How to use a Kong toy like an absolute pro

This article majorly speaks about Kong Classic which is one of the most popular and widely available dog toys under the brand Kong. This toy has a plethora of uses from being a Fetch toy, an amazing chew toy, an excellent canine enrichment source, a good puzzle and, wait for it, a food bowl! Understanding how to use a kong toy will not only help you prevent several behavioural issues in your puppy stemming from boredom but will also provide your pup with an amazing teething outlet and ample mental enrichment.

Table of Contents

HOW TO FILL / STUFF A KONG TOY TO GET THE ABSOLUTE BEST OUT OF IT?

This is the most important thing to understand while figuring out how to use a Kong dog toy. It’s not just a toy to put a couple of treats and smear some peanut butter. A Classic Kong is supposed to pose a challenge to the canine mind.

While stuffing a Kong toy, smear the narrower end (don’t block the narrow end completely) with some peanut butter and put the rest of the ingredients through the bigger opening. The narrower end is the most difficult part of the toy to reach, so put some high-value treats like freeze dried liver, sausages, bacon pieces etc as a reward for your dog for managing to be engaged till the very end.

The middle part should comprise of your dog’s core meals – kibbles / raw food and some fresh vegetables for added nutrition and variety.

The top part of the Kong should be filled with taste teasers like mashed bananas, blueberries, eggs etc to entice the dog enough to get started.

Once stuffed, plug the bigger end with peanut butter or chicken paste to seal the whole meal in.

Here’s an image to help you understand the stuffing process better –

If your dog is trying a Kong meal for the first time, consider making it easy for him to figure it out. If it gets too difficult for him to figure it out the very first time he tries it, he’s going to get frustrated and give up.

Bindi’s Bucket List has some amazing and really tasty looking Kong recipes.

HOW TO USE A KONG TOY TO PREVENTPUPPY BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES?

As a Crate toy

Crates can be tricky to figure out for a puppy. When crate training a dog, it’s important to start with small durations while remembering to keep it fun for him. The trick is to get him to love the crate. A kong toy filled with your puppy’s favorite treats can act as a huge motivator.

If your dog gets the fully loaded Kong toy only inside the crate every single day, he’ll soon start associating the crate with something immensely positive and fun.

As a food bowl

When you get a new puppy, you’ll soon realize that he has a LOT of energy and that it’s not going to be humanly possible for you to keep him engaged 24*7. One of the best ways to tire out your puppy is to optimize routine things like meals, walks, play, etc to the best of your ability to ensure that the puppy is getting ample exercise and you don’t have to invest too much of your time trying to keep him engaged.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret that’s going to help you boost your puppy’s feeding experience, improve his food drive and make him respect his meals a little more. DITCH THE FOOD BOWL and feed your dog in a Classic Kong toy instead. It will provide him with an excellent teething outlet, good mental stimulation and will encourage slow feeding.

Also read: Brain games to keep your puppy engaged when you can’t.

Frozen Kong

When the food inside the Kong is frozen, it takes longer for the dog to figure it out. This means the dog is engaged with the toy a little longer. The frozen Kong is a really good idea to beat the summer heat and help keep the dog engaged for a substantial amount of time.

In car rides

Chewing and licking are the most common ways a dog self-soothe. This is also one of the reasons why dogs chew on their paws excessively when anxious.

Several dogs and puppies get anxious and stressed in a moving vehicle. At such times, having an outlet to chew or lick can help calm the nerves of such dogs. Apart from car rides, different situations can have different various kinds of adverse effects on our dogs. A few examples would be guests coming over, thunderstorms, loud noises, exposure to new and unknown situations, vet’s office, etc.

Having a Kong toy filled with your dog’s favorite food in frozen form can encourage your dog to keep licking as a way to self-soothe and calm him in stressful situations.

Fetching a Kong

The most important rule while teaching a dog to fetch a toy is to increase his interest levels in it. If your dog has been regularly engaging with Kong day in and day out, teaching him to fetch it would become much easier because of his already elevated interest levels in the toy.

For our water pooches, Kong has a water-friendly variation available.

