How to Stuff Your Dog’s Kong Toy to Keep Them Entertained · Kinship Leave a comment

My recurring nightmare includes needing to distract, entertain, or prepare my canine in a difficult scenario and never with the ability to discover a single Kong wherever. I look within the toy field, within the freezer, in my house-call bag, and within the canine provides storage closet. Changing into alarmed, I verify all of the canine beds, below the sofa, and in my automotive, however nonetheless no luck. Absolutely freaking out by this level, I throw my head between my knees and assume the crash place whereas I attempt to keep in mind the place I may need stashed an emergency Kong. 

The nightmare is each absurdly melodramatic and true to my actuality. I really like Kongs. I take advantage of them in some ways for coaching canine, for managing difficult conditions, to make canine’ lives higher, and to stop hassle. Imagining life with out them really is frightening (plus, they arrive in sizes for each form of canine — even puppies).

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There was a time earlier than Kongs, however fortunately it was a very long time in the past. The inventor of the Kong, Joe Markham, owned an auto store, and he acquired a canine named Fritz to assist guard it towards thieves. Fritz was a very good guard canine, however he was additionally a damaging chewer, obsessive about rocks, sticks, and even radiator hoses. It wasn’t till Fritz acquired maintain of a rubber VW axle cease that he lastly had one thing to chew on that him however didn’t destroy and didn’t damage his enamel. That automotive half impressed Joe to invent the Kong — which bounces in an unpredictable enjoyable approach and could be full of meals to additional entice canine into focusing their consideration on it as an alternative of on furnishings, children’ toys, picket kitchen utensils or the rest most of us need our canine to go away alone.

I’m in favor of everybody having a number of Kongs to make use of and stuff in quite a lot of methods and in quite a lot of contexts. I’ll discuss to any stranger wherever, at any second, and for any size of time with particulars about stuffing a Kong to make them extra engaging, extra attention-grabbing, last more, and be more practical. Utilizing a stuffed Kong could make life higher, and I’ve my share of favourite hacks to make utilizing Kongs simpler and require much less effort. 

Kong-stuffing 101

Fundamental Kong-stuffing

One of many best methods to place meals in a Kong is to smear peanut butter across the within it. A few spoonfuls of this deal with, so cherished by nearly all canine, can hold them occupied and blissful, and it’s not that arduous to do. Canned pet food, cream cheese, and puréed pumpkin are additionally in style fillings. Most canine instantly have an curiosity in a Kong full of these tasty choices so long as some is close to the opening, in order that they have some success immediately. To supply different good early experiences with a Kong, stuff it with a mixture of kibble and treats in order that they simply come out with simply the slightest manipulation by the canine. It’s necessary that they get the grasp of getting meals from the Kong with out frustration early on.

Intermediate Kong-stuffing

For a extra complicated Kong-stuffing expertise, assume layers. I like to start with just a few actually tasty treats or items of actual meat. Then, I add layers of canned pet food or pureed pumpkin, kibble, treats or meat, and repeat. For canine who will not be but consultants with a Kong, I begin with loosely packing the stuffing in order that they have loads of success early on and affiliate the Kong with constructive experiences. 

As they get extra expertise, I pack it tighter in order that they should work somewhat tougher to extract the meals. That makes it last more, which is sweet for everyone. I nonetheless wish to hold the highest layer free and simple to entry so canine get one thing from the Kong immediately and will not be tempted to surrender on it, which some canine will do if it’s too arduous to get something rewarding from it.

Superior Kong-stuffing

Superior Kong-stuffing could make it last more and be extra attention-grabbing to your canine. If extracting the meals poses a higher problem, the canine will get extra psychological train, the chance to face one thing arduous and succeed, and to spend extra time in an attractive exercise. Nonetheless, a Kong ought to by no means be so arduous to entry that the canine turns into overly annoyed or decides that Kongs are nugatory as a result of they’ll’t get something out of 1. As soon as canine are skilled with Kongs and have had many alternatives to succeed at getting meals out of them, these tougher, more difficult superior Kong stuffing methods could make life higher for them and for you.

The most effective methods to make a Kong more difficult and last more is to freeze it. Frozen meals is tougher to take out of the Kong and it takes canine longer to take action. Frozen Kongs require one thing in them to carry every part collectively, and canned pet food does the job fantastically.

Different choices, akin to stew or pumpkin, are additionally efficient. When a canine isn’t but accustomed to a frozen Kong, it’s important to ensure they take pleasure in it and don’t surrender as a result of they don’t seem to be getting something. Earlier than giving one to your canine, add somewhat unfrozen stuff to prime it off so the canine doesn’t get annoyed when you’re first getting them used to frozen Kongs. So, fill the Kong up about an inch from the highest previous to freezing, however put in some peanut butter, unfrozen moist meals, or some treats earlier than giving it to the canine. 

An much more difficult possibility with a frozen Kong is to alter the form of the opening from a circle to an oval by filling the Kong, squeezing it to alter the opening form to an extended skinny one, after which placing a biscuit or different arduous deal with within the opening to ensure it holds that form. Your canine will first should take away the merchandise and can then be coping with a Kong of a unique kind than they’re used to. Once more, solely advance to this degree of issue with a canine who’s used to the problem of Kongs and won’t surrender completely.

There are different methods to up your Kong-stuffing sport. You possibly can put a stuffed Kong inside one thing akin to a dish towel, an outdated cereal field, or an oatmeal container, so your canine has to unwrap the Kong previous to accessing it. Solely use gadgets you understand your canine received’t attempt to eat, and please supervise your canine for security when attempting one thing new. Be ready to commerce with them by giving them treats in alternate for the container holding the Kong in the event that they begin to eat it. Then you’ll be able to unwrap it and current the plain, stuffed Kong to them.

