Most people are probably familiar with Kongs – a type of dog toy which are pretty much indestructible.

Kongs are a great way to keep a dog’s mind active and promote calmness through licking, sniffing and chewing, encouraging dogs to use their natural scavenging skills.They can be used to keep our dogs busy and happy whilst you are getting the kids ready for school, trying to get through your zoom meeting, or enjoying a family meal. If your dog is a fast eater and inhales their food you can use a kong instead of a bowl to slow them down

It can be difficult to come up with some new ideas for what to use in their Kong apart from their normal kibble or the pastes available from pet shops. I have come up with some ideas below: remember to introduce new foods slowly and do not use any foods which make your dog ill.

Simply Pawsitive Kong Recipe

All of these recipes are easy to mix up and stuff into your kongs – find your dogs favourite!

● Mix peanut butter and plain yogurt – this is also great frozen
● Try mixing peanut butter, plain yogurt and a banana

● Oats, peanut butter, apple sauce and a chopped banana
● Any soft fruits such as blueberries mixed with plain yogurt
● Any soft fruit, plain yogurt and oats
● One Medium cooked potato massed mix with peas and soft cheese
● Tuna mixed with cooked rice and soft cheese
● Cooked chicken mixed with potato or pumpkin
● Cooked rice and plain yogurt – add any left over cooked meats.
● Chopped apple (remove seeds) and a mashed banana
● Cooked mashed sweet potato and cooked salmon

Remember to always check what foods are suitable for dogs, and ask your vet if you’re unsure! For example, some brands of peanut butter contain Xylotol, which is poisonous to dogs.

Don’t leave your dog unattended with a Kong, and always check for damages before and after each
use. Make sure you choose the right size of Kong to suit your dog’s size – they come in tiny sizes for smaller dogs, which a bigger dog might try to swallow whole. Also, if you’re putting food inside a Kong, make sure you clean it afterwards.