Interactive food dispensing toys such as a Kong and various puzzle games can be filled with tasty treats and tempting ingredients to provide mental stimulation and carry out natural behaviour such as chewing, licking, and a desire to seek and find.
When choosing an interactive toy make sure it is of an appropriate size for your dog and if you have a very powerful chewer, that the product is robust enough to withstand the forces that are going to be put upon it. The design of a Kong is ideal for filling with ingredients as it is very strong, easily cleaned, freezer friendly, comes in a variety of sizes, and crucially has a hole at both ends.
To add further interest, layer the ingredients used and experiment with different textures from crunchy fish skin cubes to soft blueberries. You can also hide the food dispenser in the garden to encourage your dog to follow the scent and claim their prize. As dogs are natural scavengers this adds to the overall enrichment experience.
If your dog needs to shed a few pounds, then taking some of their daily food ration and placing it into the Kong maybe with a few fresh steamed vegetables can keep them occupied for longer and give them a bit of a workout at the same time.
Added to raw, kibble, or cooked meat you could include ingredients such as pumpkin, sweet potato, pear, banana, natural goats’ yogurt, bone broth, pumpkin seeds, papaya, quinoa, or some of their favorite healthy treats.
Consider some of the following ingredients and add them in layers for a taste sensation.
Grated courgette and carrot,
Complete raw meal (meat, bone & offal) or cooked boneless meat of choice.
Squashed blueberries, raspberries or blackberries
Pizzle or tripe stick.
How to:
Stir the courgette, and carrot, into the raw meat and then spoon into the Kong until 2/3rds full. Insert the pizzle stick then pack the remaining wet ingredients around it. It can be served fresh or frozen.
For a Fishy treat try:
Sprats (dried or fresh)
Small tin of drained pilchards in spring water
Half a teaspoon of Coconut oil
Tablespoon of Soaked chia seeds.
Blackberries or Blueberries
Cooked Green Beans
How to:
Chop up the ingredients and stir to incorporate. Squish the ingredients into your Kong and add a few whole sprats so they are poking out of the end for added interest.
This can be placed in the freezer for 1-2 hours for long-lasting enrichment.
Caroline Hearn
www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk