# Kong Recipes



## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Thanks to Wild Wolf, and her article on Kong recipes, I have been experimenting with some stuff! Anyone else who wants to post what they stuff in their dogs Kong's feel free, i'd love to try more things out. 

Hope Wild Wolf doesn't mind, I'm going to post a link to her article here incase anyone hasn't read it, her entire blog is great- Delicious recipes to fill your dog's Kong toy with! - K9 Instinct - Dog Nutritionist and Dog Trainer in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. K9 Instinct Blog!

*Peanut Butter Yogurt*
Peanut Butter
Yogurt (Plain)
Yogurt drops
Small crunchy treats

*Berry Yogurt*
Yogurt
Mixed Berries Baby food
Honey
Cream Cheese
Crunchy treats/yogurt drops mixed in

*Peanut Pumpkin Yogurt*
Yogurt (plain)
Pumpkin
Peanut Butter
Honey
Mixed in some crunchy treats

So far I have only tried the above, but I am going to scramble some eggs today, mix it with some shredded cheese, and stuff it in his Kong. Hope he likes 

Also bought these ingredients that I havent used yet:
Cottage Cheese
Applesauce (plain) 
Canned Cheese (american)
Appsauce

I also bought some baby food - bananas, squash, mixed berries, etc. 

I decided to try baby food because I had tried mashing a banana, and he didnt like it. The baby food works good.

Can you stuff/mix some coconut oil in there too?

PLease share your kong stuffn ideas! :laugh:


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## SuperSable (Feb 13, 2013)

Great ideas! I normally just stuff our kongs with peanut butter or roasted and peeled mashed sweet potato. Both of which, my girls love


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

How about making your own yogurt for the recipes?

1 quart milk
1/2-1 cup powdered milk
6 oz (or so) live culture* yogurt
1 tbsp honey (option)

Heat milk to approx 120* degrees. Mix in powdered milk, the more you use the thicker the yogurt will be and higher protein. Add honey if you're using it (said to be food for the cultures but theres enough sugar in the milk imo.) In a container add a small amount of heated milk to the yogurt and stir. Add more milk to yogurt slowly while stirring, once about half of the milk has been added you can add the rest more quickly or add the milk and yogurt back to the rest of the milk. This is tempering the yogurt so the heat doesn't kill off the cultures. 

Ferment at around 110 degrees for 8-12 hours. The longer you ferment the thicker the yogurt. You can ferment in various ways, some use a crock pot on the lowest setting with water and then the container of yogurt in the water bath. You can wrap a heating pad around the container of yogurt, but if the heating pad has an automatic shut off make sure to keep turning it back on. I'll stick it in my car in the middle of summer sometimes. 

You can reuse the yogurt you made as your starter for your next batch but only do this 7 times as after that many the yeast can start to overtake the probiotics. Recipe can be doubled, I usually make more than a quart at a time.

*make sure the yogurt says CONTAINS live cultures, not made from live cultures. All yogurt is made from live cultures, its what makes it yogurt. But many popular brands such as yoplait kill the cultures before shipping it out for longer shelf life. Organic brands/quality greek brands are usually the best bet for containing live cultures. 

*if you don't have a thermometer, heat it to feeling hot to the touch but not so hot you can't keep your finger submerged. Overheating will kill the cultures in the yogurt. 

Once you've made the yogurt, you can of course make it into any flavor you want such as adding pureed fruit, peanut butter, etc. And can be frozen into ice cubes for a fun summer treat or frozen inside the kong.


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

SuperSable said:


> Great ideas! I normally just stuff our kongs with peanut butter or roasted and peeled mashed sweet potato. Both of which, my girls love


Ooh, never heard of roasted mashed sweet potato! Ill have to try that! 



Lin said:


> How about making your own yogurt for the recipes?
> 
> 1 quart milk
> 1/2-1 cup powdered milk
> ...


Wow thanks Lin! I had no idea making your own yogurt was so easy! LOL! The way I am going through yogurt these days, I might have to try this!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Love K9 Instinct... 

Stark and Zefra benefit from having such a great Auntie who knows her stuff!

Also, try the homemade doggy cookies! My crew would do back flips for them!


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

It really is super easy! And of course the recipe is fine for humans as well  The recipe was for humans, and after I made it a few times I started changing things up like extra powdered milk for thicker yogurt, going by feeling instead of thermometer, throwing the jars in my car to ferment lol. The last one I probably wouldn't recommend when its for human consumption though! 

I'll also substitute kefir for the yogurt and follow the recipe the same way, kefir has slightly different cultures. Kefir for humans is usually drinkable but I like it thicker for the dogs so the yogurt recipe works well. Oh and kefir will also ferment in coconut milk as well, so there are options to change things up like that.


