Feeding with Kong

[rfinney]

I read the booklet "before you get your puppy" and think I am going to try to use the Kong method to give my pup it's food when I get her. I was wondering if you just put dry food and treats in there if they get it out to easily, thus defeating the purpose of using it to keep them occupied during the day. I have read many other posts about people using pb and other yummy things but it sounds like they are using it as more of a treat than merely a way to administer food. Would it be ok to combine her normal food with something that's more of a treat?

 

[Jan]

I think Ian Dunbar suggests that you dampen the food, so that you can stuff it in the Kong better. I can't see any reason why you can't add a little peanut butter or yogurt to Kong as well. At first I would make it fairly easy to get the food out. Once they are good at it, you can start making it more difficult, so that it occupies them for a longer time.

Good luck with your pup!

 

[OscarsMom]

I'm not sure if you'll have the same problem, but when we gave Oscar his Kong, it was to hard for him and maybe even a little to big. We got him just the regular medium red kong. We're thinking about getting him a large puppy for him and he's 3 1/2. Make sure to start off with a soft one.....they are suppose to be great for building their jaw muscles.

Andrea

 

[Anna Begins]

I got Luka the puppy Kong (blue) and it took him a while before he even wanted it.
I think he was about 7 or 8 months before he wanted it.
I'm a little ocnfused by your post- you don't mean to give your pup all it's food by Kong, right? Just as a treat, right?

 

[rfinney]

In response to Anna Begins, in Ian Dunbar's bookelt he suggests giving your puppy all of their food in the kong to make them associate good things with their kong so they get in the habbit of chewing only that and it also keeps them occupied for a while. So, has anyone tried delivering all of their pups food by kong? If so, was is succesfull?
Thanks

 

[jenjones28]

I had also heard about feeding from kongs somewhere (can't remember what book), and their idea was that dogs work for their food in the wild and spend a lot of their time in the pursuit of food, so it is natural for them to "work" for their food by having to get it out of the kong, and it would take up some of their time when they would otherwise be bored.

I have no personal opinion on it one way or the other, whether it would be a good idea or bad. I've only given my dogs their kongs with treats in them. But some yummies in them with a little peanut butter or something like that in it, and it will definitely be something positive for them and keep them busy for hours!

I'm not sure about the idea that they would learn to chew only on their kong from it, though. I mean, my dogs don't chew on their food dishes, so I'm not sure about that part.

 

[Dalton]

With past dogs, we've stuffed a partial banana in the kong and froze it for a while. It feels great on their gums, last a while, and tastes great.