Kongs for Beginners 

This video is 8 years old and is the most informative, straight to the point guide that I was able to find about teaching an inexperienced dog how to use a Kong. Most videos seem to be geared towards dogs with more experience with a Kong. I just bought a Kong for my 11 year old dog and made some of the mistakes mentioned in the video. Stuffing it for a more experienced dog and helping my dog too much to name a few. Needless to say our 1st experience didn’t go well. He was frustrated and I was too eager wanting him to learn quickly. Tomorrow I am only going to give loose kibble and allow my dog to figure it out on his own. Thank you!

So many Kong videos on RU-vid but so few good and helpful ones - this is one of the few, many thanks from an absolute beginner :-)

Wow after watching this I get why my puppy has zero interest. I pack them and freeze them. Started on the highest difficulty level and he doesn't bother with them. Thank you!

Guys, please don't buy the off brand Kong toys unless you make sure that there's 2 holes in the toy! If it has 1 hole, it could suction to your dogs mouth and potentially choke them, thanks for reading and if you have one with just one hole, please throw it away and buy a new one with two holes!!

I don't even have a dog but I am watching this masterpiece!

The BEST video yet for teaching a dog/puppy how to use a Kong. The normal videos create a very challenging puzzle that’s hopeless for a new dog to solve. This video gives an EXCELLENT progression. I tried loose kibble, and then I put a blob of yogurt over the top. Once the yogurt was licked off the food came out freely.

Great video, I did a combo move by freezing the bottom half with kibble and then dry kibble at the top. Next the top kibble was wet, and now I'm looking forward to freezing the whole Kong.

My girl never really did "get" kongs. Now I see what I should have done. Great vid -- thanks for sharing these ideas.

Thanks. I have had this thing for three years. Don't judge me for finally googling how to use it. 😊

I like this. Full of necessary info. None of those hyped up, nonsense that other RU-vid videos have.

So I admittedly watched this thinking i probably wont need to do all this because my dogs would get it immediately but i am fully prepared to admit i was utterly wrong and your method was fantastic. Thank you so much, I'm sorry for doubting, this was an excellent introduction for them to get the hang of it

Very good timeless information. I watched other videos and was excited to prepare frozen Kongs for my puppy, but he never attained the food in them. There was no staging of difficulty explained in getting the filling out of the Kong in other videos, and as a result my first experiments were a failure. I then loaded two XL sized standard Kongs with his 1&1/8th cup of dry food, and placed a dollop of peanut butter over the hole to keep the dry food inside until he attended to the Kong. This worked fantastic and I now regularly give him his mid day meal in a pair of Kongs to combat his habit of gulping down his food quickly. He loves it, and im saving the frozen Kong level of difficulty for his next extended stay in his crate.

Thank you for easy to digest guidance

I tried a kong on my 4 months old dog (Flatcoated Retriever) I filled it with wet treats, put in the freezer for 20 hours and gave it to him. He loved it, was in a trance it seemed. And used about 2 hours to clean it. :)

Thanks for the step by step on how to introduce the Kong to a puppy. I made the mistake of going straight to freezing it before watching this and unsurprisingly my puppy had trouble and lost interest.

Thanks for the clear video and explanation. I also loved the idea of how to stuff the Kong for humans... the use of the Kong inside the cup makes it so much easier. :)

Really helpful thank you. Found your video in desperation as my new puppy is demolishing the house😱

I watched only one video and it had the hardest method. Surprisingly my puppy got it after a while and I was wondering why it wasn't working as good. Now I know the beginner levels. Thanks!

Best video on how to stuff kongs I've found yet.

Straight to the point, no bullshit. I love it. Thank you for making this video

In this video I use pieces of low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks AKA string cheese. Available at grocery store dairy area with other "cheese snacks" kinds of things. It's very mild; some dogs like stronger cheese.

Thank you. This is what I needed to know to start my dogs on using the kong

My puppy got a kong for christmas along with his big brother that is 4. Seems to love the kong wanted to let him chew on it and stuff. Loved it RIGHT after he opened it. Loves to suckle on the rubber. So, now Im going to start putting treats into it, now that he is used to the kong. Didn't know where to start thanks so much!

As with most mammals, dogs can lose tolerance for lactose as they mature. However, dairy products such as yogurt and cheese are fairly to extremely low in lactose and are well tolerated by many. Folks who are concerned can find a lactose chart online, and be sure to observe their dogs' response when they eat different foods.

