# How is the kong supposed to work



## Sri

I know you stuff it with a mix of pasty filling and kibble or treats.

Our puppy can't get the food out no matter how much he tries. And indeed I cant get it out unless I scrape it out with a butter knife. 

So how does it work? Is he supposed to bite the kong and the food squeezes out? If so, I think his jaws might not be strong enough for it yet. 

How does your puppy get the food out of the kong?


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## Mary Beth

My Sting was the same way, so I had to make it easy for him. I didn't use any filling but just used treats. I did use the pink puppy kong, and I would first put some little treats on the bottom, then I would stick a big biscuit like a milkbone in the top - but not all the way down - so there would be some sticking up, then I anchored it with 2 side treats and spread peanut butter around the top to hold it together. I did prepare it the night before and put it in the refrigerator. He was real gentle with his kong - he would get the treats out and then just mouth it and carry it around.


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## Castlemaid

You can get a puppy kong that has a bigger opening. Also make sure you have the right size kong for your dog. 

Amazon.com: Kong Large Puppy Toy: Pet Supplies


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## mego

I put big things on the bottom so the paste like stuff could be reached at the top. Still do it that way


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## MichaelE

A Pasty is something you eat when you're in da UP. Wit da Yoopers. Rutabagas, potatos, beef, and sometimes a minced carrot.

A paste is what you trowel into a Kong. Lisl likes peanut butter.
She's the only reason I buy it.


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## AngieW

You need to start off with an easy kong and an easy filling.

If you start off with a kong like this:
Amazon.com: KONG Puppy Kong Toy, Small, Assorted Pink/Blue: Pet Supplies

You can fill it to the top with dry kibble and then just put a very thin layer of peanut butter across the top to hold it in. Your dog will lick the peanut butter off and then the kibble will easily spill out.

After he's good at that, you fill the kong maybe halfway with dry kibble and then fill it the rest of the way with kibble mixed with canned pumpkin or maybe canned dog food. You don't need to seal it with peanut butter this time.

After that becomes easy, then you can start filling the entire kong with a mixture of wet and dry ingredients. 

And then you can fill it with a mix of wet and dry and also freeze it.

You have to build up to it.


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## Sri

MichaelE said:


> A Pasty is something you eat when you're in da UP. Wit da Yoopers. Rutabagas, potatos, beef, and sometimes a minced carrot.
> 
> A paste is what you trowel into a Kong. Lisl likes peanut butter.
> She's the only reason I buy it.


Lol. I used 'pasty' as an adjective. a paste-y filling like canned food, cream cheese, peanut butter. 

Yes, but why can't my puppy get stuff out! That is what puzzles me. Maybe he is too small for it yet,at 4 months? Yesterday at a class the trainer gave all the puppies things with hotdogs stuffed in them. Mine couldn't get his out and he gave up. They said maybe he's just not smart enough.

Oh please! This is a puppy that plays hockey in our living room with a stick in his mouth and a tennis ball cos he saw my kids do it. I tried to push the hot dog out as well, but short of putting my fingers in through one of the openings and pushing it out to the other side, there was nothing else I could do. And the opening pinched together once I put my thumb in and that hurt some!

I do have the larger kong.


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## Sri

AngieW said:


> You need to start off with an easy kong and an easy filling.
> 
> If you start off with a kong like this:
> Amazon.com: KONG Puppy Kong Toy, Small, Assorted Pink/Blue: Pet Supplies
> 
> You can fill it to the top with dry kibble and then just put a very thin layer of peanut butter across the top to hold it in. Your dog will lick the peanut butter off and then the kibble will easily spill out.
> 
> After he's good at that, you fill the kong maybe halfway with dry kibble and then fill it the rest of the way with kibble mixed with canned pumpkin or maybe canned dog food. You don't need to seal it with peanut butter this time.
> 
> After that becomes easy, then you can start filling the entire kong with a mixture of wet and dry ingredients.
> 
> And then you can fill it with a mix of wet and dry and also freeze it.
> 
> You have to build up to it.



Thank you. I will try it this way. Yes. I have this kong too. I ordered this one first and then bought the big one at the pet store.


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## Sri

Thank you for all the ideas everyone! I believe this will work.


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## iamcarleen

Sri, don't feel too badly, my Maisey had one heck of a time getting anything but dry treats out of her kong. She still does. I put peanut butter on the top and bottom of it to seal the treats and kibble on the inside just to kind of make her work a little bit for them, but that's all she's been able to master so far. She'd much rather have an ice cube than her kong these days.


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## Chip Blasiole

What are trying to use the Kong for other than play? I don't think it a very useful toy and there are other toys can can be much more useful to teach skills and obedience.


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## MadameRed

I freeze this into the kong and give it to my puppy. He still can't get treats out, but he enjoys that. It's the only thing that keeps him quiet in his crate.


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## Linck

I have problem with Kong too. My dog just can't get things out. I tried peanut butter with yogurts and some kibbles then freeze it overnight. I gave it to him and never really check it. He lost interested. Then when I try to clean it out the inside that he couldn't get to become rotten it stinks so bad. Since then I move on to other toys


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