Why didn't anyone tell me?

[czymom]

Oh my lordy! I bought Buddy a Kong and I do believe that is the best doggie purchase I ever made! He loves this thing. It keeps him happy and busy while we have dinner. No more begging. I also give it to him before I leave the house, no more crying and barking when I walk out the door. Now he is like "whatever mom, I got the kong here, you are no longer needed"!

Anyway, on another subject, I just got a new digital camera, so be expecting some pictures of my sweet Buddy.

Dana

[tlwtheq]

Czymom,

Somewhere on this forum is a "How To Stuff a Kong" thread. There are some pretty sneaky humans out there...doing things like stuffing it with treats and then freezing overnight. That'll keep a Cairn busy.

Tara, Olie and Teddy's Mom

[Maggie15]

I am wondering what size of kong are you using, especially with the frozen treats? I dont have one yet, but it sounds like a great idea!

Brad, you also mentioned a 'puzzle' for feeding them? what is this? I am looking for ideas for stimulating maggie a bit while we are away at work... she has an expen, a kennel and a view out the living room window (with a small carpeted bench)....

thanks,

a

[tlwtheq]

I am wondering what size of kong are you using, especially with the frozen treats? I

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Not sure...but the post was made in the "To Stuff a Kong" thread, 06 February by

ID Logansmom.

We have a kong that has a very large opening on one end that I've stuffed before. Overall it's still small enough for a Cairn and they love it.

Tara, Olie and Teddy's Mom

[bradl]

Brad, you also mentioned a 'puzzle' for feeding them? what is this?

Have a wander through the aisles at a Petsmart or Petco and you'll see several examples. We have one of the early examples of the Buster Cube. One of my writers told me that at her local Petco there was a similar device about half the price that her Pugs enjoy.

Taken to the simplest level, you can also do things like divide up a meal's worth of kibble and hide it in small piles in various parts of the house. This works best with just one dog. I have to laugh - when we put treats in the cube, my male loves to roll it around; however the smart one is our oldest female, who follows him as he rolls it, snarfing up any treats that fall out.

In fact, when we fed kibble, I found it VERY effective to stop my male marking in the family room by feeding him every night IN the family room, by spreading his kibble around on the floor. For some reason he stopped marking in his new 'food bowl'

Of course, this doesn't work very will if you feed anything but kibble. I'm not planning to spread mince around my carpet.

[CathyAnn]

I have posted this before, but need to say again, this is a really great interactive toy.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...+ball&N=2023689

Here he is playing with it.

Cathy

[tlwtheq]

Wow. Just read about the treat ball. Nothing like intermittent reinforcement is all I can say! Definitely going to pick one up. We might try Brad's technique to prevent marking as well.

Good thread!

Tara, Olie and Teddy's Mom

[savannahsmom35]

I think Savannah's Kong is a small. We also have a Kong bisquit ball which she LOVES! I got a $5.00 coupon for PetSmart and I think I am going to get her one of the other treat puzzle balls. She LOVES them!

Cathy - what brand is the one in the picture that you posted?

[CathyAnn]

The link from Petsmart says it is made by "Omega Paw".

We bought it at the store, not thru the website. But, it looks identical to the one we have. It has a small hole where treats are inserted and dispensed when they roll it around. As you can see from the pics, Piper actually picks it up and slams it on the floor. It is funny to watch!!

Piper absolutely loves this ball!

Cathy

[toomanypaws]

Well, my three spoiled rotten Cairns grew tired of their Kongs.

[Milopup]

My pup loves the orange treat ball - and he really has some great soccer moves!

My pup will only play with the Kong if it has a treat - he will never just chew on it if it is empty.

[CathyAnn]

Milo....does your Cairn pick the orange ball up??

Just curious....

Cathy

[savannahsmom35]

Cathy - I must have been having a blonde moment yesterday!! I didn't see your link when I posted the question about the brand..

About, how long does it take your pups to get all the kibble out?

[CathyAnn]

All depends on the 'size' of treat we put in.... .

We usually put in one or two large pieces along with a few small ones. That keeps him going for quite a long time.

Cathy

[Milopup]

Milo....does your Cairn pick the orange ball up?? 

Just curious....

Cathy

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Sometimes he does pick it up, but often he doesnt need to - when it gets stuck somewhere, he spins it backwards with his paw. We usually add about 15 cheerios into the orange ball and start rolling it across the floor. He has some slick soccer moves and manuveurs the ball very well.

I actually like this orange ball more than the Buster Cube, since it prevents damage to the walls. The Buster Cube and the Wiggly Giggly Ball are both hard plastic, so could cause damage to walls and glass cabinets.

[bradl]

Agreed about the buster cube - it's really LOUD.

[tena]

I'm jealous....Sophie does not like any toy made of rubber or plastic. I have both a kong (in 2 sizes) and this crazed rubber ball with nubbies, that bounces crooked. She bounds across the floor after both and as soon as her mouth touches it...she retreats and won't look at it again. She won't play with a ball that is the exact size of her favorite...again, the rubber or plastic bugs her. I've washed them and the like...but she simply does not like it.

Weird.

[grillywarren]

Madison chew through our Wiggly Giggly Bone!

She is quite the chewer!

Ellie

She loves her kongs though, and her Good Cuz!

[Milopup]

Madison chew through our Wiggly Giggly Bone!

She is quite the chewer!

Ellie

She loves her kongs though, and her Good Cuz!

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Bosco chewed bits off of his Wiggly Giggly as well. And he rips the legs, tail, etc., of the Cuz toys when he gets them, but he does love them.

[savannahsmom35]

I got Savannah one of the orange balls this weekend and she LOVES it!!! When it is empty, she brings to to me and sits it is my lap like, "ok, time for a refill..." I have been putting kibble in it as this is the only thing that I have that is small enough to fit in the opening. What other treats do you all use in them? I saw Milopup uses Cherios but I am scared to try these since Savannah has such a sensitive tummy.

[tlwtheq]

Hmmm. Looks as if we're not the only ones who went toy shopping this weekend. We got the orange ball, plus one of those little "bad cuz" things with the feet and pointy devil ears. Well, the feet on the bad cuz are already gone.

Olie the chowhound found out how to retrieve kibble out of the orange ball using the least effort necessary...that is, no throwing it around for exercize or anything. He just pushes it gently around on the floor 'til the treats come out. Little imp!

Hey, we still don't have enough toys....yeah well.

Tara, Olie and Teddy's Mom

[amyzap]

funny - The Treat Ball is the only thing we've ever seen Daisy "play" with. She doesnt really play but LOVES the treat ball.

Also - ours has a place where you can record a message to the dog - funny.

Not an expensive toy but they LOVE it.

[CathyAnn]

Glad Savannah is enjoying her new ball!!

We break up all sorts of goodies into different sizes, some small, some bigger, but usually one really large one that doesn't come out..... . Keeps 'em busier..... the bigger ones don't fall out quite so fast.

I have used Mother Hubbard treats and Milkbones broken in half, and sometimes a few Cheerios. But, they do tend to come out quickly.

Cathy