How do I get my puppy into kong's????

[Vixter]

I was wondering if anyone out there had any tips about how to get your puppy into kongs ?
I have bought several (starting at small puppy size) for my 13 week old puppy Isla and I just can't seem to get her interested in them.  Have stuffed them with all sorts of goodies (kibble, peanut butter, cream cheese, wet food etc) and no matter what I do she just can't seem to get the hang of them so ignores them.  She will lick out the top bit if you feed it to her like an ice cream come, but she just doesn't seem to understand that she needs to chew it.  I'm wondering if she is still a little young and may get more "chewy" as she gets older and teathes.
Has anyone else had any similar experiences/ advice ?.......

[Redked]

Yes we were the same. Some pups love them instantly and will be kept amused for ages with it but not all are. Bonnie was quite a bit older before she learnt to chew it and then she discovered that the harder you throw it against a cupboard, door or floor the more comes out. She still has a stuffed Kong every night and brings it to me when she deems it is her bedtime  I then go to bed and hear crashes as its thrown against every surface around the kitchen    I would keep giving her bits in it that are really loose and roll it around for her so they fall out and she sees them coming out..she will soon pick it up I'm sure xx

[elaine.e]

Louis is an expert at holding them between his paws and getting stuff out, but William has never got the hang of it. He's 10 and still likes to bring his Kong to me so that I can hold it for him and help him by getting the contents out with a finger and letting him lick it off my finger. Spoiled or what

[Mudmagnets]

I fill one for Minstrel when I am going out without him  and lots of other bits and bobs, all are still there when I get home - then after he has joyously greeted me, he will go and eat everything, kong is the last - as it takes a bit more effort to get the goodies out 

[Archie bean]

Some love them, some don't. Archie was never interested. We were given them at the puppy parties I went to at the vet. All the other pups tucked in but Archie just ignored his and whined and wriggled. I got told off one week for not keeping him quiet! I gave up in the end and got him a treat ball instead. He loves it. He gets it when I go out and my Mum has one too which he asks for whenever he goes round there. (It lives near her recycling pile on a shelf. He sits on the pile of paper on the shelf until someone notices him and gives him the ball.  )

[JamiesGirl]

Louis is an expert at holding them between his paws and getting stuff out, but William has never got the hang of it. He's 10 and still likes to bring his Kong to me so that I can hold it for him and help him by getting the contents out with a finger and letting him lick it off my finger. Spoiled or what

Jamie and William have the same ideas  he amuses himself with it for a while then whines at me until i get the filling out for him 

Some love them, some don't. Archie was never interested. We were given them at the puppy parties I went to at the vet. All the other pups tucked in but Archie just ignored his and whined and wriggled. I got told off one week for not keeping him quiet! I gave up in the end and got him a treat ball instead. He loves it. He gets it when I go out and my Mum has one too which he asks for whenever he goes round there. (It lives near her recycling pile on a shelf. He sits on the pile of paper on the shelf until someone notices him and gives him the ball.  )

Jamie much prefers his treat ball, i think it is easier for them to see they can actually get it out rather than it seeming impossible without thumbs 

[Bunbury]

We've had a couple of goes at getting Larkin interested in the spherical Kongs but without much luck - as you say it's perhaps not obvious what they have to do.  Then yesterday my sister gave me an old Kong teething stick from when her dog was a puppy and he quite liked it when I tried it this morning.

He's too young to be teething, but the fact that you put the treat on the outside grooves of the stick makes it more obvious I guess.  I just squidged a few bits of cheese into the grooves and it kept him happy for a while.

Bit of a pain when it rolls under the fridge though ! 

[Sarahingarforth]

Even with all sorts of treats Poppy hasn't been interested in hers. I've kind of given up - she has plenty of other toys!

[Jaysmumagain]

Not sure if this helps
Just wondered if when you pack it do not do it so  so tightly and leave a little piece of chicken or similar sticking out...just to tempt, I did this at first and it got him interested as he found it easy to get the first piece.

[KeresleyKate]

I spread some cream cheese thinly on the outside and some in the hole and put it in an egg carton in the freezer. Arvy's not good at getting stuff out of the kong but he loves slurping it and I think the cold is nice on his gums.

[Gwen_A]

Gwen who is 5 and been with me only 4 months ignores a Kong regardless what I put in it... she does no know how to play ball or with soft or hard toys... I don't believe she has ever been played with though has just started to play bite just a little mouthing my hand if I wrestle her... but then she quickly stops as if used to being chastised for playing ?

She does work naturally though... she answers the whistle, she hunts, and has even brought me a young Duckling and a young Coot from the reed beds on our local lake...  she delivered them into my open hand, both of them unharmed and perfectly healthy so I was able to successfully return them to the water after examination.

So a conundrum... Gwen loves to work and retrieve game in water or thick scrub... but will not retrieve a ball or stick, or play with a Kong or other toys... so I have to physically walk her for miles to keep her fit and her weight down... no standing and playing flyball with her for me...    ... 

Alan.

[amichell]

Lucie never took to kongs either, she'd lick out the easy bits then give up. She does loves her treat ball though. When she was younger and on 3 meals a day I would put her lunchtime kibble in the ball, it kept her amused for quite a while. Also helped to slow down her eating too.

[RachelandHallie]

Hallie is nearly 10 weeks and she likes her kong but it's not her favourite, but when I want her to play with it I usually roll it around in front of her and bounce it like you would a ball. She then dives on it and chews it for an half hour (that's without anything in it)

I left her homealone for the first time since I got her for half an hour 45 minutes, I filled her kong and I was glad when I came in and found she had got most of the contents out