Kongs and Other Interactive Toys

My dogs love their Kongs!  I use Kongs and other interactive toys to offer my dogs some mental stimulation and enrichment.  Venom's first Kong was stuffed with kibble which is what I put inside most of my dogs interactive toys, but you can get very creative in how you stuff the Kong.  Many people tell me that they got their dog a Kong but the dog "didn't like it".  When I ask what they stuffed it with I find they usually put a hard biscuit or two in there which the dog simply didn't feel was worth working for.  If I am stuffing a Kong for my senior Chihuahua Chico, who only has two teeth left, I put only kibble in there because it would be too hard for him to get anything else out.  If I am filling it for my Dachshunds, I fill it with kibble and then top it off with a little cheese whiz.  If I were filling it for a young active dog, like a Labrador puppy, I would fill it with kibble, then top if off with peanut butter and freeze it making it even more challenging which will cause the dog to think more and work harder.  For Jenny, my young Basset Hound/Eskimo mix, I use different toys that are a bit harder to get the food out of such as an Atomic Treat Ball or Kong Genius toy because she is young and active and benefits from that puzzle solving work!  I also use some of the more challenging Nina Ottoson toys particularly for rainy days when the dogs need to exercise but really can't get out too much. 

Here are some pictures of Venom enjoying his first Kong.  Since this was his first time working on this puzzle and he really likes food, I just filled it with kibble.