How to fill Kong Dog Toys and 50 Food Ideas to fill a Kong

Kong Dog Toys

In one of my previous posts ( How to stuff a Kong toy with peanut butter, dog treats, kibble and more — Kong Recipes), I had talked about filling Kong dog toys in different ways so that your dog enjoys licking on the toy for a long time especially because Kong dog toys are one of the most indestructible dog toys for all breeds and can stand the brute force of large aggressive chewer dogs too.

One cannot stress enough that stuffing a Kong dog toy properly is of utmost importance so that your dog is engaged and relishes the stuffing. Proper stuffing also ensures that your dog does not lose interest if it becomes difficult for him to take the dog treats out of the Kong dog toy. Likewise, it must be a challenge for your dog to stay engaged long enough. Therefore, the question is How to fill Kong dog toys? The right way!

How to get the Stuffing Right? What can I put in a Kong?

A properly stuffed Kong toy is just right for your pooch to keep him engaged for minutes to even an hour or more. The key is it should not be too easy that the dog finishes off all the stuffing fast nor should it be so difficult to get it out that the dog loses interest soon.

Having the right mix of hard, soft, and smooth textures right from the top to the bottom ensures that the interest is sustained throughout and thus keep your dog busy. In addition, all the ingredients you have stuffed in must be tasty for YOUR dog. This means it is important that you make sure by trial and error that all the ingredients elicit enough interest for your pooch. Certain dogs might be choosy about certain items while a few dogs might take along everything that comes their way.

Needless to say, if your dog does not like a particular stuffing inside the Kong dog toys, the whole exercise of stuffing the Kong would be futile. You could be a bit creative by saving the most favorite ingredient for the bottom. Your dog would sniff it up and will not give up until it reaches the bottom of the toy.

Bonus Tip: If your dog loves peanut butter (most dogs do) you can smear it all through the inner surface of the Kong dog toys like how you would grease a baking pan.

Also Read: 6 Reasons Why Dogs are Awesome Pet Buddies!

Benefits of Stuffing a Kong

Why is it important to get the Kong stuffing right? This is a crucial aspect that covers both the “what” and “how” of Kong recipes. If you want to know “what to fill in a kong” go to the list below. But remember that the “How to fill a Kong toy” part is as important. So, I recommend you continue to read on. A properly stuffed Kong dog toy should also be the right size Kong for your dog according to the dog’s size and age and breed.

1. Kong dog toys ensure that your dog has some “work” to do.
2. It ensures that he is engaged in an activity that stimulates the brain.
3. A bored dog is a destructive dog — with some kind of activity, the dog will maintain its sanity and yours too!
4. A dog uninterested in eating its food will find it innovative and interesting to “eat through” a Kong.
5. It’s a dog’s natural instinct to chew up its prey which eating. Eating off a bowl full of kibble may not satisfy its natural urge.
6. Unwanted behavior like excessive barking, hyperexcitability in dogs, dog chewing everything, etc. can be prevented to a great extent along with proper leadership dog training.
7. Stuff Kong dog toys with healthy fillers like vegetables, fruits, etc to reduce the appetite!
8. It even slows up fast gobblers by filling your usual kibble in the Kong.
9. Yesterday’s food remaining? No problem. Stuff it up in the Kong and your pooch will happily accept it wholeheartedly.

The Secret of Stuffing a Kong Classic Dog Toy

Here lies the secret. How you fill ingredients inside a Kong is as important as what is inside the Kong. How long the dog sustains its interest in the Kong, depends on what it “discovers” while digging through the Kong dog toys over a period of minutes to even more than an hour.

Here’s how you do it — to begin with, cover the smaller opening with a small amount of Peanut butter to seal any liquid that we plan to fill in. Next through the bigger opening start filling in layers. Start with dog treats or the most delicious food that your pooch loves. Make sure you layer up in thin because we are going to create at least 3 layers. These 3 layers could be Dog Food or Human Food and Fruits or Vegetables. An extensive list is given below as an indicator. You could use your own ingredient that is safe, and your doggie loves to eat.

Once you have a layer, two ingredients here are crucial — one that binds the ingredients together and one that solidifies when frozen — both of these are going to prolong the time your doggie is going to be engaged in the Kong dog toys. We commonly use Yogurt and Peanut butter for this purpose. While layering up, mix a few pieces of the item you are filling in with peanut butter, so it becomes sticky. Also pour curd/yogurt to fill in the empty spaces in between items like kibble, etc. When you freeze the Kong toy, this will solidify, and the doggie will love licking it up.

Suggested Reading: Best Dog Food Brands for Golden Retrievers in India

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When you are done with layering and the Kong is stuffed up, the final step is like the icing on the cake — this can be a thin layer of butter, cheese spread, honey, peanut butter, jam — anything to get the dog interested in the Kong, to begin with. Place the Kong Classic dog toy in a long cup/mug and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Your Kong is now ready, and your pooch will love it, and thank you for a nice and yummy activity.

I have listed a few ingredients that we have tried filling up a Kong Extreme dog toy with great success and Angel simply loves it every time we present her with it.

50 Foods to fill in Kong Dog Toy

Enjoy stuffing any or a combination of these foods. Remember the right combo is the secret to stuffing a Kong.

Dog Food

1. Dog Meaty/Chicken Treats
2. Dog biscuits
3. Kibble
4. Dog Jerky
5. Cookies

Human Food

1. Rice
2. Idli
3. Chapati
4. Dosa
5. Bread
6. Baby Food
7. Egg
8. Cooked Oats
9. Chicken (cooked)
10. Meat (Cooked)
11. Fish (cooked)
12. Cottage cheese
13. Cheese slices
14. Cereals (plain)
15. Cooked plain pasta

Fruits

1. Banana
2. Apple
3. Papaya
4. Strawberries
5. Apples
6. Mango
7. Pears
8. Watermelon
9. Musk melon

Vegetables

1. Boiled Mashed potato
2. Boiled Pumpkin
3. Boiled Sweet potato
4. Shredded Carrot
5. Cut Cabbage
6. Cut Green Beans
7. Cauliflower florets
8. Broccoli floret
9. Cut Cucumber
10. Spinach leaves
11. Peas
12. Sprouted Pulses

Toppings

1. Peanut Butter
2. Curd/Yogurt Plain
3. Unflavoured Greek Yoghurt
4. Cheese spread/cream cheese
5. Shredded Coconut
6. Honey
7. Ice cream
8. Plain butter
9. Maple syrup

You can Read More about Golden Retrievers in India on my blog below.

Originally published at https://damselandangel.com on July 4, 2020.