I've read that a good way to keep a pup entertained and get them into the habit of chewing their toys instead of shoes/furniture/doorways/etc is to give them their meals in kongs and puzzle balls. I can see how this would work with kibble but if you intend to feed them raw meat, organs and bones as the major part of their diet is it still an option? Would you sterilise the kongs between meals? Could you still use puzzle balls for that at all? Are there other toys that would be more highly recommended for raw meat?
I don't need to currently use the puzzle feeders or treat balls as my dogs are older but we will be getting another dog, a puppy, soon and wondered this same thing. The best thing I can come up with is dehydrated raw or freeze dried raw treats. They sell many different options as treats as pet stores.
She still uses her Kong wobbler because I still give her grain free cookies from time to time. (I use the Kong wobbler as a distraction when I'm about to head out of the house). But she had a couple of other treat balls that we don't use anymore since she's been on raw.
I still use her two kongs though. I'll put a tiny bit of peanut butter to cover the tiny hole on one end, freeze it until it's solid. Then fill it with broth and bits of meat and freeze again.
I'll alternate between that and a mix of pumpkin with chunks of apple or herring.
Other than that, she has her yak chew, antler and raw bones to keep her busy.
Covering that little hole is dangerous, it's there so that the Kong cannot form a vacuum and trap the dogs tongue, by covering it you are defeating the purpose of the hole.
I still use all their puzzle toys. I just use either dehydrated meats (chicken and liver) or sometimes left over meat that husband and I didn't get around to eating, so it is cooked.
Another thing to mention is that the chewing and crunching of bone, and removing meat from bone is physically and mentally more demanding than kibble, so they do get a little bit of a puzzle every meal.
I bought a dehydrator exactly because of the treat problem (treats in general and usability of food toys that I already had).
I paid ~$70 and I think I already have that money out again by not having to buy the expensive dehydrated treats in the store/online.
I make chicken/pork/beef jerky and then, depending on the toy used, I use a whole strip to put it in the Kong Genius Mike, or cut into pieces with scissors to use as regular treats or for the JW caterpillar (it looks small, but my AmStaff mix takes about 30-45 minutes to clear it out, and it's only 4 small treats).
On top of that my hubby likes the jerky that I make for us (with some seasoning), so it's not just used for the dog
thanks @Rain! Good to know! I read it on the Kong website thought it was a smart way of preventing broth from leaking out.
So then I guess I shouldn't fill it and freeze it with broth? Cuz even if I remove the peanut butter from the tiny hole once the broth is frozen, the broth has blocked the hole.
I'm wondering if it's safe to freeze broth in them because the broth would melt along the outside and the hole would naturally be unblocked when that happens. I think if I wanted to freeze anything in Zody's Kong I'd plug the hole with PB from the outside and then clean the hole out once the liquid was frozen.
@Rain, yeah I think I'll start removing the pb once the broth is frozen. I do plug the hole from the outside and I use as little pb as possible. It never occurred to me that they can get their tongue stuck!!! Thank you for sharing that article
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Dog Forum
819.7K posts
66.7K members
Since 2008
A forum community dedicated to all breeds of dog owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeds, training, puppies, food reviews, service animals, and more.