| Product: |
Kong Dog Toy |
| Date: |
29/04/08 (179 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: entertaining, strong, high quality, fun, many benefits to dog and behaviour
Disadvantages: can hurt if it lands on your foot ! ! !
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The KONG.
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After nearly two years of not having a dog we decided that we couldn't cope anymore without one and went on a hunt for a suitable puppy. We ended up with a 9 week old Labrador cross Border Collie pup who we named Bonnie. Once we brought her home we had several visits from friends and family, three of which (individually of each other) recommended that we got a KONG for Bonnie as they had found them brilliant. So the following day I went to our nearest big pets store and ended up spending £40 on dog toy!!! £5 of that was spent on a KONG.
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What is it?
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KONGs are basically a bubbly cone shaped bit of rubber (the shape is very hard to describe so please see the pictures to get more of an idea!) The KONG was designed by a man named Joe Markham as a way of stopping his German Shepard from chewing rocks. The original KONG which is what we have, is made of a fairly thick, very durable rubber, it is bright red in colour and hollow in the centre so that it can be stuffed with treats. The KONG has a small hole in one end and a larger hole in the bottom where the dog can get the treats out. The holes at both end mean that the KONG can easily be flushed through to wash it out, the dog gets the scent of the treats from both ends and it also enables the KONG to be threaded onto string or thin rope to add extra fun!
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Its Purpose?
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The main idea behind the KONG is to make the dog work for its food. Pet dogs are usually given their food in a bowl and have to do nothing more than lean down to the bowl and eat the food!! If you put food or treats in the dogs KONG it has to work out how to get them out and the method often depends on what you have put in the KONG. Dried solid food can be shaken out or my puppys favourite method is by throwing the KONG across the room to make it bounce and food come out. Softer, mushier food can be licked out and eaten out by chewing and squishing the KONG. Paste type stuff can also be licked out. In addition to making eating a more stimulating exercise, the KONG is also designed to relieve boredom and help with separation anxiety. The first week or so with our puppy, she would cry whenever we left the room and sometimes the crying would go on for half an hour before she stopped and got distracted. Now, when we are going out we fill her KONG with food and/or treats and give it to her just before we leave, she is completely distracted and has no concerns about us leaving as she knows she will get a nice treat in having her KONG stuffed.
The KONG is made from a very strong rubber (and there are versions made of extra strong rubber for power chewers) so it works as a good chew toy and bounces and rolls in unpredictable directions so Bonnie loves chasing and throwing it around, even when it hasn't got any food in it.
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Varieties?
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The classic KONG is the red hollow one that we have, however, there is now a wide selection of different KONGs (there are even KONGs for cats and other animals!). Variations of the classic KONG includes the Xtreme KONG which is a black KONG in the same style as the classic KONG but this one is apparently extra strong for dogs who would normally chew through a toy in seconds!!! but are mainly for big dogs with powerful jaws). There is also a Puppy KONG - these are a marbled blue colour and designed for teething puppies as the rubber is slightly different. All of the KONGs come in a range of sizes and it is fairly important to get a suitable size for your dog as if its too small they could destroy it too easily and if its too big then it wont be much of a challenge for them to get the treats out.
There are also other KONG toys including Frisbee type things, KONG chew toys which help clean teeth, KONG throw toys and ones that float in water.
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Cost and Availability.
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KONG toys are available in most pet shops as they are such a popular toy although for more of a selection its best to go to the larger pet stores such as pets at home as they will be guaranteed to have the different sizes etc. I think the KONG we got for Bonnie was a reasonable price at just over £5. The size and the type of KONG is what determines the price and they can vary but they pretty much range from £3 up to £10.
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What to put in a KONG.
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We have put a variety of things in Bonnies KONG as you can use pretty much anything that is edible to dogs. It is a good idea to vary it now and again to make it more interesting. I have listed below a few things which Bonnie likes in her KONG:
Dinner!! - Bonnie much prefers her dry dog food from her KONG than from her bowl, as long as you aren't over feeding the dog then this is the best filling as it is no more calories than the dog would have had in the day anyway!!!!!
