I am sold on the idea behind the Kong stuffable chew toy. Really I am. I've been reading Ian Dunbar and he swears by Kongs for keeping dogs occupied, entertained, working for their food and all that good dog stuff.
I bought a puppy Kong (the rubber is slightly softer than an adult Kong) and have been stuffing it daily with treats for my 9-week-old pup. However, he just doesn't get it. He'll eat whatever is easy pickings, about a 1/2 inch or less into the Kong opening, and then he gives up. Even if it's just full of loose kibble and he's hungry, he won't try any harder than that.
Dunbar actually recommends feeding the puppy all of his food either by hand (as in training treats out of his daily food portion) or stuffed in the Kong to get him appropriately obsessed with it. If I were to feed him primarily out of the Kong he'd have starved by now.
How do I get him engaged with this thing? Do some dogs just not get it ever, or do I just need to be more patient? I actually put some steak in his at lunchtime today (small, cut up, cooked) and he pulled out the easiest piece and left the rest. Same with cheese and peanutbutter. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't get much people food but whether it's dry kibble, kibble mixed with wet food or something truly scrumptious, he's just not willing to dig it out of the Kong.
Any puppy experts experienced with this?
I bought a puppy Kong (the rubber is slightly softer than an adult Kong) and have been stuffing it daily with treats for my 9-week-old pup. However, he just doesn't get it. He'll eat whatever is easy pickings, about a 1/2 inch or less into the Kong opening, and then he gives up. Even if it's just full of loose kibble and he's hungry, he won't try any harder than that.
Dunbar actually recommends feeding the puppy all of his food either by hand (as in training treats out of his daily food portion) or stuffed in the Kong to get him appropriately obsessed with it. If I were to feed him primarily out of the Kong he'd have starved by now.
How do I get him engaged with this thing? Do some dogs just not get it ever, or do I just need to be more patient? I actually put some steak in his at lunchtime today (small, cut up, cooked) and he pulled out the easiest piece and left the rest. Same with cheese and peanutbutter. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't get much people food but whether it's dry kibble, kibble mixed with wet food or something truly scrumptious, he's just not willing to dig it out of the Kong.
Any puppy experts experienced with this?