a spoonful of yogurt!
Chicken Lickin’ Good
You Will Need:
Cooked chicken breast (no skin, bone or seasoning)
Low sodium chicken broth
Cut up chicken into small pieces suited for your size of dog
Stuff chicken into toy
Fill remaining space with chicken broth
Freeze
Pumpkin Cheesecake
You Will Need:
Canned or fresh pumpkin puree
Cream cheese
Hard dog biscuits
Mix pumpkin and cream cheese in a 3 to 1 ratio: 3 Tbs pumpkin to 1 Tbs cream cheese. Increase the quantity accordingly if your toy is larger.
Crumble dog biscuits and add to mixture
Stuff into toy
Can be frozen for an extra challenge!
I love to treat my dog to a healthy snack and if I can work her brain at the same time by adding play, problem solving and new experiences, then it’s a win-win in my book! Happy snacking! Samantha is the former web editor for DogFancy and Dogchannel.com and has enjoyed years of sharing her passion and knowledge for pets with the world. A lover of all things dog and an avid baker and crafter, she regularly contributes dog-friendly recipes and projects to Dogster and Lucky Puppy magazines. Sam lives in Southern California with her husband and their two dogs Huggs the Frenchie and Quinn the Aussie-Poodle.
We sent Tanya Lim, CPDT-KA, (a certified professional dog trainer specializing in positive reinforcement training), our treat pouch and full line of treats for her unfiltered, honest review! This is what she said...
It’s a good question and worth revisiting... We spend so much time plugging it with carrots, peanut butter, strawberries, hairballs, etc. we forget why it is there in the first place!
