Why Goldie Loved His Dog Kong Toy

Goldie loved to play games and he loved to eat! When we were looking for toys for Goldie the Dog Kong toy seemed a great combination! 

Kong Classic Dog Toy, L, Red, Unpredictable Bounce

Honestly this Kong toy kept him amused for hours. We found it so useful for when he was a young dog and although he would crash out after a walk, his energy levels revived before ours did!

Much as we would have liked to spend all the time playing with Goldie, there were other things in the house, at work, dinner to prepare etc you know all the chores we need to do that we also had to get on with. Also we like dot leave him with something to do when we had to go out and leave him in the home for a couple of hours. So we needed something to keep that active mind of his interested and busy while we got on with other essential work.

We had no experience of Kong toys so at first we just gave it to him as it was. He was very excited and spend a good time chewing it but it held up very well to his powerful jaws.

 We did spend some time throwing it for him and it bounced all over in a very unpredictable way so great fun for him! Then we noticed one day when he was playing alone that he threw it up in the air for himself and it bounced all over so yet another game! He loved it  :)

We also needed him to play quiet at times, so we learned that if we filled it up with tasty treats he would spend a long time trying to get them out, usually laying in the floor at full stretch. The concentration on his face was wonderful and when he finally finished it he would usually go off for a little snooze.....

A strategy that worked very well was to fill it up then plug up the holes at either end with something difficult to get out, like a large piece of kibble or  hard cheese. You can buy Kong fillings, but we also used some of his dinner kibble and stuffed paste or light cheese or other tasty treat around it. We did adjust his meal portions slightly to take into account the calories in the Kong.

 The thing that worked best was to put the filled Kong in the freezer for a little while- so as not too hard. A frozen Kong kept Goldie occupied for hours! It was also excellent in the hot summer days as it seemed to keep him a little cooler.

 We found the best thing to freeze for him was low fat plain yoghurt mixed with a little kibble. He adored plain Yoghurt and as he had some tummy problems the Vet had said to us to give him plain unsweetened organic yoghurt, so it worked well. 

There are many different sizes of Kong for different dog breeds and some for puppies and older dogs too. I think they are invaluable for many dogs. They also in our experience last for ages. Do check it regularly though as you would with any toy. 

 It is important to get the right size for your dog, too large and he wont be able to chew it properly but too small can be a choke hazard so choose carefully. There is a good variety . Also if you have a pup choose one suitable for puppies and as your dog grows older consider the Senior choices as it will be easier form them.

Goldie certainly enjoyed them. We never got tired of seeing the look of eager anticipation on his face ! Some times he would bring his Kong to us if he felt in the mood for a play or a chew on it and we would go fill it up for him! 

Every year he got a new different one for a Christmas present :)