HOW TO USE A KONG TOY FOR A PUPPY? WHAT TO PUT IN A KONG TO KEEP AN 8 WEEK OLD PUPPY ENGAGED?

Kong has puppy-friendly variations of the Classic Kong dog toy. It’s designed specifically for a puppy’s mouth and to match his chewing determination. Puppies have a low attention span when it comes to toys. They can get easily distracted and uninterested when the toy is not engaging enough or too tough for them to figure it out.

Remember these tips while figuring out how to use a Kong toy for your puppy –

Start by giving the Kong toy inside the crate. Don’t give him any other toy in the crate while introducing him to Kong. When Kong is your puppy’s only option inside the crate, it’s difficult not to be engaged with it
Stuff in your dog’s kibbles and smear peanut butter to make the Kong enticing
Keep the stuffing level easy. Your puppy must be able to figure it out quickly for the first few times to keep the interest and engagement going
Use it in different situations and make it the best possible thing available to your dog. Eg – Freeze it and take it on car rides, beaches, etc, play fetch with it, stuff a bone in it and let your dog ‘Find it’
Kong is supposed to act as a teething outlet. So, if you only smear peanut butter on it and give it to your puppy, he’s going to lick it off and move on to chewing on other things. Make the Kong interesting enough for your puppy to chew on for quite a bit of time by stuffing kibbles, bones, fruits, vegetables, snacks, etc.

Also read : Quick and Dirty tips to tackle puppy biting behavior.

HOW TO DETERMINE WHAT SIZE KONG IS RIGHT FOR MY DOG?

Here is an image to help you pick the right size Kong for your dog.

Additional tip – Measure the size of your dog’s jaw and go for a Kong that is atleast 1.5x bigger than that. This is to ensure your dog does not accidentally put the whole toy in his mouth and choke on it.

HOW LONG DOES A KONG OCCUPY A DOG? CAN I GIVE MY DOG A KONG EVERYDAY?

The duration for which a Classic Kong toy can keep a dog occupied really depends on how well it is stuffed and what it is filled with. If the toy is stuffed to the brim with just kibbles and loose treats, the dog can finish it off in a matter of minutes. But if the toy is filled with a combination of wet and dry food, it helps sealing the toy better and can take longer for the dog to finish.

Image credit – https://www.kongcompany.com/

A frozen kong can last longer than an unfrozen or thawed one, for obvious reasons.

It is safe to give your dog a Kong everyday. In fact, it is recommended to give at least one meal of the day through a Kong for better mental stimulation for puppies.

ARE KONGS SAFE FOR DOGS? WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR WHILE USING A KONG DOG TOY?

Kong states that its products are made with FDA-approved materials and routinely tested for safety. It’s also manufactured from all natural rubber that is safe for dogs to chew.

Here’s what you must watch out for while picking up a Kong for your pooch –

Size – Select the appropriate size for your dog depending on your dog’s weight and jaw size. The guide is mentioned above.
Avoid plugging and sealing both ends of the Kong– Although rare, there have been cases reported of dogs having suction accidents with toys due to lack of ample outlets. If both ends of the Classic Kong toy are sealed, the dog’s tongue could get stuck in it due to the vacuum inside. While stuffing a Kong, make sure you keep one of the ends open to avoid any kind of suction from happening. This can save you from a potential vet visit and can prevent your pup from a possible painful experience.
For determined chewers, go for the Black Classic Kong to avoid ingestion of small bits

Watch your dog like a hawk during his initial phase of interacting and figuring out how to use a Kong toy till you can completely trust him alone around the toy.

HOW TO CLEAN A KONG DOG TOY?

Step 1 – Soak the Kong in warm water and dish soap for several minutes

Step 2 – use a bottle brush or toothbrush to reach the insides of the toy

Step 3 – Throw it in the dishwasher to sterilize the toy properly

ALTERNATIVES TO KONG DOG TOY

Dogs with a short snout and flat face may face difficulties while trying to use a Kong. It may also be possible that regardless of how interesting you make the Kong, your dog would still prefer something else. There could be several reasons to this – your dog may not like the structure of the toy, he may find it frustrating, the reward may not be worth the effort, etc.