King Kong

Adapted from my original post on Facebook at #SOSResourceWednesday

 

I collect dog toys.

Don't judge me.  It could be worse; some people collect creepy porcelain dolls. 

There are times when I feel that my collection is more for my amusement than it is for the dogs’ amusement, but then, the dogs are also for my amusement and they are easily amused by dead leaves, so if I choose to amuse myself by purchasing brightly-colored plastic and rubber contraptions for them, then that is my own business. 

Anyway. 

When it comes to keeping dogs out of trouble, Kong is king.  It’s the original stuffable, durable chew toy.  Fill it will premade treats, peanut butter, wet or dry dog food, or get a recipe from Kong’s website to keep your dog entertained and out of trouble.  Other brands with similar toys include West Paw, Planet Dog, Bullymake and SodaPup. 

Some people – usually clients, occasionally beleaguered friends and relatives – assure me that they have already heard of the wonders of these toys, even taken it upon themselves to purchase one for their dog, only for the toy to sit ignored after bouncing awkwardly across the floor or, worse, after being scrubbed and scoured of peanut butter that Fido did not lick out.  I usually compare a dog chewing to myself reading, because reading is something that I personally enjoy doing in my off time.  My dogs enjoy chewing and relaxing in much the same way.  We are even able to settle ourselves into a sort of zoned-out, contented trance while we are intensely concentrating on the task at hand (or paw) while contorting our bodies into pretzel-like positions to do so.  But although chewing is a natural and instinctively rewarding behavior for dogs, the toys that we humans have created for them are artificial facsimiles to channel an animal desire to forage for food.  So just as a human must be taught to read a book, a dog must be taught to play with a toy. 

This training opportunity is not a chore, but a chance to strengthen your bond with your dog!

As with any new behavior or tool, be encouraging and set your dog up for success.  Is your dog anxious and easily spooked? Set the new toy out in a busy area of the house and ignore it.  Allow it to become part of the landscape.  When you notice your pup cautiously investigating, gently praise and reward them.  Is your dog boisterous and bold? Tease them as you remove the toy from its package, juggle from hand to hand, allow only quick sniffs before you snatch it away again.  When your pup is bouncing off the walls in excitement, toss the toy away from them and allow them to chase it. 

Start by adding try treats or kibble that will easily fall out of the toy.  Kongs and most other brands are oddly shaped so that they roll and bounce irregularly, and the dog can chase them around scarfing up snacks as they go.  Gradually add more and more food to the toy.  I prefer to get the largest sized toys I can find and feed my dogs their routine meals this way.  For increased difficulty, you can set the toy in your dog’s food dish, a cardboard box, or even an egg carton, to add a layer of complexity. 

In order to convince Fido to lay relax and chew the toy, we must make it more difficult for the food to fall out.  This is where the peanut butter comes in.  Don’t cram the entire thing full of peanut butter! Mix about a spoonful of it with kibble, maybe a little warm water if needed, and then scoop the mixture into the toy.  You can use the same process with canned dog food, yoghurt, pumpkin, cream cheese, or other dog-safe squishy foods. 

Once Fido has gotten the hang of that, then you can pre-mix the food-stuffed toys and freeze them.  This not only adds an extra layer of challenge to their new hobby, but also lets you put your growing dog toy collection to use by staging several in the freezer.  Meal prepping for dogs! 

Now that you and your dog have it all figured out, refer back to Kong’s recipe guide or use your own imagination based on your dog’s tastes.  I like to add a dental chew as a popsicle stick for my pups.  Let me know your dog’s favorite stuffable toy treat!

 

For further reading:

In this video from Dunbar Academy, Jamie Dunbar discusses the hows and whys of beginning to use stuffed chew toys.  For more detailed instruction, you can watch this video with a lot more details on what the Dunbar’s recommend putting in a Kong.