I Confess...I Don't Understand Kongs

I went to my first "doggy charm school" class today. Willie will go with me for the next 5 weeks. It's to help me get the mouthing, jumping, wild behavior under my control. Completely positive reinforcement based...no choke collars or Cesar Milan macho BS.

The instructor today suggested the kong as a way to keep puppies entertained. I got one on the way home, which came with a free tube of kong goop. But how the hell does it work? Do you just put a little bit of the goop in there? Can the dog get it out?

It seems very odd. To me. Thanks for the help...

Oh Lord, Michael. I apologize, I had a bit of a giggle at your expense. It's one of those things I use so often that I don't think about how alien they are to most people.

Here's what I do with them. I generally don't use the Kong goop as I find it expensive and blows out the gut of some dogs. So I fill mine with a mixture of yogourt, banana and kibble and then I freeze it. And yes, the dog can get the stuff out, it just takes some time and that's what keeps them busy and out of your hair.

Here are links that might be helpful:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4615974_use-dog-kong.html

http://www.samsmiles.org/kong.html

Thanks, Blanche. I'm just not used to having a dog! I had Millie for all those years..,

Sorry. Double post.

Millie'sMichael wrote:Thanks, Blanche. I'm just not used to having a dog! I had Millie for all those years..,

Well, Millie was a refined and genteel lady. Willie is boy in every sense of the word. I will say that while I have loved my girls, my boys have always been pretty special. I can't say I prefer one over the other, but I have found the boys to give less 'tude (some exceptions to this) and to be very affectionate. I have loved the snap and fire of my girls, but I love the worship and adoration of my boys.

And they are all devils as puppies.

I like this kong product for Reggie. Kong Stuff a Ball

You can put treats/kibbles in the ridges on the outside. I also like that it's shorter and more usable for a pug's nose. More so, I commonly feed Reggie his kibble in it so he has to think to get his food out! He rolls it around the kitchen. It also keeps him from scarfing his food down.

When Nell was going through that stage as a puppy, I could never really get her interested in a kong but they make other toys that you put kibble or other small treats in and it has a few holes and food falls out as they roll it around. That may keep him entertained too. Something along these lines http://www.wag.com/dog/p/our-pets-smarter-toys-buster-food-cube-109144 or this http://www.wag.com/dog/p/our-pets-smarter-toys-iq-treat-ball-109142

I do the same as Blanche does. I also put a little bit of peanut butter in the small hole at the bottom so the yogurt and banana mixture doesn't leak out. Then I sit it up in a coffee cup in the freezer and let it freeze. Chubby and SueShi love frozen Kong treats and it keeps them busy for quite a while. Something else that helped SueShi in her chewing stage was the Nylabone key ring. It's pretty indestructable and she's had it for 2 years and is a pretty strong chewer.

I found that a turkey baster works very well to fill a kong with yogurt. They are messy so be prepared but oh so worth it. I usually only give them to my three in the warmer weather outside so less mess to clean up. In the colder months they get frozen raw marrow bones inside.

so
Julian uses puppy kong goodie bone and I take dentley's retriever roll lamb stick and cut them in half
and stick them through the ends...I am NOT a goop person, I do not like
messes...these occupy for hours :) (Oh yea, I freeze them too)

http://reviews.petsmart.com/4830/11783272/dentleys-dentleys-prime-cuts-retriever-roll-dog-treat-reviews/reviews.htm

http://www.petco.com/product/106186/KONG-Puppy-Goodie-Bone.aspx

I agree with Sabra. Those puppy keys are great. Even my oldsters love them, including 17-year old Moose.

Oh I still have Tilly's puppy keys and she's almost 10 years old! Do any of you remember the giggle ball? It was a baby toy that Tilly loved and made me laugh all the time.

I do exactly as Blanche does, I do put a kibble on the bottom to close up the hole so the yogurt mixture does not ooze out. The kids love their Kong's.

Thanks everybody. I definitely will add puppy keys to the toybox.

My main goal with the kong is to get Willie to be still for a while, so I think the original bulb shaped one is the best for me. I gave it to him last night with just a little goop squirted on the inside wall, and he fooled with it for an hour or more.

Another funny thing... When Millie died, I put her beds and her toys under a table in the basement. The table has a cloth on it that reaches all the way to the floor so that it doesn't look messy under there. Of course Willie explored under the cloth and found the basket of toys. Now he bolts under that table every time he has the chance to go to the basement. He comes out with a new toy and prances upstairs with his find. I tell him they're gifts from Aunt Millie!

Nylabone key ring

Oooooh this is great....I can't wait to find these....you guys have more ideas than an encyclopedia set :):):):):):)

Good Luck with Willie too :)

Ditto here on the keys. They are a big favourite here. I think I have three or four sets of them.

sallyandtilly wrote:Oh I still have Tilly's puppy keys and she's almost 10 years old! Do any of you remember the giggle ball? It was a baby toy that Tilly loved and made me laugh all the time.

I had one of those for Thelma & Louisie! Muffin (my bigger dog) would roll it over the floor and all three went nuts with it!

Thanks for the funny memory!

Millie'sMichael wrote:...Another funny thing... When Millie died, I put her beds and her toys under a table in the basement. The table has a cloth on it that reaches all the way to the floor so that it doesn't look messy under there. Of course Willie explored under the cloth and found the basket of toys. Now he bolts under that table every time he has the chance to go to the basement. He comes out with a new toy and prances upstairs with his find. I tell him they're gifts from Aunt Millie!

Awww, that brought tears to my eyes (In a happy way). Aunt Millie is looking out for her 'nephew'! And I am sure Willie thinks he has found a new treasure every time he brings somthing else up!

I love gifts from Aunt Millie!

GingerSnap wrote:I love gifts from Aunt Millie!

Me too. Wonderful!

Rebecca and the Pugs wrote:

GingerSnap wrote:I love gifts from Aunt Millie!

Me too. Wonderful!

Me three. You know that Millie is smiling down on Willie.

Amanda wrote:When Nell was going through that stage as a puppy, I could never really get her interested in a kong but they make other toys that you put kibble or other small treats in and it has a few holes and food falls out as they roll it around. That may keep him entertained too.

I got Marlee one of those plastic balls that you put kibble in. Naturally she was obsessed with it, because oh hey it has FOOD in it!

But the novelty of rolling it around the house wore off quickly, once she figured out that if she rolled it into a corner and slammed it against the walls repeatedly with her paws, the kibble would all come out. We learned about the "jackpot" thing in her training class, where you occasionally reinforce a behavior or trick with lots of treats. Marlee apparently decided she needed more jackpots, and she was going to give them to herself.

Millie wanted to be part of his up-bringing. Bless her heart.

SacramentoPugs wrote:

Amanda wrote:When Nell was going through that stage as a puppy, I could never really get her interested in a kong but they make other toys that you put kibble or other small treats in and it has a few holes and food falls out as they roll it around. That may keep him entertained too.

I got Marlee one of those plastic balls that you put kibble in. Naturally she was obsessed with it, because oh hey it has FOOD in it!

But the novelty of rolling it around the house wore off quickly, once she figured out that if she rolled it into a corner and slammed it against the walls repeatedly with her paws, the kibble would all come out. We learned about the "jackpot" thing in her training class, where you occasionally reinforce a behavior or trick with lots of treats. Marlee apparently decided she needed more jackpots, and she was going to give them to herself.

Hey, I'm with Marlee on this one. Relying on others for your jackpots is a mug's game....

we started Zoe with peanut butter in the kong but that got to be a bit much for her waistline so we switched to freezing the kongs with yogurt. haven't done that in a while. will be a great summer treat!