Do Frozen Dog Toys Really Help Teething Puppies and Hot Dogs?

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Frozen dog toys are meant to appeal to pet parents with teething puppies or those surviving summer scorchers—essentially providing the same cool relief that humans experience when eating a popsicle or other chilled treat. But do frozen toys work the same way for dogs? And if so, how?

To learn more about frozen dog toys, how they work, and their benefits, we called in the experts. Read on to learn more about what we discovered and if these chilled chew toys might be right for your dog.

How Do Frozen Chew Toys for Dogs Work?

A lot of dog chew toys can be frozen, even some that don’t specifically advertise it. The KONG Classic and the West Paw Toppl for example, are great options for freezing, especially if the goal is to firm up the soft treat inside to make working the stuffable puzzle trickier (and tidier).

However, you might not want to start putting all your dog’s chew toys in the freezer. Materials like plastic and rope can become too hard when frozen. And a toy that’s too hard can damage a dog’s teeth, especially with young pups. Toys that aren’t meant to be frozen can also splinter or shatter, putting your dog at risk for injury.

To avoid these unintended consequences, consider dog toys that are made to be frozen. Not only are they safer, but they can offer specific advantages in their design that other toys don’t have. In particular, they’re meant to offer two primary benefits: 1) relief from teething pain and 2) cooling effects.

Frozen Dog Toys for Teething

A dog starts teething around three weeks of age. By six weeks, all of their baby teeth have erupted, and they begin to fall out around 12 weeks. Your puppy’s adult teeth should all be in by the time they’re six months old, but that means they’ll spend the better part of five months teething. Ouch!

A teething puppy’s gums will often be irritated and inflamed—something you can visibly see if you lift back their jowls. But frozen chew toys can help ease their discomfort, according to Dr. Sara Ochoa, DVM, a practicing veterinarian at Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital and one of the pet experts behind Senior Tail Waggers. “Puppies feel pain and discomfort while teething, and chewing a frozen toy can provide some relief,” she says.

When applied to the gums, a cold toy can help numb them and ease the pain. The cold is also meant to reduce swelling by constricting the local blood vessels and reducing circulation, just like an ice pack on a swollen ankle.

For numbing power and reducing inflammation, frozen dog toys made of rubber are an especially good choice because they won’t freeze solid—meaning they’ll stay pliable enough for your puppy’s mouth. Rubber toys are often more durable too; they’re not completely indestructible, but they’re known to hold up pretty well against sharp puppy teeth.

Freezable toys with nubs also have a hidden superpower beyond gum massage—they can help scrape your puppy’s developing teeth clean.

Frozen Dog Toys for Cooling

The claim that frozen dog toys can help to cool hot dogs in the summer is a little more complicated. Intuitively, frozen dog toys seem like they should offer a dog physical relief from the heat—the same way we think handling an ice cube might help a human. How this actually works, however, may not be what you expect.

It’s not so much about cold contact as it is about liquid content. A freezer toy filled with water or bone broth will help hydrate your dog—and good hydration is one of the best ways to keep your dog cool.

Other benefits to using frozen toys for hot dogs are the distraction they provide—helping to take your pup’s mind off the heat. They can also encourage a picky eater or drinker with an interesting challenge.

While frozen dog toys can provide your pup some temporary relief from the heat, it’s important to remember that they’re no substitute for air conditioning or shade.

Different Types of Freezable Dog Toys

Some freezable toys are geared more toward teething and dental health. The Nylabone Chill & Chew, for example, is made from chicken-flavored nylon and has a small internal reservoir to hold water or broth. Once frozen, the liquid core gives the toy a long-lasting chill—but the main attraction is really the nubby surface, which is specifically designed to stimulate the gums and help clean a dog’s teeth as they chew. It also comes in a puppy version for teething pups.

Then there are freezable dog toys that are more about hydration, like the wobbly rubber PetSafe Chilly Penguin or the Woof Pupsicle. Each toy has a big internal reservoir to fit more water, broth, or even wet dog food. They also encourage licking and pawing as much as gnawing, making them a popular choice for a cooling treat.

Finally, there are freezable dog chews with squeakers. The NOUGAT Crocodile is a popular example that’s favored by pet parents with playful pups and known chewers. These freezer-squeaker hybrids tend to be great for dogs with low food drives—pups who can’t typically be convinced to put much effort into harvesting a snack but who will happily chomp on toys that make a noise.

What the Experts Say About Frozen Chew Toys for Dogs

No matter your goal for your frozen dog toy, Dr. Ochoa suggests choosing a toy free from BPA and phthalates. These chemicals are often used in plastics and have been associated with negative reproductive effects in animals. It’s also important to monitor your dog while they work, since swallowing a small toy or pieces of a toy can cause a dangerous intestinal obstruction.

Aggressive chewers will especially need to be careful of this. Frozen toys aren’t always the best option for these dogs, as the freezing process tends to make them a little more brittle, especially if they have a hard plastic design. For a particularly determined chewer, frozen treats may be a better bet, especially in tandem with options like a dog cooling vest or mat—and of course shade, water, and air conditioning whenever possible.

Final Verdict: Do Frozen Dog Toys Work?

The cold surface of a frozen dog toy makes it a smart choice for teething puppies by offering relief to sore gums. But when it comes to cooling, a freezable dog toy’s real advantage is more about the hydration it can offer than its physical chill.

We think frozen dog toys could be a hit for: 

• Teething puppies with painful, swollen gums
• Reluctant drinkers who need to up their liquid intake
• Hot pups who could use extra hydration
• Dogs who need help with teeth cleaning—nubby frozen toys are a plus!

There are some pups that won’t get a lot of mileage out of a freezable dog toy, including:

• Aggressive chewers
• Particularly hot pups—a frozen toy alone isn’t going to cut it
• Dogs who are easily frustrated and might not like the challenge frozen puzzles present

How We Chose

The frozen dog toys featured here were selected based on a combination of our own hands-on testing, a comprehensive look at customer reviews across a wide variety of retail platforms, and interviews with veterinary experts. We prioritized durability, texture, and reservoir depth. We’re also guided by the experience of living and playing alongside our own much-loved and strongly opinionated pets, who are never stingy with their feedback.

Pet Parent Resources

Need some support while you’re away from home? Board your dog with a loving pet sitter who can provide walks, playtime, and plenty of TLC!

Further Reading

• The 10 Best Frozen Dog Toys for Cooling Down a Hot Pup
• Puppy Teething Guide: When Will They Lose a Tooth? Does It Hurt?
• The Best Chew Toys for Teething Puppies To Save Your Shoes
• The Best Dog Dental Chews for Excellent Oral Hygiene
• 3 Frozen Dog Treats You Can Make in Less Than an Hour
• The Best Dog Cooling Vests and Bandanas to Beat the Summer Heat