Mental Stimulation: Frozen Kong-Type Toys

Most owners are familiar with Kong toys, the cone-shaped rubber toy that can be stuffed with treats. Many, however, don't fully take advantage of this type of mental stimulation by incorporating them into their daily feeding routines. As your puppy ages, they will become more energetic and if this isn't addressed properly they will become destructive - prevent this by feeding frozen Kongs or other Kong-type feeders!

While wet food is easiest to use for stuffing, dry kibble can also be used if soaked before stuffing. To introduce this to your puppy, first put dry treats in the feeder for them to discover. Once they've got this action down, move to a wet food or soaked kibble stuffing but offer unfrozen. They will take longer to eat out the food, working off some energy in the process. When they become comfortable with this step, begin freezing the feeder before offering it. This will lengthen the time and effort it takes to get their food out and, in the process, burn off any extra energy they've pent up.

For smaller or less energetic dogs, one frozen feeder a day is sufficient but for those that require more stimulation, more feeders can be utilized. Even in colder months, so long as the dog is kept indoors, frozen feeders present no risk and help to keep them content when our activity naturally wanes.