How to...prep a Kong for your dog

Kongs, Toppl and puzzles can be so incredibly useful for a Dog Mum who wants her companion to live a thoroughly enriched lifestyle.

It sounds crazy to say that you can make mistakes with stuffing your dog’s Kong -

but I am pretty sure I have seen most of them! 

I have coached many people who have produced a Kong from somewhere (normally from under the sofa), and said they just don’t use it because their dog doesn’t like it or gets bored.

It’s surprisingly common and there is definitely a knack required…

Here is where you might be going wrong:

• Trying to smear the food right up to the top - dogs can’t reach it and lose interest
• Your pup eats it too quickly because you can only use a tiny amount of food 
• OR - You are stuffing it completely full with peanut butter/squeezy cheese and you’re worried that is too much for them 
• You put in a few bits of dry dog dinner and your companion finishes it really quickly 
• You have frozen it and your dog won’t try and get the food 
• Your pup just ignores it or doesn’t know how to get the food out

So, try this:

Get one that is the right size for them (they grow out of the puppy ones fast!) - they should be able to pick it up but shouldn’t be able to fit the whole thing in their mouth 

Turn the Kong upside down and pour some of your dog’s dry dog food into it until it is nearly to the top 

You can also scatter in some random, more tasty dry dog treats within the food, or use a different type of dog food, specially for this if they aren’t keen on kibble. (Make sure this is dry for now)

You now want to plug the food - use something wet to cover the gap at the bottom of the Kong, and smear some of it around the outside for dogs who have never used one so it gets them interested.

(Tip - If you are using tinned or raw dog food, a better option might be the lickimat or the zogoflex topl as they are easier for dogs to lick foo from)

Present to your dog and use some encouragement if they aren’t sue

Voila!

Over to you…

Comment if this has helped, and any tips or favourite enrichment toys for your pup (I’m always adding to Alto’s repertoire).