Kickin' It With Kongs

(This piece originally ran on the Finnish Lapphund Club of America Facebook Group page on April 3, 2024. It will soon become part of the organization's blog, but I wanted to share it with you here in the interim.) Today, the FLCA Newsletter Committee is kicking off our new (hopefully) monthly series called What's Happening Wednesdays, where we discuss what in the world is happening with the way these crazy, busy, and beautiful Lappy brains and bodies work! This article is about Kongs, and how best to use those kooky little contraptions to occupy the mind and mouth of your new Lappy puppy-and-beyond.

I shared my perspective with my (now) 20-month-old Lappy, Risto, and what works best for us. I am a longtime science writer/editor and also a pastry chef, so this article digs into the history and development of Kongs, and also provides some original recipes. If you have your own concoctions for Kongs, please comment with any "recipes" that work for you.

You just brought home your new Lappy pup, and you’re wondering how to harness all that energy so you can get something–anything!–done around your house… Enter KONGS! The world’s best entertainment and nourishment for the busiest of bees.

Kongs are a great way to give your puppy a good mental and physical workout, feed a meal that involves more effort than snarfing a bowl of food, and help your resident carpet shark work through teething pain. “I tell every new puppy owner to get a Kong,” says Jackie Myers, owner of Pet Mania in North Raleigh, N.C. Some customers can’t remember what it’s called but come in using hand gestures imitating the shape of it and asking for ideas on how to fill it, she says. “And I know exactly what they’re talking about!”

A Brief History on Kongs

Believe it or not, Kongs have been around since the 1970s, when a young auto mechanic named Joe Markham was trying to find something to keep his retired police dog, Fritz, from chewing on rocks. Fritz enjoyed gnawing on various car parts he found in Markham’s workshop and seemed especially drawn to a bulbous, hollow, black rubber part from a VW bus. Markham based his prototype design on that VW part and after initially being turned away by many pet stores, he finally got the big break that put Kongs in every pet food and Big Box store around. One of the original distributors was a company called King, and the toy got its final given name because someone there said it looked like an ear plug for King Kong!

What's in a Kong?

Labeled by dog trainers as a “work to eat” toy or “for aggressive chewers,” Kongs have come to mean more to new puppy owners than just something to chew on. Common Kong practice among seasoned breeders and puppy owners is to fill several of them in various sizes and then freeze to have at the ready to fill a pup’s time and belly! One medium frozen Kong can give you at least an hour, possibly more, of puppy engagement. And you might even get a nap out of it afterward. (The pup, not you!) If filled with a variety of good-for-you goodness, it can serve as a meal replacer or sizable snack.

As you can see from the pictures here, Pet Mania’s display sports many sizes and types of Kongs, and even tubes of flavorful fillers. Additionally, Kong’s website provides numerous creative recipes that, depending on your Lappy’s preferences and taking into account any intolerances, can help you creatively fill Kongs year-around. As an avid home cook and classically trained chef, I’ve put my own gourmet spin on Kongs for Risto, my 15-month-old Lappy. Spoiled? Yes, but what Lappy isn’t?

Kongs in Our Kitchen

Risto has some food sensitivities, so unfortunately for us, cheese is a very rare treat for him. This means no cottage or cream cheese, or even shredded cheese or cheese sticks. But that’s OK! If those work for your pup, they can be the perfect Kong fillers for sure. Here are the combinations that have worked best for us using a medium. We freeze all our Kongs because this engages him longer than fresh, room temperature ingredients. I’ve listed them by name, followed by layers, going bottom to top (if Kong hole is facing up):

• The Bearded Goat: Kibble soaked in goat’s milk to soften, unsweetened applesauce, layer of fresh breadcrumbs (preferably whole wheat), more softened kibble, topped with more applesauce, and because we have house rabbits and Risto loves to forage in their hay, I stick a little tuft of hay out the top.

• Minnow Knows Best: Open Farm (or other preferred brand) freeze-dried raw medallion, rehydrated and quartered; natural no sugar or palm oil added peanut butter; another plug of raw medallion; tuna, sardines, or other canned fish RINSED to reduce salt; with a Vital Essentials freeze-dried minnow sticking out the top!

• Breakfast for Dinner: Softened kibble, scrambled eggs, cooked sweet potato or pumpkin, more scrambled eggs, plugged at top with cooked quick oats.

When I visited her store, Jackie gave me a Kong Filler tray for keeping Kongs upright in the freezer, but you can use plastic cups or mugs. And if you plug the top, they will be fine lying down in your freezer. Whatever way you fill it, you’ll find Kongs to be yours and your Lappy’s go-to yappy hour during puppyhood and maybe even beyond. It’s the perfect way to fill their bellies and keep this very busy breed occupied!