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Lin said:


> It really is super easy! And of course the recipe is fine for humans as well  The recipe was for humans, and after I made it a few times I started changing things up like extra powdered milk for thicker yogurt, going by feeling instead of thermometer, throwing the jars in my car to ferment lol. The last one I probably wouldn't recommend when its for human consumption though!
> 
> I'll also substitute kefir for the yogurt and follow the recipe the same way, kefir has slightly different cultures. Kefir for humans is usually drinkable but I like it thicker for the dogs so the yogurt recipe works well.


LOL! Fermenting yogurt in your car! Innovative  What is Kefir?! Never heard of it! 



elisabeth_00117 said:


> Love K9 Instinct...
> 
> Stark and Zefra benefit from having such a great Auntie who knows her stuff!
> 
> Also, try the homemade doggy cookies! My crew would do back flips for them!


Oh I bet, they are lucky! Haha and me too- I love her blog! Berlin loooooves all those Kong recipes on there. The cookies are next on my list, they sound so good, and I bet he will love them as well!


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Kefir is technically a fermented milk drink. Its usually the consistency of drinkable yogurt. You can get kefir from the grocery store as well. Its said to be better than yogurt probiotic wise, has more cultures. I bought kefir starter though when I was using it. I still have some packs of starter, I think its freeze dried or something. The packs I got are like the yogurt where they say a limit of how many times you should reuse them as starter. But maybe thats just to make you buy more lol. People can get kefir grains and keep it going indefinitely like sourdough starter, but I think that requires some actual know-how.


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Lin said:


> Kefir is technically a fermented milk drink. Its usually the consistency of drinkable yogurt. You can get kefir from the grocery store as well. Its said to be better than yogurt probiotic wise, has more cultures. I bought kefir starter though when I was using it. I still have some packs of starter, I think its freeze dried or something. The packs I got are like the yogurt where they say a limit of how many times you should reuse them as starter. But maybe thats just to make you buy more lol. People can get kefir grains and keep it going indefinitely like sourdough starter, but I think that requires some actual know-how.


Oooh, so kinda like Danimals, lol. But i'm sure not as tasty  I'll have to look for some Kefir then...think like Jewel would have it? And what section of the store do I even begin to look in?!


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Comes in large bottles, not single servings like yogurt. It will be in or near the diary isle, I've seen it closer to the orange juice than the milk before but it depends on the individual store. I'm not sure if it comes in plain so if you're buying it just for the dogs be aware of the sugar content.


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

Lara is not so good at getting things out of the bottom of the kong because her tongue isnt long enough, usually I do layers of shredded(paste) or chunks of hot dog and layers of cheese squares (usually just little pieces) then i dump this mini kibble to fill in the cracks and put pumpkin or yogurt toward the middle, then more hot dogs/cheese, and top it off with yogurt or pumpkin to freeze the hole shut.
I also use carrot and apple chunks, sometimes boiled chicken.

It's complicated and takes me a little while to prepare, but she's really bad at getting 'sticky' stuff down at the bottom so she needs chunks of things instead of all wet stuff like some people do-- and I do layers so it's not boring


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## spidermilk (Mar 18, 2010)

Other than the classic yogurts, wet dog food, and peanut butter- when I am feeling a bit lazy or have some very ripe bananas I will just use plain banana and freeze it. Dax loves it...

Oh and those Instinct raw nugget food things- sometimes I take a couple of those frozen and stick them in the Kong. I like to give them as treats but he eats them so fast- in the Kong he just has to slowly lick them and get a tiny bite at a time.


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## SuperSable (Feb 13, 2013)

I culture kefir grains for my (human) family and it actually never occurred to me to give some to the dogs. I bet they would love it!
Culturing the live grains yourself is SUPER DUPER easy and super super cheap too. You can google how to online, just remember to keep your mason jar, strainer and spoon sterile as you are dealing with live culture and not to ever let anything metal come into contact with the grains. It is really easy to make and virtually impossible to screw up. Your grains multiply so you never run out (and can share with family, etc) Homemade kefir is a little more sour then the sweetened store bought kefir but it is so much better for you. I usually do week long fridge cultures in the summer time or when we aren't consuming it very often or 18hr dark cupboard cultures in the winter (but store the kefir in the fridge) Sometimes I will culture it longer for more probiotics. The longer it cultures, the thicker and more sour it gets (but more benefical) You can culture it until you get curds. It is great stuff.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Hunter is a total kong junkie, hence my creation of those recipes! Thanks for sharing!


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

spidermilk said:


> Other than the classic yogurts, wet dog food, and peanut butter- when I am feeling a bit lazy or have some very ripe bananas I will just use plain banana and freeze it. Dax loves it...
> 
> Oh and those Instinct raw nugget food things- sometimes I take a couple of those frozen and stick them in the Kong. I like to give them as treats but he eats them so fast- in the Kong he just has to slowly lick them and get a tiny bite at a time.