Learn how to use a Kong to make life higher

Guests

Newsflash: Not all canine are at their best when guests arrive. Whether or not that’s true of your canine due to their boundless enthusiasm and friendliness, their fearfulness, their loud barking, or as a result of they go into stranger hazard mode and grow to be aggressive, Kongs may help. Providing your canine a stuffed Kong full of goodies offers them one thing else to concentrate to reasonably than the guests, and it retains their mouth busy. Canines with a Kong are happier, they don’t seem to be bored, and so they have a function. 

Relying on the canine, you may give them the Kong in the primary a part of the home, within the yard, or in one other room with the door closed. For an aggressive canine, protecting them away from friends however blissful could contain receiving a Kong in a spot away from the motion. For pleasant however exuberant canine, being close to the guests with a Kong can typically result in being calm and in a position to greet guests politely as soon as they’ve completed with the Kong. The Kong offers them one thing to do whereas they get used to any guests to allow them to put their greatest paw ahead as soon as they work together.

Conduct challenges

Kongs can hold canine distracted and make them blissful. That makes them ultimate options to minor fears of thunderstorms, to the horror (to many canine) that we name Halloween, to maintain canine from changing into upset if you depart (although not for true separation nervousness), coping with canine who bark at passersby or the mail provider or supply folks, to maintain canine from chasing bicycles and skate boarders, and quite a lot of the every day challenges of life. For canine who battle to take care of grooming akin to nail trims or being brushed, a stuffed Kong can actually assist.

Protecting canine busy

Usually, most of us hold our canine busy and enrich their lives doing the issues we take pleasure in collectively, akin to walks, petting, and play classes. A typical day may contain a hike or a run, some coaching, and loads of time cuddling. Unhealthy days could be completely different. Whether or not you will have a very busy workday, the dangerous climate is ruining your plans, you’re ailing, or you’re out for the night, Kongs may help all people. Your canine will get to take pleasure in a meals puzzle and all of the treats and yummy flavors inside, and you’ll go about your day with just a bit much less guilt. 

Utilizing Kongs on this approach — giving your canine one thing to do although you’ll be able to’t spend a lot time with them — is okay each from time to time when you’re actually caught, however keep in mind it’s nonetheless necessary to spend high quality time together with your canine, and the Kong isn’t a alternative for you. 

Taking the effort out of utilizing Kongs

Kongs are a lifestyle for me, however I do perceive that incorporating them into your canine’s coaching or every day schedule requires effort. I’ve had purchasers who’ve argued inside their household about who ought to stuff them, who ought to clear them, who misplaced them, and who forgot to purchase one other one.

I would like Kongs so as to add to your high quality of life and that of your canine — not add stress, angst, or battle to it. Listed here are my favourite hacks to make utilizing Kongs simpler and extra easy, and to attenuate the hassles of getting one on the prepared if you want one to provide to your canine.

Hold them pre-stuffed and able to go within the freezer. 

In the event you instantly want a Kong and have to organize it, that may really feel nerve-racking. If all you must do is open the freezer to seize one, and possibly add a dollop of peanut butter or some moist meals to prime it off, that’s a approach higher scenario, particularly if time is of the essence to assist your canine be at their greatest. Having six, eight, or extra able to go is a good thought.

To have Kongs obtainable on a regular basis, I wish to stuff a complete bunch directly previous to storing them within the freezer. I’ve completely different configurations and dimensions in there so I may give a canine a giant deal with, somewhat deal with, a traditional Kong, a Goodie Ribbon, or a Tire. Canines typically take pleasure in selection, so receiving Kongs of various types provides to the enrichment they provide to your canine. I line up a dozen Kongs at a time and stuff them with quite a lot of components earlier than freezing them in luggage or in different containers to maintain them contemporary till they’re used.

Hold quite a lot of components readily available. 

To make Kong-stuffing simpler, I hold a number of components in the home that may be put inside a Kong. When I’m stuffing a bunch of Kongs, it’s commonplace for me to make use of six or seven completely different sorts of treats, two manufacturers of kibble, two varieties of moist meals, and a few human meals (cream cheese, hen, steak, peanut butter) to incorporate as properly. 

Then, as I’m stuffing a bunch of Kongs directly, I could make all of them completely different, or I can do all of them the identical if that fits my temper. I even hold tubes of Kong Stuff’n Straightforward Deal with in the home for these time I have to stuff a Kong proper now, and it looks like an excessive amount of of a trouble. These spray cans of meals goo are a lifesaver when you’re hanging on by a thread within the sanity division and lack the vitality for doing a lot of something. The liver taste is the most well-liked in my home, however the peanut butter one is greatest cherished throughout.

Put Kongs in mugs to stuff them. 

I really like Kongs (I do know, my secret is out!), however stuffing them could be messy and even irksome. To keep away from these issues, I put every traditional Kong in a mug with the massive opening going through up and stuff them in that place. This retains all of them from rolling round or spilling. Having every Kong secured within the correct place to accommodate being stuffed is a sport changer.

Make cleansing Kongs easy. 

There isn’t a cause for laundry Kongs to be a burden. They will go within the dishwasher (prime shelf solely!) which was such blissful information to me when a fellow canine coach imparted this knowledge to me. Hand-washing is sweet many instances, however the dishwasher is nice when you’re actually brief on time. One other bit of recommendation is to purchase a Kong-cleaning brush that makes it simpler to get in and scrub the within. It does a fair higher job of eradicating residue from the within of a Kong than a canine’s tongue, and at lower than $10, it’s a very good deal.

To wrap this up, I want I may write a love poem about Kongs. They enhance life for each pups and their people in so some ways. As I’m not a poet, I stick firmly to composing prose when sharing why I really like Kongs a lot.