Kongs for dogs have a GREAT reputation. Have you ever wondered why? One of the main reasons is that it encourages the dog to work a little harder to eat than if you simply poured their food into a bowl. Behavioral enrichment is important for our pets, particularly if they aren’t as active outside as you wish they could be. By serving frozen food in a Kong, it will take your dog longer to eat and will keep them quiet and entertained in the process! This could be especially useful if you have visitors, need to take a conference call for work, or if you simply need a break from your pooch’s energy.
In order to keep calories under control and still give your dog lots of food enjoyment, you can take a portion of your dog’s daily rations and use it in a Kong. In the video below, I demonstrate how to fill a Kong with moistened kibble. But if you feed your dog raw food or even something like Honest Kitchen, you can use those to stuff your Kong too!
Simple Steps to Fill a Kong
Simply follow these steps, which are also shown in the video below:
- Measure out a portion of your dog’s kibble rations. Depending on the size of the Kong, I like to use between ¼ -1/2 cup.
- Pour the kibble into a large bowl or container.
- Pour water over the kibble, completely submerging it.
- Allow the kibble to soak for at least 30 minutes. It’s okay to let it soak overnight.
- The kibble will swell and become very soft.
- Scoop the softened kibble into a Kong, tapping it down after every few spoonfuls.
- If desired, dollop in a spoonful of peanut butter, cream cheese or wet dog food into the opening of the Kong, sealing in the wet kibble.
- Put the Kong into a zip-top bag and put into the freezer.
- Serve frozen.
Tip: Soften extra kibble and fill several Kongs at once, so you have them made in advance. Having a stash of frozen Kongs in the freezer gives you a grab-and-go tool any time your dog needs some enrichment, distraction, or something to enjoy while confined in a crate.
Mix It Up
Softened kibble is fine, but your dog will likely appreciate it if you get a little more creative from time to time. After all, we would get bored eating the same meal every day – so why wouldn’t they? Try these mix ins. You can either blend them with the food or you can get fancy and try layers.
- canned pumpkin
- peanut or almond butter (note – use unsalted and make sure there is no xylitol added)
- plain yogurt or goat’s milk kefir
- canned dog food
- frozen veggies or fruit slices
- dried liver, chicken feet or fish (these provide a great crunch!)
- shredded chicken or cheese
- cream cheese
- bone broth (no onions!)
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29 Comments
Fantastic recipe but am chuckling here as I have bought Layla kongs, filled them and she will not touch them for some reason so the rescues got them and no more in this house.
Hi Ruth – have you shown the dog how to use a Kong? For many, it’s not a natural instinct. I would start with little pieces of meat (or other smelly high value treat) and put them in there loose. The dog will quickly discover with your help that the pieces fall out when they move the kong around. Then you can build up to using it in a “harder” way, such as what I have demonstrated here. My dog will do ANYTHING for food – so she will lick, chew, nibble, and knock it around until she empties it. But it does take some guidance. I’d encourage you to try again!
We rotate different food toys for dinner. So he gets a Kong about 1/5 of the time. I need to freeze some now that the weather is warmer!
My dogs love Kongs! They don’t eat dry food but I do put in peanut butter, doggie ice cream even chicken. If I put it in the freezer for a bit it takes them even longer to finish.
It’s fun to rotate toys and see what captures their interest!
It’s amazing how many types of foods can freeze in a kong – even canned food or raw! Barley loves her afternoon Kong routine!
That’s a really great idea! I wonder if my cats would enjoy this frozen treat. I’m definitely going to try it this summer.
Thanks for this! It should be obvious how to do this, but we’ve never been able to figure it out… this sounds like a perfect summer treat!
Thank you! This version is a little advanced for some critters, especially if they aren’t familiar with how to use a Kong… Start simple with little tasty bits inside a Kong and work together to get them out.
I am sure kitties would love it!
Great how-to and video tutorial! I think our dog would like this now that it’s starting to get warmer out. And it would obviously keep him occupied as well.
Thanks! Have fun!!!!!
I need to get my Lyla a Kong! This is a great idea and she does tend to eat too fast. I have to use a special bowl that slows her eating. Thanks for the idea!
No problem! Just make sure to show her how to use it with easy foods, before getting too complex 🙂
Kong makes a cat version. It got no love from my crowd, I think it was too small for them to actually get any of the treats out. I might try again with the xs dog size and see what they think. Plus Minnie is a big chewer; something like a Kong might save my charger cables from damage.
That’s a great idea!
I like the idea of softening the kibble and adding it to a Kong for means or a quick snack. I like to stuff all kinds of things in our Kong toys and freeze them so they have an activity.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
My dogs get really excited whenever I break out the Kongs. In addition to their food, I sometimes fill them with fresh fruits and vegetables.
This looks an ingenious way to fill a dog toy and keep the pups happy! The perfect toy for dog engagement I think! What an invention!!
DashKitten.com
All I can do is to be jealous of people who can fill the kong with regular food and get away with that LOL I can’t really do that for practical reasons, Cookie being on raw, but even when I used kibble, I’d have mutiny on my hands if I tried to present that as Kong filling 😉
Why would there be mutiny if the raw was in the kong? I’d think that would make the Kong even more tempting!
What a great idea! My dog loves veggies. What are your pooch’s favorites?
Freezing it really helps to make it last longer!
Great idea with the dog food. My mom fills the Kong with peanut butter and freezes it and gives it to her dog when they are eating, especially if company is there.
That’s a LOT of peanut butter, lol. I usually just put a big dollop on the top to get her excited. Some dogs can gain excess weight if they get super rich kong-fillers, so it’s important that what’s in the Kong replaces a portion of the daily meal rations. But I totally agree that giving the dog a Kong is a wonderful way to keep them busy when you want them quiet and well behaved.
doesn’t work. The hole in the Kong is too large and all Kibble dribbles out in 10 seconds. In India we cannot resort to frozen Kong as the weather is too hot.
In this recipe here, the kibble are not put in dry. They are a wet paste, so if you pack it in, the dog has to work to lick it out. If you have a freezer, even if it is hot outside, it will still make the Kong more challenging to empty, even if it thaws quickly.
I dont see how it’s possible for a dog to get everything out of a Kong. I mix peanut butter and kibble and minced apples…but the further down the Kong it goes the less able Chessie is able to extract the goods. I have to redort to soaking it in hot sudsy water after a couple of days when I see good still stuck to the sides and bottom. I dont want her eating food that has molded. What am I doing wrong?
Hi! No, you aren’t doing anything wrong. Some dogs have trouble reaching the tip – I tend to use smaller Kongs for those dogs, or put loose kibbles at the bottom so they fall out easier. Then, I can top that with moist food, topped with a lid of cream cheese or peanut butter, for example.
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