I tried mashing bananas in there with peanut butter - he wouldn't touch it  The best I can do with bananas in Gerber baby food banana/mixed berries LOL thats his favorite thing ever! Thanks for the ideas! 



Lin said:


> Comes in large bottles, not single servings like yogurt. It will be in or near the diary isle, I've seen it closer to the orange juice than the milk before but it depends on the individual store. I'm not sure if it comes in plain so if you're buying it just for the dogs be aware of the sugar content.


Thanks Lin! I'm gonna look for it when I go to the store next 



mego said:


> Lara is not so good at getting things out of the bottom of the kong because her tongue isnt long enough, usually I do layers of shredded(paste) or chunks of hot dog and layers of cheese squares (usually just little pieces) then i dump this mini kibble to fill in the cracks and put pumpkin or yogurt toward the middle, then more hot dogs/cheese, and top it off with yogurt or pumpkin to freeze the hole shut.
> I also use carrot and apple chunks, sometimes boiled chicken.
> 
> It's complicated and takes me a little while to prepare, but she's really bad at getting 'sticky' stuff down at the bottom so she needs chunks of things instead of all wet stuff like some people do-- and I do layers so it's not boring


LOL neither is Berlin. The layer thing is a good idea - I have to try that. Hot dogs and cheese, two of his favorite *special* treats! Oh and don't worry, I make a huge batch of his kong stuffings at a time, so I can stuff and freeze all three of his kongs (he has a XL black one too) So it takes me at least 15 minutes lol!



SuperSable said:


> I culture kefir grains for my (human) family and it actually never occurred to me to give some to the dogs. I bet they would love it!
> Culturing the live grains yourself is SUPER DUPER easy and super super cheap too. You can google how to online, just remember to keep your mason jar, strainer and spoon sterile as you are dealing with live culture and not to ever let anything metal come into contact with the grains. It is really easy to make and virtually impossible to screw up. Your grains multiply so you never run out (and can share with family, etc) Homemade kefir is a little more sour then the sweetened store bought kefir but it is so much better for you. I usually do week long fridge cultures in the summer time or when we aren't consuming it very often or 18hr dark cupboard cultures in the winter (but store the kefir in the fridge) Sometimes I will culture it longer for more probiotics. The longer it cultures, the thicker and more sour it gets (but more benefical) You can culture it until you get curds. It is great stuff.


Thanks for the info! Who woulda known! Never thought i'd be able to make this kinda stuff by myself.! :wild:



Wild Wolf said:


> Hunter is a total kong junkie, hence my creation of those recipes! Thanks for sharing!


Berlin is a recently reformed Kong junkie, because of all the yummies ive been putting in there, thanks to your recipes! He never used to be interested in his kong...now he has 3


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## ssummittmann (Jul 27, 2014)

Are people comfortable leaving Kong treats with dogs, unsupervised? I'm hoping this will be a good treat/activity for our 2 yr old while in his crate during work typical work hours. Eventually we hope to transition him to no-crate; however, he is brand new to us and we're all still adjusting!

Also--thoughts on dishwashing kongs?


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## jackiej (Apr 1, 2015)

ssummittmann said:


> Are people comfortable leaving Kong treats with dogs, unsupervised? I'm hoping this will be a good treat/activity for our 2 yr old while in his crate during work typical work hours. Eventually we hope to transition him to no-crate; however, he is brand new to us and we're all still adjusting!
> 
> Also--thoughts on dishwashing kongs?


we usually leave the kong with our puppy unsupervised and he is good. We freeze it overnight and let him have it in the morning when we go to work so he has a yummy treat to occupy his time while in his crate. When we come back, the toy is fine, licked clean. I heard they are pretty sturdy and will last a long time. We usually run water thru it to clean it.

We put either sweet potato baby puree or pumpkin and then we freeze it overnight. He loves it.


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## nonstop99 (Jun 18, 2015)

sounds good! Ill have to try this out on my dog


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## whiskey_pup (Jul 25, 2016)

ssummittmann said:


> Are people comfortable leaving Kong treats with dogs, unsupervised? I'm hoping this will be a good treat/activity for our 2 yr old while in his crate during work typical work hours. Eventually we hope to transition him to no-crate; however, he is brand new to us and we're all still adjusting!
> 
> Also--thoughts on dishwashing kongs?


Dishwashing is not a problem. We leave our pup unsupervised with frozen Kongs to give her something to do while crated. Most mornings when we leave for work she's sitting in her crate waiting for her treat. I heard that there are knock-off Kongs that dogs have suffocated on because they don't have an exit hole and the pup's tongue created a suction that they dog couldn't break. Make sure you get the real deal! 

Every day we freeze Kongs with a yogurt, potato, banana, kibble mix is a nice treat that takes a while to eat.


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