# Kong instead of bowl?



## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

I've seen this recommended a lot, too. I do think it's good for brain work. The problem with letting the puppy eat slowly over the course of the day is that it'll make it harder to predict when they need to go out for potty breaks. So if you want to give meals in Kongs, then make sure they're getting through it in a predictable amount of time instead of slowly nibbling.

If you're worried about them eating enough, then either measure the amount that's in the Kong and keep track of how much they eat, or supplement with regular meals.

Personally I've always done regular meals in a food bowl and just supplemented with a small amount of food frozen into Kongs.


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## Cortneyelise1 (Aug 27, 2017)

lisasgirl said:


> I've seen this recommended a lot, too. I do think it's good for brain work. The problem with letting the puppy eat slowly over the course of the day is that it'll make it harder to predict when they need to go out for potty breaks. So if you want to give meals in Kongs, then make sure they're getting through it in a predictable amount of time instead of slowly nibbling.
> 
> If you're worried about them eating enough, then either measure the amount that's in the Kong and keep track of how much they eat, or supplement with regular meals.
> 
> Personally I've always done regular meals in a food bowl and just supplemented with a small amount of food frozen into Kongs.


Thank you for your feedback! I'm not too concerned with going to the bathroom because I work from home and will be taking him out every hour. But then again that still might be challenging if he's eating throughout the day so I see your point. I've never used a kong before so I have no idea how fast the food comes out, I suppose I'll just have to monitor it closely!


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

I used these:

https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...laYgegPtIT_s5cwPv16QXcNZX4Gjk_uhoCjToQAvD_BwE

If the link doesn't work, Starmark Chew Ball Treat Dispenser brand from PetsMart, nor expensive. I filled a couple each morning for my pup to eat while I prepared for the day. They are soft rubber and kibble must be big enough to not fall out. Lastly I provided a frozen kong to bridge the gap as I left for work.

I also reserved a portion of kibble to use as training treats throughout the day.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I’ve only used a bowl, but since I was home I did allow him to free feed. I have Kong’s in all sizes and the only one Buck was interested in was the wobbley, that is batted and rolled. Before your puppy gets too savvy, measure a portion of his kibble to use as training treats.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Measure what is the appropriate ration for the day. Use the better part of half of it for training and bonding (just sit on floor and feed from hand). I would put the rest in some sort of food dispensing toy. Javelin did not have a food bowl until he was about 6 months old. My dogs never happened to like kongs so I use these. https://www.westpaw.com/toys/dog-toys/zogoflex-dog-toys/toppl-treat-toy If you have a small and a large one you can stick the open end of the small one into the open end of the large one to make it more of a challenge, but for baby dogs just use one so they can swat it around and have food fall out easily. I still stuff one of these for each dog that is remaining at home and use getting to take theirs as a training opportunity on impulse control and attention when I get ready to leave the house.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I don't know about a kong specifically because that won't fit a whole meal, but it's a great idea to feed from an interactive kibble dispenser. Kong Wobbler is a good one as is that starmark one mentioned above. There's a lot of good ones. They usually still finish their meal in a predictable enough time frame to help with potty training. In other words its still a distinct meal and they will still be on a predictable poop schedule. 

Also what Lily said above is good advice. Use some of daily meals for training, too!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Like Lily, my dog gets most of her food from my hand as part of training and bonding and has done so since the day she came home. She was almost a year old when I got her and I wanted to encourage a strong bond. 

She gets some on food on a plate and some as a Kong treat. The Kong in her crate started as part of crate training and now is just our evening treat routine. My dog prefers the Kong but she didn’t like it frozen. When she was younger and I would go out she would be crated with a frozen Kong. I noticed most of the time she didn’t touch it until it had defrosted. 

Why feed from my hand? It doesn’t take long and is very effective for training without having to feed your dog tons of treats which can cause weight gain. I also feed from a plate because there are times when I need her to eat her whole meal from a plate. She also loves her interactive puzzle toy where she has to flip levers, move blocks and slide covers to get at the food which is more appropriate for an older puppy. 

I post this so you can see dogs prefer different things- buy a couple of things to try.


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

We do a variety of different feeding styles. As long as you make sure that your dogs is getting enough kibble/food in a day, it doesn't really matter which approach you take. Different methods achieve different things. Training using the food as rewards provides mental stimulation and bonding. Trick dispensing toys also provide some stimulation. And bowl feeding gets the job done quick when you are in a hurry. I use all three.

In the morning, I measure out Shae's breakfast allotment of kibble and I spend 15-30 mins training. This helps us bond and I feel has given Shae the understanding that she has to "work for her keep" and where the resources come from. The rest now goes in her slow feeder. As a young puppy the entire meal was fed out by hand through training.

Noon-time meal was always fed in a bowl by DH when Shae was little. To create positive associations with the crate, he always fed lunch in the crate until Shae had been home for a month or two. If it's the weekend and I have book work to do, lunch might be fed in a food dispensing toy.

Supper is usually fed like breakfast. If we need to hit the road for social activities then it all goes in the bowl.

Here are some of the food dispensing toys we have:

-PetSafe Busy Buddy Squirrel Dude Dog Toy, Medium (it's like a kong but it has little tabs on the opening that keep kibbles in)
https://www.amazon.ca/PetSafe-Busy-Buddy-Squirrel-Medium/dp/B005BOMR4M

- Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball, Small, Orange (for early puppy days, large is better for full grown) 
https://www.amazon.ca/Omega-Paw-Tri...sr=1-1&keywords=treat+dispensing+dog+toy&th=1

- PetSafe Busy Buddy Twist 'n Treat Dog Toy, Large
https://www.amazon.ca/PetSafe-Buddy...513195189&sr=1-24&keywords=pet+safe+busy&th=1

- PetSafe Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug Dog Toy, Medium/Large (the dogs haven't really clued into this one, so haven't used it much)
https://www.amazon.ca/PetSafe-Busy-...&qid=1513195189&sr=1-8&keywords=pet+safe+busy

- Another fun game is to put kibbles in a muffin baking tin and put balls in the cups to cover the treats. We played this game a lot as a young puppy.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

All these suggestions are great but what do you do when you have a tpoo puppy, never did figure out a way to use just kibble and mixing in other things is a bit much for a smaller pup at least IMHO.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

What I have always done (no stpoo yet) is bowl fee but some of the food I would fill into the kong for times when I couldn't be there or when I was crate training. That way I kept a schedule for eating , didn't overdo with treats and gave the pup something to occupy himself with.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

twyla said:


> All these suggestions are great but what do you do when you have a tpoo puppy, never did figure out a way to use just kibble and mixing in other things is a bit much for a smaller pup at least IMHO.


When I had a tpoo we did something similar - Kongs and other treat dispensers weren't invented - but my kids were very active training her using kibble followed by her wet food in a bowl.


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