Kong Stuffing Ideas Your Dog Will Love
In a perfect world, our freezers would be filled with an endless supply of frozen food stuffed toys for our dogs. But in the real world, life gets busy and we scramble to fill dog food toys as quick as possible before running out the door.
As a dog trainer, I’ll admit that this happens to me too. While frozen food stuffed toys do last longer, stuffing a Kong last minute and tossing it to your dog is much better than nothing. If you’re looking for super quick Kong stuffing ideas, we’ve got you covered. Here are my dogs’ favorite recipes for food stuffed toys. My clients’ dogs love these Kong stuffing ideas too!
Remember: Mental stimulation is key for a happy and healthy dog, so keep your dog’s brain busy while you’re away. Take a few minutes to fill a dog toy before leaving for the day. Now, grab a Kong and get busy. 🙂
1. Slice of Bread
In a pinch, stuff a slice of bread into a Kong. Choose wheat, white or whatever leftover bread you have at home. Push the bread deep into the bottom of the toy. If needed, use the end of a butter knife to squish the bread slice tightly inside. Doing so makes the Kong last longer. As your dog licks her toy, her saliva causes the bread to stick inside the toy, which makes it even more challenging for your dog.
2. Squirt of Honey
Dogs love sweet stuff just like humans! Before running out the door, squirt half a teaspoon of honey on the bottom of a Kong. Even better is to use drizzled honey as a topper for another Kong stuffing recipe.
Drizzle honey on top of a bread slice, chopped up fruit, oatmeal or kibble for a luscious dog treat. Since honey is basically sugar, moderation is key and a tiny amount works best.
3. Store-Bought Treats
Stuffing hard dog treats into a Kong works great too. Choose wide medium-sized store-bought dog treats that fit snugly inside of your dog’s Kong. Then, toss to your dog as you’re heading to work. Bendable stick treats work great too. Bend and stuff a stick inside the toy until it stays firmly in place. If for some reason, treats fall out of a toy, stuff a slice of bread inside to hold everything together. Voila!
4. Chopped Fruit
If your dog is watching his waistline, stuff chopped up fruit inside his Kong. Dogs love pears, pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon and apples. Just hold the grapes please because grapes are toxic to dogs. Seal the toy opening with a chuck of banana for a long lasting and sweet treat.
5. Leftover Oatmeal
As kiddos are heading out the door for school, stuff their leftover oatmeal inside a toy for your dog. While frozen food stuffed toys last longer, an oatmeal-filled Kong will keep your dog happy for 10-20 minutes.
To make an oatmeal stuffed toy last longer, seal with peanut butter or a banana chunk. Oatmeal is a very healthy treat for dogs. It’s full of fiber, yet low in fat, and provides additional nutrients.
6. Leftover Meat
Dogs love meat. Stuff a slice of roasted turkey or chicken inside a Kong. It’s tempting to use fatty meats, such as ham and steak, but use them in moderation to prevent upset stomachs. To keep meat securely in place, firmly squish a slice of bread or banana chunk around meat chucks inside the toy.
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7. Prescription Only Diets
Due to chronic issues, some dogs can only eat a prescription diet. That’s OK because pet owners can quickly stuff a toy for them too! Fill a Kong with prescription kibble and seal the top with prescription canned food. Of course, freezing would make it last longer, but something is better than nothing. 🙂
8. Cheese Cubes
Cheese, glorious cheese! Stuff cheese cubes inside the bottom of a Kong. When stuffing, really squish cheese cubes tightly inside to make it last longer. For dogs watching their waistlines, add fruit chunks with a few cheese cubes. We all know cheese and fruit taste fabulous together.
Rotate between each Kong stuffing idea. Your dog will love you for it!