STUFF N TREAT - in the big pet stores or online you can by cans of this, its basically a paste which comes in different flavours and can be squirted into the KONG for the dog to lick out. There are different types for different aged dogs and Bonnie absolutely loves her chicken flavoured one for puppies. The only thing is that they are only meant to have a teaspoon a day so its best used in conjunction with something else - it works great with the dried food.
Treats - although obviously not the most healthiest option, its nice to stuff the KONG with some treats from time to time and Bonnie loves a combination of treats and her normal dried food
Human food - There are various human foods that are perfectly safe for dogs to eat (in moderation), the KONG website gives lots of recipes to put in KONGs to give your dog a bit of a change from the normal doggy stuff!!
Frozen stuff!!! - Bonnie loves ice cubes and so when someone suggested we stuffed the kong and froze it we thought it was a great idea!! You can freeze pretty much anything in the KONG - although if you are including water you need to block the small hole at the end with something like a smear of peanut butter. This is particularly good for cooling down on a hot day or as pain relief for a teething puppy.
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Strength:
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We are very impressed with the strength of the KONG Bonnie sits chewing at his and throwing it around for ages yet on close examination of the KONG there is no sign whatsoever of damage or even teeth marks!!! My Grandparents have a large flatcoated retriever dog and the KONG he had as a puppy is still in perfect condition now and he still has it every time his owners go out.
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Entertainment Value:
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Bonnie loves her KONG, she particularly loves it when it is stuffed with food or treats but even when it is empty she spends ages playing with it and chewing it. It is most definitely her favourite toy. She loves throwing it around and chasing it and gets very excited when she sees us filling it up with treats or food. This morning she brought it up to me and dropped it at my feet twice, hinting that she wanted something in it!!!!
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Value for money:
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The KONG was most definitely worth what we paid for it, it looks like it will last for a very long time and it gets much more use than any of the other toys that we have brought for Bonnie. It really is brilliant quality and worth every penny. I'm sure we will be getting more KONG toys in the future.
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Ease of cleaning:
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Being made entirely of rubber means that the KONG is nice and easy to clean, the holes each end mean that for general cleaning we just run it under the tap and flush it through with warm water. It can also be properly scrubbed out with a toothbrush or even just twisting a bit of cloth round inside it cleans it up nicely.
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The design pros and cons:
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The bright red colour is fantastic as it makes it nice and easy to spot when the dog has left it lying around somewhere and you need to find it!! I love the shape as it never bounces the way you think it will. The hollow centres is brilliant for stuffing things into although unless you tightly pack the stuff in, I suppose it is fairly easy for the dog to get the treats out and it might not take as long for them to empty as you would like. The only other thing that could possibly be a disadvantage is the weight - the KONG is faily heavy and if your dog chucks it and it lands on your bare foot it hurts a bit!!!
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Benefits to Bonnie:
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The strength of the rubber means that when Bonnie is having a good old chew of it, it is also strengthening her jaw and is brilliant while she is teething. As I mentioned above, it has also very quickly settled her separation anxiety and now she actually enjoys us leaving as it means she gets a treat!!! Perhaps the biggest advantage that we have found it that it keeps her occupied, she loves playing with it as a toy and while shes chewing on her KONG, she isn't chewing on the cupboard doors of the table legs!!! Having the Border Collie in her, Bonnie has the characteristics of a working dog and needs to be kept busy, stimulated and active, so her KONG does all of these, giving her a job to do (to get her food) and keeping her from getting bored.
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Overall:
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We are really pleased with the KONG. We would definitely recommend it to any dog owner but particularly if your dog is having problems with teething, separation anxiety and behavioural problems. The KONG is a fantastic toy of a very high quality and I completely recommend it.
Summary: best dog toy ever
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