Are 'Kongs' cruel?

[topsi]

Have just bought my 8mth lab a kong and filled it with treats. He managed to get one buscuit out but then has been frantically chewing it with no avail. It must be very frustrating for him. Have I filled it with the wrong sort of treats? How easily should they come out?
It has worked any way as he has just flopped out and fallen asleep but is it fair to let him chew and chew if nothing is going to come out?

no it isnt cruel, it gives your dog something to work on, much better than your furniture I would have thought.

just he started to whine after a while when nothing came out

My pup didn't put enough effort into extracting Kong stuffing either. We used treats and then peanut butter and he just gave up after he got the easy pickings out. He did have a lot of fun with one of those balls which treats fall out when you roll it around, but mostly he just has tug of war toys and rawhide chews now.

he might have got frustrated. Maybe try different sized biscuits and kibble mixed in, with good old peanut butter to 'seal' the end.
Or my new favourite, Primula squirty cheese.

Squirty cheese, now that's just too easy to get out

only to plug the hole at the bottom.

it is empty this morning so i guess it worked!

I was going to say start with easy stuff so they learn what to do and then move on to really, really difficult stuff to challenge them.

But I don't have to. He's done it .

I reckon one of my labs could get anything out of a Kong - she's perfected the technique of chewing and licking then throwing it into the air a lot to shake out the bits.

I don't hink they're cruel.

I put all sorts of treats and leftovers in it, it's better than her chewing the walls!

Marmite, ham, spready cheese and pasta seem to go down well.

Of course they're not cruel. Watch a dog with a real marrowbone, and the many happy hours he'll spend trying to lick every last piece of marrow out. Dogs are natural scavengers - they didn't evolve as animals that bolt a cupful of kibble down out of a nice shiny bowl.

I feed my dogs all their food from well-stuffed kongs. Keeps their minds and jaws active. Young girl dog has perfected the knack of picking hers up and dropping it, so it bounces the kibble out

topsi, did you leave it with her all night?

yes it took him all night, it has now gone missing, maybe thrown out into the snow by DS, who knows??

Dill couldn't be bothered with his either. I've had more success with a cardboard box with a handful of treats in the bottom.

Get him a cooked beef bone - keep him happy for hours - our kong has been last in the snow but I still think they are ok.

BTW we have a 6 month lab and destruction hasn't been too much of a problem as yet.

Don't give any cooked bones, there's a big risk of splintering and causing serious problems. All bones should be given raw.

Kongs are fab. Mine are 'bouncers' too Bella. I've just bought mine new ones for Christmas as the old ones got lost over time. My oldest girl isn't really keen on bones or chews, but loves, loves, loves her Kong.

We were told by a dog trainer to give a cooked beef bone - these bones are massive , no chance of splintering - also known as postmans leg .

No Avantia, that's bad advice. Dogs should never be given cooked bones, size irrelevant. Cooking alters the architecture of the bone making it much easier for the dog to chew pieces off it and therefore run the risk of injury or severe constipation. Please give only raw bones.

Definitely never give raw bones. They can splinter and cause fatal internal injuries.

Big festive wave at Midori

Ooops - never give cooked bones.

Serves me right for multitasking

my dog loves his Kong and plays with it for ages, even without a treat in it.

Somebody also told me that they can be filled with dog food and frozen? Good for days you have to leave dog alone for a while as it gives them something to do? Haven't tried it as he is rarely by himself. But sounded good.

Bones give our dog wind so his kong and his filled marrow bones are his only toys!

If I know Im out for a while I will fill it with naturediet (his normal food), plud a piece of cheese in the end and stick it in the freezer, then leave it with him, keeps my pup busy for hours!

the cooked bone is like this

here
Has had them since she was 10 weeks old , she is now 6 months - never splintered . Pet stores sell them , so am a bit

Avantia, what is your lab like? Ours is chocolate male, 8 months old. We have only had him a couple of weeks and he is mental, has chewed 2 pairs of my shoes, my mobile phone and a nice leather belt of DH's. He runs off every time we open the back door, and is quite 'nippy' when he gets excited. He is lovely but a handful. His former owners didn't train him much.
Will look into the bone thing, he has those bone chew things which keep him occupied.

Yes, pet stores do sell them. There are absolutely no rules or laws about the safety of pet shop products sold for dogs.

There is a risk to the dog from any bone, but raw bones are much safer as they are far less likely to splinter.

Waves back at Bella (festively) but too lazy/busy to find the smiley thing...