Kongsicles for dogs & some kitty Kong fun

By rawexplorer on October 4, 2013 • ( 0 )

KONGS! The must-have for any pet owner (yes, they make it for cats too!)

Oreo’s Kongs. She has 8 and Hershey has 5 (already!)!

Kongs are really good because they keep your pup and cat (more on that later!) entertained. Many dog specialists, trainers and behaviourists recommend giving your pup a kong so that it can learn to play with toys and distract/entertain itself. Entertained = out of trouble = happy you! They have to work for their meals or snacks, and all you have to do is stuff the Kong and give it to them.

Stuffing in Kong. Cooked chicken, in this case!

But did you know, you can do so much more than just stuff your kong with cheese sausages, pet snacks and kibble (if you’re feeding kibble)? You can make your dogs frozen kongsicles! Like these!

The lovely (what lovely you say? But it took me a lot of effort okay! :P) domed kongsicles inspired by Hershey’s awesome trainer Michelle’s frozen Kongs. I’d used to just give kongsicles with flat bottoms until I saw her do that. Hers look heaps better & much more appetizing. Please click here to see her frozen kongsicles instead!

You can really get very creative with kong fillings, and that’s the fun part, besides watching your dog working hard to get the filling out! 🙂

For this post, I made a Ziwipeak-and-Preference mash kongsicle. Here’s what I did!

Good for one small kongsicle. It’s okay to have leftovers because poochie will eat it and thank you!

From the box of Preference that Oreo’s Mama gave. Hershey is now forever in Oreo’s debt. Will do a review on Preference later!

and then…

You can add a bit of water if the mix gets too gloopy (Ziwipeak and Preference are both dry goods), but not too much, because then your kong will drip later on.

A well-stirred mix!

Now to fill the kongs… Now I usually have 2 frozen kongsicles waiting in the fridge at any one time. No kongsicle gets left uneaten for more than a day or two!

Chose puppy kong pictures here because those are what Hershey’s getting, but you can use a Kong for adult dogs if yours is one!

Now that they’re filled, how do you make them stay in place while freezing? Here’s what Oreo’s Mama and I do for smaller, fiddly kongs:

A snack tube! Found in Toys ‘R’ Us. Check how Michelle makes her kongs stand up in a row here.

The kongs freeze really quickly. If your dog is new at Kongs, maybe you might want to wait awhile before making a kongsicle. Dogs are not born knowing how to play with Kongs! Stuff your kong loosely for your newbie dog so that it doesn’t get discouraged playing…and then as he/she gets more experienced, you can pack the kong tighter.

Also, do note that since your dog isn’t born knowing how to toss a kong/pick up a kong, you may have to hold it while he licks the bottom end. Check this video to see Oreo’s Mama helping Tasha with her very first kong! Hershey didn’t know what to do with a kong either, when first presented with one. Now he’s on his way to becoming a world champion kong chomper!

Cleanup time while kongsicle freezes…

Muffin sniffed at the spoon…and walked away. Used dog canned food to stuff a kong to make an extra tasty kongsicle. Apparently this kitty doesn’t like. These days he’s into only raw chicken because raw beef was so yesterday. =.=”

No worries because poochie will be very glad to help!

Yum yum!

Do try varying your kongsicles by filling them layer-by-layer as well, with the topmost layer being the most interesting if your dog is a newbie! Hershey got a bit of peanut butter dabbed at the top (not frozen) for his first try.

The company also makes Kongs for cats and we’ve had ours for years because they are very durable:

A kitty wobble kong! There’s a dog version as well, but I prefer my normal kong 🙂

For cats new to this, you may have to show them that there are treats inside…and you may also have to push the kong wobbler around for a bit until they get it.

Unfortunately it’s really hard for me to get a video of them playing because these spoilt babies know that it’s easier to get treats from Human Mommy than from a wobble kong! Once they see me coming they abandon the wobble kong. Ugh!