Stuff to stuff it!

Just about everyone who has a dog living with them knows what a Kong is, but very few people really use the Kong to its fullest. 

I work at a natural pet store and am honestly horrified by the amount of crap that Kongs typically get stuffed with.  Just about anyone who buys one assumes that their stuffing options are either peanut butter or "Kong Whiz" as I like to call the chemical laden aerosol gunk that is sold as a stuffing for them. The reality is that if you are giving your dog a Kong full of peanut butter it won't take long for them to get obese, and it also is putting them at risk for pancreatitis. Just because this is a treat, doesn't mean it has to be unhealthy.

A nice fall themed stuffed Kong: Pheasant with chopped honeycrisp apples

Really, the sky's the limit when it comes to things you can stuff in a Kong.  At our house where I'm doing a lot of training with my foster dogs, I want to keep the calorie intake down because they are getting treats during training time. So I use a lot of fruits and veggies and to hold them all in I use a mixture of rehydrated Honest Kitchen Preference (a dehydrated fruit/veggie food) mixed with some all meat canned food.  In the photo above you see a Kong that is layered with chunks of honeycrisp apples and then a mix of pheasant canned meat and Preference veggie mix. Sounds pretty fancy? I stuffed them in less than 2 minutes - easy-peasy.  Use a high quality canned food, if you choose to use it, and if you use a large Kong, try a low-cal canned food like Canidae Platinum or Wellness Core Reduced Fat.

Put your Kong in a cup to keep it stable during stuffing. Start by putting some chunks of food in to keep the wet food from mushing out the bottom of the Kong. Then add some wet mix and tamp it down with a small spoon.  Add more chunks of fruit/veggies and repeat until it's loaded. And the final trick to extend the length of time the Kong will distract your dog? Freeze it. In fact to save time, it's great to have 4-6 Kongs, stuff them all at once and keep them in the freezer so they are ready when you need your dog to have a fun distraction.

Other great wet stuffers: plain yogurt, unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas, pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes or other type of mashed squash

Great chunky stuffers: frozen green beans, chopped apple, banana slices, carrot slices, chopped snow peas, frozen berries, broccoli...

Langley, working calmly and quietly on a frozen Kong

And I know that everyone thinks of Kongs when thinking of stuffing toys but there are other great ones out there.  The Tux by West Paw Designs is made in the USA, and is a great design for snub nosed dogs who have trouble with Kongs.  Premier/Petmate makes the Squirrel Buddy which is pretty similar to the Kong, just cuter.