KONGS

Chewing, teething, separation anxiety, boredom, digging, barking, crate training and weight management. These are some common topics among dog owners, whether good or bad, but how do we handle these situations and training? There are many products out there that can help, however, one of the best products that we here at NOAH have found that helps in all of the above situations are KONGS.
[We now stock KONGS in the clinic including the Exclusive Veterinary KONG! Stop on by to pick yours up today!]

​KONGS are a rubber toy that were created by a man named Joe Markham, whose dog Fritz was a very big fan of chewing things such as rocks and sticks which began to cause massive damage to his teeth. Joe became inspired to create this rubber dog chew toy when he was working on a car and Fritz began chewing on a rubber suspension piece. KONGs are bouncy and durable and can be filled to the brim with yummy treats and food concoctions. 

The KONG Company's website is abundant with amazing recommendations and resources including many different recipes to utilize in the KONG products. Other resources include expert tips, training videos, and a guide to picking the right KONG product for your dog. This guide to picking the right product for your fur baby is very important because not all KONGs are created equal. Each product has its individual group that it is created for. There are KONGs for puppies, seniors, various sized breeds as well as dental specific toys. 

The classic KONG (seen in the upper left hand picture above in red) is a randomly bouncy toy that can be stuffed with tons of goodies and yummy treats. It is great for stuffing with those treats and freezing them, then giving it to your pup to help occupy him for hours while you are out of the house or just busy cooking dinner or other activities. It comes in many different sizes for the smallest Yorkie to the largest Great Dane. The Goodie Bone (seen above) is perfect for stuffing with different treats in the ends of the bone which have their patented Goodie Grippers to help hold treats in. This keeps your pup pretty occupied since it is more difficult to get to the yummy snacks. If your pup loves rope toys but also needs a safe alternative to bones, the Goodie Bone on a rope (seen in the picture to the left), if perfect for tug-a-war but also for chewing. 

For those pups that need a more durable version of the classic KONG, there is the KONG Extreme (seen in black above next to the classic KONG). KONG Extreme is the company's most durable and strong version. For even the most powerful chewers, you can have a toy that helps reduce separation anxiety and boredom. To the right you will see the KONG Tires. The shape is made in a unique fashion with the sidewalls shape and an outer tread that is thicker. The sidewalls are meant to double up and, when compressed, rebound. They are super durable for those powerful chewers. There are several other types of KONG toys made with this durable rubber including the Extreme Ball, the Extreme Flyer, and the Extreme Goodie Bone. 

For our older fur babies, the KONG Senior is designed with the same durable KONG formula but is more gentle for those aging jaws and teeth. They are still designed to be stuffed with yummy snacks and treats and can help to continue or even reestablish exercise and playfulness.  

On the other end of the spectrum, KONGs also has a line of their chewable toys specifically designed for teething and growing puppies. To the right is the Binkie, which is designed specifically for teething. It helps to ease the sore gums as new teeth come in. Just like the classic KONG, it can be filled with treats to encourage the chewing behavior on an appropriate item. In the middle to the right, you will see the most recent addition to the KONG Puppy line. The KONG Puppy Ball, is a great way to start playing fetch but is also designed with the same KONG formula to help those teething gums. The last photo shows the KONG Puppy, based on the classic KONG but with the puppy formula rubber. These are nice for helping to promote appropriate chewing behavior, decrease separation anxiety and aid in crate training. 

Last but not least is the Veterinary Exclusive Blue KONG. This KONG is only available to be purchased from the company by veterinary practices who in turn can sell them to their clients. So what makes this KONG any different or special compared to the classic KONG? Other than the darker blue color, these KONGs are formulated to be more durable but still rubbery enough to have some give. The biggest difference, however, is that, unlike the other KONG toys, the Vet Exclusive KONG is radio-opaque. Meaning that, if your dog was to get a chunk of the toy off or tear it to pieces and swallow any of it, those pieces are clearly and easily seen on x-rays. These are stocked here in our clinic and are available for purchase!

So what about other tasty items you can put in a KONG besides doggy treats? On the KONG website, there are several pages of recipes for different tasty concoctions. Click here to take a look at their full list and see below for some yummy examples.