Working for two minutes to get the food out stimulates the brain more than we think.

Thank you so much for this post! My newly adopted little guy had no interest whatsoever in the firmly packed Kongs I was preparing for him. Just gave him a loosely packed one and he understands now. Thanks again.

A crate with no bedding, or the bathroom or the back porch usually do the trick if it's something really icky. Honestly, my dogs slurp up every molecule. If I fed raw I would be more careful I suppose. But yesterday I left three dogs with frozen yogurt Kongs. One in a crate, another in the den, and one in the bedroom on the bed! I didn't find any mess. People have different tolerances of course.

Thank you for this clear and precise introduction! We just got a Kong for our senior dog and gonna introduce it to him with your suggestions :)

Love the cast in this video 🥰

So so helpful! Thank you!

That Kong is awesome! Our store only carries boring pink, red or black.

Thanks for the logic, I did not know how to slowly introduce it to them, definitely gonne try!

Amazing, and thank you very much. I was using the kong the wrong way: stuffing too big treats in it. Making normal dog food wet helped a lot!

This is a fantastic video! I've bought multiple Kongs for my Heeler/Shepherd x Collie mix puppy. The very first time i filled it up with Kong puppy can spray and he had a very hard time and practically gave up, it took me forever to clean it btw (because the spray dried out in the crevices), then I put in dry kibbles and it was too easy for him. I'm glad this video shows more options and provide additional ideas!

Wow thanks! Im getting my pup today and this was helpful. In every other tutorial video they just say what the Kong is instead of showing. Thanksss!!

What a great video, Thanks so much!

The key for a beginner, I think, is NOT to freeze the Kong yet. So many (good) sources of information recommend freezing it, and while I’m sure my 9-week-old puppy will be able to handle that some day, right now he just gives up with the frozen mass of kibble. Once I stopped freezing it he finally started to learn the Kong.

Why kongs don’t come with simple tips is beyond me. I’ll be backtracking my terrier to step 1 as she is never invested for very long in getting stuff out. Thank you for this video

Thanks so much I was really looking for my puppy to enjoy his kong so I could have something to keep him busy and at first he didn’t like it because it was too hard thanks to your video he know loves his kong

This is the best video ever. Thank you

Thank you so much for explaining this mystery so well!

You are welcome! Good for you for finding something she like! Just let her roll that around for a while then. It doesn't matter if she gets it all out in 30 seconds. You have plenty of time to make it more challenging.

My collie enjoyed a Kong as an occasional distraction from routine when she was a young dog. But she was never a really good eater, and I found an additional use as she aged. If she wasn't interested in a meal, I would put it in a Kong. And she would push it around and eat what fell out, and then I would refill it and she would snack on a second small helping. So in my case at least it was a great way to get a few calories into my furry friend on days she might have otherwise skipped a meal.

Such great information. Kong education is needed. I need to share this again with our community. Thank you!

Thanks for this informative video :) I'm looking forward to introducing my new 5 month old Rough Collie to Kong toys and this has been hugely helpful in making sure that his introduction was positive :)

This is great!! I'm so excited to teach my little girl to love her toys

This is so helpful. Thank you so much for doing this. Regards, New Dog mommy 🐕

This video is super helpful!! I recently got a puppy and I have school so we need to keep her occupied and I am considering getting a Kong toy. This will definitely help me. Thanks SOOO much!!

Just came to say that cricket makes an excellent puppy. 12/10 would pet forever

this was really helpful, thank you. i was trying to figure out how to fill them in a way that will keep my new puppy interested

Thank Ellen. My daughter and I are looking into making dog treats for our dog and cats.

Thanks! What a clear, helpful video 😊

Thank you one billion times.

This was a great video, thanks!

Thanks so much for the video! We are getting a puppy soon, and I've been researching like crazy. This video was very helpful. I will definitely be getting a Kong for him.

Thank you for posting! Very helpful for those of us newer to using a Kong.

Thank you! I followed instructions in another video, putting peanut butter mixed with kibble in the Kong and then freezing it. My new 2 year old Lab couldn’t get past the initial peanut butter. I’ll try one of your beginner methods and see if that teaches him more gradually.

Well thank you Eileen!

Thank you, my Frenchie loves his Kong thanks to your video!!!

