Kong toys: you've all seen them,
you've all probably got one. Today I'm going to show you how to stuff it fast,
easy, and so it works.
Ian here with Simpawtico Dog Training and before we start stuffing Kongs, please
make sure you're subscribed so you never miss any of our videos. And don't forget
to check the description below for notes, links, and resources about the stuff we
talked about.
Now a Kong toy can be a great tool to keep your dog busy and to help you teach
your dog important skills. But with all the recipes on Pinterest and the blogosphere
it can be kind of a pain to figure out what works. And even after all that effort
your dog might just be like, "Meh."
Look: I'm a big advocate of the KISS principle, or "keep it simple, stupid."
There's no need to overcomplicate things and in my opinion most of the products
and recipes out there complicate a very simple idea.
Another big concept you're going to hear several times is that it's not what it
is
it's what you've trained it to be. If your dog isn't into it
we don't give up and move on to the next gimmick. We train them to be into it.
We train them to love it. You ready to do that?
Let's dive in! Selecting kong toys is as easy as heading down to the pet supply
store and picking some out. There are some details to keep in mind though.
For one thing Kong toys don't hold as much as you think they do.
My rule of thumb is to pick up the one that looks right and then by the next
size up.
Additionally I've seen dogs give up out of frustration if they can't get it
easily enough.
One size up will make for a bigger hole and at least in my experience seem to
help the dog buy into it a lot more readily. That leads us to the second
point:
Don't buy just one. Get four at the minimum. That way you have them on reserve so you
can fill, use, wash, and rotate.
Otherwise if you're not paying attention you'll get caught without one ready when
you need it.
The red classic Kongs are pretty standard.
The black ones are the toughest for super chewer. All the other colors are
about the same as the red ones as far as toughness goes.
Also, there are several types of toys like it. The classic Kong isn't the only
one out there.
the Petsafe Squirrel Dude is also very good. The Kong Biscuit Ball can be used
with a raw diet. The Premier Busy Buddy Football works well for treats or cheese
sticks and you can use this for short settle downs.
Although, undoubtedly, the Classic Kong is the best made, and the most durable, and
probably the most readily available.
Forget about buying any of that stuff marketed in the pet stores to stuff a
Kong.
It's overpriced, and it's basically just junk food just like the human version.
Seriously is that stuff even food? Second like I said there are tons of recipes
out there for all sorts of creative ways to stuff a Kong.
These are a much better alternative for sure.
However they're time consuming and also largely unnecessary. If you enjoy doing
it and you have the time for it, great.
Knock yourself out. However don't get into those bigger recipes
unless you enjoy doing it. As a special treat on occasion
they're great. But do not fall into the trap of trying to up the ante or
increasing the value of the stuffing in the toy to try and get the dog interested
You're coming at it backwards. It's not what it is,
it's what you've trained it to be. So train the dog to love their Kong and
then you can stuff it with whatever you want. With this in mind you'll save money
and time, and you'll train your dog better if it's filled with a more
commonplace ingredient: their own dog food. Since we're going to be using our
dog's food,
we need to measure it out. As a responsible owner you should be
monitoring their daily intake of food by having a
routine, but flexible, feeding schedule, and never free feeding. Free feeding is just
shooting yourself in the foot as far as behavioral teaching goes.
Don't be lazy. By simply using routine feedings you're also starting to empower
their normal food to be a training reward which is a much better, more
nutritionally balanced option than only using treats. This plays into strategic
reward scaling, and I'll link to my article on that in the description. So
measure out your dog's food for the day,
set out about a third of it aside, moisten the rest, and spoon it into the
toys. Then freeze it.
That leftover third is used for training. Anyone in the family can take food out
for training with this. If you plan ahead and prepare three or four toys at a
time, they'll be on demand as you need it.
Just be sure to keep up on the rotation. You don't want to be caught without any
toys in the freezer and a hungry dog. When we first start chew toy training our
dogs they simply take their meals from the toy. A bowl is nice and convenient
but in these stages
it's a waste opportunity. Save the bowl for down the road after we've got them
hooked on their Kong. When you take a loaded kong out of the freezer place a
dollop of something easy and tasty to start with over the big hole. Just smear
some peanut butter, some plain yogurt or some cream cheese over it. Now
they take their Kong meals in a crate or on a bed.
The same place, every time. Routines are the backbone of training. As a dog works
at it
the Kong thaws quickly and food starts to fall out. The more they work,
the more food they get. This is a self rewarding activity it's called Autoshapng
because you're dog is practically traiing himself at this
point. All you did was engineer it to work and set it up. Right from the get-go this
is conditioning the dog to love being by itself.
Chewing and eating at the same time releases a payload of endorphins into
their brain like a huge pleasure bomb. As we progress – as your puppy gets older or
your adult dog picks up the skill – we can go back to using the bowl and keep the
food filled Kong as the ace up your sleeve.
Job number one is that it helps teach a dog to be alone.
This one thing then solves a bunch of other problems like: boredom (which always
leads to mischief), barking incessantly while you're away (your neighbors will
definitely appreciate it),
destructive chewing (such as your table legs and futon cushions), raiding the
trash, and bigger problems like isolation distress which is commonly mistaken for
separation anxiety, and of course true separation anxiety which can be
debilitating for a dog. Training with an interactive toy like a Kong will also
help you with settling down after being jazzed up or crate training and potty
training for both copies and newly adopted adult dogs. Attaching an anchor to
a Kong gives you more options. Feed a string or rope through the small hole, knot
it, and pull it tight. Now when you fill it, it will be frozen in place. Once the
toy and the normal food is empowered it can be tied to the inside of crates for
crate training.
It can be tied to trees in the yard for summer fun. Lots of possibilities open up
once you've got your dog hooked on a Kong. Stuffing the kong won't do all of these
things by itself.
You do need some regular to toys and you do need to interact with your dog in
other constructive ways. A properly stuffed Kong will act as a force multiplier and
help you get the job done much, much faster.
Coupled with the chew toy training we talked about in the Types of Toys video
you solve about ninety percent of the most common behavior problems.
So good luck guys! And keep in touch. What are some other ways you use the Kong, and
what kind of questions do you have about it?
Let's connect in the comments. Don't forget to check that description for
notes, links and resources, and thumbs up this video if you got some good info. As
always keep learning, keep practicing and I will see you soon.
Thanks for watching!