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Introducing A Kong Toy To Your Dog: Part 3

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Making Kong Toys More Challenging For Your Dog

Make Kongs More Challenging
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Food stuffed toys make for fantastic mentally enriching puzzles, and all dogs should be able to enjoy them every day. If your dog will approach and dig out loose treats stuffed into a Kong (part 2), then it’s time to make Kong toys more challenging for your dog.

Tightly Pack Kongs With Food

Packing food tightly inside a Kong toy makes the puzzle more difficult to solve. Start slowly by placing a Greenie inside a Kong, then press bananas or cooked sweet potato around the Greenie to keep it in place. Place the food filled toy on a soft mat and walk away. If your dog empties her Kong, it’s time to experiment with different food stuffers and also try feeding your dog her meals out of the Kong.

A few stuffers you can fill your Kong with include:

  • Stuff the toy with kibble and add layers of canned food to keep them in place.
  • Press and fill a Kong toy with sweet potatoes and molasses.
  • Press bananas and blueberries inside a Kong.
  • Firmly pack cooked oatmeal with honey inside a Kong.
  • Stuff hard treats inside, such as fish skins, inside the toy.

Advanced Kong Filling

This Kong stuffing idea is difficult. Stuff a slice of bread deep within a Kong toy. When bread mixes with your dog’s saliva, it sticks inside the Kong and your dog must really work hard to remove all bits of bread. 🙂

Freeze Overnight

Once your dog is able to empty different types of food from Kongs, it’s time to make the game even more challenging. Now, some dogs dislike licking frozen food stuffed Kongs. If that’s the case with your dog, stick with tightly packed Kongs.

However, if your dog becomes a master puzzle solver, stuff Kong toys with a few fillings listed above and freeze overnight. Licking a frozen Kong toy takes a bit longer to solve, and it’s a wonderful crate game when dogs are left alone.

Now, toss out your dog’s food bowl and feed all meals out of Kong toys!

WATCH: Making Kong Toys More Challenging

Tug Toy Safety Tips For Your Dogs 

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Playing With Dog Tug Toys Safely

Dog Tug Toy
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Dogs loves to play tug. It’s a fast moving game that’s extremely stimulating. This dog game is physically exhausting for dogs and pet owners, so it’s best to follow a few tug toy safety tips to keep everyone safe. Grab your dog’s favorite tug toy and start tugging!

Never Pick Up Your Dog During Tug

When a dog is tugging on a toy, never pick her up off the ground. This tug maneuver wreaks havoc on a dog’s neck, shoulders and teeth, and it can cause permanent damage. Make sure every family member and your friends understand that dogs must keep all four feet on the ground to continue playing tug.

Placement of Dog Tug Toy Matters

Placement of your dog’s tug toy, during a game of tug, matters. While attending a dog training conference, Dr. Christine Zink DVM recommended holding tug toys to work different muscle groups.

For example, she recommends holding a tug toy level with your dog’s shoulders to work her rear end. When dogs are using their rear muscles to pull, you can see their behind and back doing most of the pulling work.

To work your dog’s shoulders and neck, hold a tug toy above her head. When dogs pull downward, their neck and shoulders are getting a workout. If your dog has previous neck or back injuries, use this information to adjust tug playing placement. Of course, if your dog has an injury, ask your veterinarian if your dog is able to play tug first because this game is a workout.

Dog Tug Toy Rules

As with everything, there’s a set of rules pet owners and dogs must follow to keep everyone safe. If, and when, your dog chokes up on the tug toy (i.e. grabs the toy closer to your hand), let go of the toy and end the session.

Playing tug with your dog has nothing to do with dominance; it’s just a game. Dogs learn quickly that tug is only fun when pet owners are pulling on the opposite end. If your dog refuses to let go of the tug toy, just drop your end and walk away. Also, it’s normal for dogs to growl while playing tug. It’s fun! If, at anytime, you become uncomfortable, just drop the toy to end the session.

WATCH: Teach Your Dog The Tug Game

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