Sara, you could try a few and see what your dog likes best. The important thing is that it should be something they really like. This is a good thing to find out if you are going to be training your dog, too.

Great basic and general information on how to use the Kong Wobbler-however I'm one who is more on the safe side when it comes to my dogs and leery taking any sort of information online from anyone who would not be considered a reliable source or expert . You never know what potential foods your dog breed is or can be allergic to. We always recommend talking to your veterinarian first. 1. Ask if they know of any potential foods that could harm your dog due to the dogs breed that they could be allergic to and 2. Educate yourself with your veterinarian about what foods are good or bad for dogs pertaining to what's out there on the market and what foods dog can or cannot digest in their system. Always, get the right advice from experts is always our advice. Thanks for the video:)

Beautifully explained!

The bounce method is sssoooooo cuuuttteee

Thanks for this advice - it was really helpful!!

Cricket you did a great job sweetheart!

:) Wish I'd known about this when Max was little! He's now mastered the Kong but I would love to see how you stuff a Kong to last more than 2 minutes LOL Thanks for all your wonderful and inspiring videos.

Thank you so much!!! My young heeler is going to be so much happier!

This is a very wonderful video. Very helpful. Thank you!

Thanks Eileen!

That's so cute! The drop method. Haha.

Awesome video, thanks!

This was so helpful! All I knew was to freeze the kibble in the Kong. Def didn’t work. Great actors btw.

Amy Louangrath if you are still around, my apologies for not answering you sooner. Most trainers use "human food" to train their dogs. That's what dogs ate for thousands of years before there was dog food. However, I'm not a vet or a nutritionist so I can't advise you what is good for your dog. For myself, I use "people food" pretty often for training treats, since it is often actually cheaper than the training treats you buy in the pet store, and you can know better what's in there.

Interesting material -- Thanks for making this video

Darn I saw another video where the vlogger said to soak the food and put it in the freezer before giving it to them - now I worry I made Kongs too challenging for my puppy; I'll try starting loose and see if I can get him interested again as the soaked food is too hard for him to get out. :( Thanks for this!

Very helpful really like your content and cute dogs ! I have a siberean husky puppy he's 2 months old and I got him a kong but dint know how to stuff it or introduce him to it! Thank you so much now I know both things.

Thanx very useful

This was sooo helpful thank you

thank you SO much. i was getting frustrated why my puppy didnt like hers! I first tried peanut butter and it was too hard for her =) she LOVES pepperoni and puppy chow mixed =)

Your dogs are so cute

Would love some help! I've been trying to train my dog for over a year to use his kong. He can't quite understand how to get the treats out or he'll lick the peanut butter off and walk away 😔

For size, It depends on how many pounds they weigh, X-Small is up to 5 pounds, Small up to 20, you can look at the Kong's for the weight level. There are different selections, Puppy, Classic, and Extreme. Puppy is for puppies, classic is for a adult or puppy dog (you don't have to get puppy for a puppy), and extreme is for extreme chewers.

Thank you for this. We have a shih tzu who gets bored when no ones home and he tears things up. He's bored with his regular routine toys. I've been wanting to try a Kong but didn't know where to start.

This is an excellent video

Brilliant, thank you!

THANK YOU!!!!!!

great instructions

Thanks! I'm pretty crazy about them myself!

Thank you for making this, I was wondering why my puppy doesn't like Kong

It usually has a strong odor, has concentrated calories, most dogs like it, and it can come out cheaper per pound than specialty dog treats. Your dog's mileage may vary of course, and some dogs don't do well with dairy products.

If you are talking about a Kong brand toy, they come in different strengths. There is likely one that your dog can't rip up.

What a great video!

This is awesome!!

I have such a soft spot for Cricket.

Great video, thanks for sharing!

For me, I find it cheaper and better quality to buy meat at the grocery store. Buy dark meat chicken or a cheap cut of beef or pork and cook it up myself. You know exactly what they are getting, and it's generally cheaper than the specialized stuff. Just my opinion.

I have guild dog labrador hes lardge boy he loves his kong toys and when given a new kong toy hes very quick to learn

Helpfull Video, Thankyou.

Thanks I've just been given a Kong for my 10 week old jack Russell puppy i was wondering how to fill it without the treats falling out this has lots of great INEXPENSIVE ideas any one can try thanks.

@mari948 you can buy those tiny kongs that are pink and white swirl.