Kongs are one of the essential dog toys that every dog parent should have. These stuffable rubber toys are perfect for all stages of your dog’s life, from puppies to senior dogs. They’re a great way to give your dog mental stimulation as they try to get the tasty treats out.

Kong dog toys come in different sizes and styles, from small to big and tough. I’ve always bought the red Kong Classic. They’ve worked well for my labradors for the last 20 years. There’s also a Kong for puppies, or if your dog is a tough chewer, you can pick up the extreme version.

Creative Kong Stuffing Ideas + Pro Tips

Over the past 20 years of raising labradors, I’ve come up with some creative Kong recipes! In this post I’ll share five ideas to mix up your Kong routine. From the easiest way to fill a Kong with natural peanut butter without the mess to how to make a Kong more challenging for your dog!

In this post you’ll find my dog mom pro tips to help other dog owners step up their Kong game!  If you’re looking for more filling recipes and ingredient lists, I have another post with lots of healthy Kong recipes!

My Dog Mom Kong Hacks Include:

1. Plug the Hole in a Frozen Kong with Coconut Oil
2. Make Your Frozen Stuffed Kongs in a Bread Pan
3. Use a Piping Bag to Stuff a Kong with Peanut Butter
4. Make Your Dog’s Kong More Challenging with a DIY Puzzle
5. How to Wash a Kong to Make it Last Longer

 

Already have a Kong and looking for similar toys that you can stuff with treats? The Kong hacks in this post will work with other tough rubber dog chew toys like the West Paw Toppl, ZEE.DOG Super Fruitz, PetSafe Busy Buddy and others. Head to one of your local pet stores for even more ideas!

*This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links it helps me keep my blogging running and to help more pet parents! That’s because I can earn a small commission with your support. It costs you nothing, but it helps me a ton!

Pro Tip 1: Plug the Hole in a Frozen Kong with Coconut Oil

This is the first Kong stuffing hack I want to share because it’s a game-changer! I love to make frozen stuffed Kongs with bone broth (I usually use chicken or beef broth) or some other kind of liquid… but it all runs right out of that small hole in the bottom!

For so long I tried to plug the hole from the inside with a small treat but that never worked. Then I thought of this hack!

I fill the small hole on the bottom of our Kong with coconut oil and pre-freeze it. After just 15 minutes in the freezer, I can add my Kong filling and top it off with water or bone broth without the mess.

Why coconut oil? First, coconut oil is really healthy for your dog! As soon as they start licking it, it will melt quickly which opens up that hole at the end of the Kong to prevent a suction vacuum (yes, that’s a thing!).

I also like coconut oil for this, instead of a dab of peanut butter, because it’s clear. No matter how many great places there are to relax and enjoy a Kong in our house, my dogs like to sit on the carpet. This way I don’t get any peanut butter stains on my rugs.

Have you heard that blocking the hole on a Kong is dangerous?

This is something that I hear pet parents get worried about. They’ve heard that when you block the hole it creates a dangerous suction in the toy.

Is it true that blocking the hole is dangerous? Using my hole blocking technique is not dangerous! When you use coconut oil, it will melt so quickly and your dog will lick it up. The hole will be unblocked very quickly!

The reason I block the hole this way is to make it easier to stuff and freeze my Kong toys. I don’t want the blocked hole to make it harder for my dogs to eat their treats inside.

The Kong Company has come out and stated that you do not need to keep the hole open while stuffing the toys. Even if you did stuff the kong with a straw inside to keep a flow of air, when your dog licks it, the hole you created would be closed up pretty quickly!

So this is a myth! 

Pro Tip 2: Make Your Frozen Stuffed Kongs in a Bread Pan

When it comes to my work I’m big on batching tasks to be more productive. Did you know that batching works with Kongs too? As our Kong collection grows I like to stuff them all at once and keep them in the freezer for a week’s worth of afternoon treats.

I mentioned in the previous hack that I love adding water or bone broth to frozen stuffed Kongs to make them last longer and add some healthy liquid to the treat. I needed to figure out a way to freeze them standing up. It turns out a bread loaf pan perfectly holds 6 regular size Kongs (or 4 Kongs and a West Paw Toppl!).

Don’t have a loaf pan? Another great idea from Stumps & Rumps is to use a muffin tin, or Bindi’s Bucket List recommends an egg carton. See… There’s nothing to stop you from making a bunch at once so your best friend can enjoy a stuffed Kong every day!

Pro Tip 3: Use a Piping Bag to Stuff a Kong with Peanut Butter

Don’t fall for the spray can of Kong filler, you can make your own using more affordable ingredients (with fewer additives)! The Kong spray filler costs about $7-9 for an 8oz can, but you can buy a huge 28oz jar of xylitol-free natural peanut butter by Justins for under $7! Make sure what you buy has no added sugar. Just peanuts is ideal!

But what if you still want the mess-free stuffing technique that comes with the can? Let me tell you how to stuff a Kong with peanut butter without the mess.

Use a zip lock bag (or honestly, any plastic bag will work!) and scoop in enough peanut butter to stuff your Kongs. Snip off a little corner of the bag and pipe the peanut butter into your Kong!

Try mixing up your ingredients and using more than just peanut butter. You can also use this mess-free trick with plain yogurt, pumpkin puree, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sweet potato puree, baby food or even canned dog food. >> I have tons of Kong filling ideas for you!

Pro Tip 4: Make Your Dog’s Kong More Challenging with a Puzzle

Do you feel like the Kong has become too easy for your pup? It’s important to give our dogs variety with their mental stimulation so they don’t get bored with the routine.

I know your dog won’t get tired of peanut butter filled Kongs, but wait until you see how engaged and satisfied they are then you mix it up. You can do that by changing your stuffing ingredients or going from fresh to frozen (I have tons of great Kong recipe ideas if you want).

Or, you can mix it up by changing how you present a Kong to your dog.

Once a week or so, I like to hide my dog’s Kong in a small cardboard box or a large yogurt container with a lid (the big Fage ones work great for this!). I was inspired to do this after I saw how much my dogs love the DIY busy box enrichment puzzles I make for them.

When you give your dog a Kong hidden in another container, supervise them taking it apart and immediately remove any small pieces of the container that may get ripped off. Solving this simple (and free!) puzzle will tap into your dog’s natural desire to work for their food.

If your dog has a hard time figuring this out at first, you can poke holes in the yogurt container lid so they can smell the tasty kong filling inside. If you’re using a cardboard box, you can start with the box top open and work up to folding the top down.

Pro Tip 5: How to Wash a Kong to Make it Last Longer

A lot of people will tell you that you can clean your puppy’s Kong on the top shelf of the dishwasher. But I don’t recommend it. The dishwasher gets extremely hot and since Kongs are made of natural rubber, they can dry out and crack and develop harmful bacteria.

You shouldn’t expose any natural rubber toys to extreme heat, so that’s why I avoid the dishwasher.

Instead, I hand wash all of my dog’s Kong toys. Just put them in a bowl of warm water with some non-toxic cruelty-free dish soap and let them soak for 5-10 minutes. The crusty dried up gunk at the bottom of  Kong can be so difficult to get out!

Here’s a few more tricks to get your Kongs really clean!

• Get a little warm soapy water in the Kong, then cover the holes on both ends with your hands and shake!! That will loosen up a lot of the dried gunk inside.
• Next, use the dull end of a wooden skewer to poke around and scrape out any gunk that’s left
• And last, use a tiny scrub brush (the one I have is for cleaning reusable drinking straws) and swish it around the hole and inside of the Kong

If you need a deep clean, your Kongs (and other rubber toys like the West Paw Toppl) can be soaked in bowl full of warm water and a dash of white vinegar. Let them soak for about 10 minutes then rinse well and wipe clean.

I made a TikTok video of how to wash your Kong by hand like a pro! Watch it below. 

@wearwagrepeatThe dishwasher dries out Kongs, making cracks for bacteria + you’ll have to buy more replacements. 💸Hand wash instead! ##dogmomlife ##dogmomhacks♬ Griztronics – GRiZ & Subtronics

What can you use as a healthy Kong filling?

One of the best things is that you can stuff a Kong with whatever you have available. Be creative!

For my two labradors, I’ll often use peanut butter, plain greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, small dog treats, kibble, carrots, apples, green beans, chews (like a dried chicken foot), cubes of cheese, etc.

One of my latest quick and easy Kong filling hacks is to use all natural baby food! I try to have a few containers on hand so I can pour the baby food puree right into the large hole opening without having to be too creative. Many baby foods are dog friendly, just read the ingredients and look for ones that only have 1-3 ingredients. I love anything with beets, green beans or pumpkin.

Check out my other blog post with tons of healthy Kong stuffing recipes. They’re all Labrador approved!

Find the right Kong Company (or other brand!) Toy for Your Dog:
Puppy Kong
Classic Kong
Extreme Kong
West Paw Toppl
ZEE.DOG Super Fruitz
PetSafe Busy Buddy

Love this post? I bet you’ll love these, too:
Healthy Goat Milk Pupsicle Recipe
3 Pumpkin Dog Treat Recipes
Shamrock Shake to Share with Your Dog
Plush Toys for Tough Chewers and Snugglers

PIN THIS!

*This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links it helps me keep my blogging running and to help more pet parents! That’s because I can earn a small commission with your support. It costs you nothing, but it helps me a ton!