Hi All, My puppy, Zulu, is 8 weeks and currently I give him all his meals (morning, lunch and dinner) via kongs. I normally put the kongs in his crate (opposed to his play pen). At what age do you suggest giving a puppy frozen kongs? The reason i ask is because there is quite a jump in giving your puppy a kong with loose kibble opposed to a frozen kong (which is rock hard). Cheers, Robbie
Re: Mealtime using kongs Well, interesting question and it will be good to read people's answers. Personally I'd say any age is fine. A puppy doesn't have a lot of jaw strength and, at any rate, any dog is unlikely to break a tooth on a Kong, even if it's frozen. If you are looking for something intermediate (but unlikely to cause a tummy upset) then mashed vegetables like orange sweet potato (not frozen) is an option.
Re: Mealtime using kongs I thought using "mushy" kibble might be some sort of intermediate stage as mushy kibble wouldnt fall out easily if knocked around.
Re: Mealtime using kongs We used frozen kongs for teething really early. Soggy kibble...mashed banana...I think they cope particularly in your warmer climate.
Re: Mealtime using kongs Can i ask how much (weight g) you are feeding zulu? I am feeding Max between 240 - 300g of James wellbeloved but i have also put some of his puppy treats mashed up into a kong which he has during the day. Is this is a similar amount to you?
Re: Mealtime using kongs I gave Charlie frozen kongs right away - BUT didn't freeze them very long at first. A mashed kibble kong frozen for 30 minutes is no more than "not as mushy as it was". An hour, "getting firm", 2 hours "starting to be solid"...and so on. So I just proceeded based on what Charlie could cope with. It wasn't long at all before he got fully frozen kongs. It also depended on the size of the kong though. Charlie could reach the bottom of a small puppy kong with his tongue from 10 weeks, so he licked out the frozen middle (and it defrosted as he licked). The bigger the kong, the more the dog has to chew to break up the frozen filling - so at first, Charlie had difficulty with bigger frozen kongs. But even then, they defrosted eventually, so were still good for leaving in his crate when I was out.
Re: Mealtime using kongs [quote author=JulieT link=topic=5113.msg64226#msg64226 date=1395994130] I gave Charlie frozen kongs right away - BUT didn't freeze them very long at first. A mashed kibble kong frozen for 30 minutes is no more than "not as mushy as it was". An hour, "getting firm", 2 hours "starting to be solid"...and so on. So I just proceeded based on what Charlie could cope with. It wasn't long at all before he got fully frozen kongs. It also depended on the size of the kong though. Charlie could reach the bottom of a small puppy kong with his tongue from 10 weeks, so he licked out the frozen middle (and it defrosted as he licked). The bigger the kong, the more the dog has to chew to break up the frozen filling - so at first, Charlie had difficulty with bigger frozen kongs. But even then, they defrosted eventually, so were still good for leaving in his crate when I was out. [/quote] Added: I do not believe there is a risk to teeth from frozen kongs - the rubber isn't actually frozen, even if the whole package feels very hard because you can't push the rubber into the filling. My dog is a high risk for teeth damage, but he always starts a frozen kong by licking the top and chewing the narrow end. I can see that the rubber does take the chew impact (from the damage to the rubber) and the frozen middle "gives" immediately, even if it seems very hard to us. I apologise for being a complete and utter kong bore! But with a champ chewer, and a full time job, it has become necessary!
Re: Mealtime using kongs [quote author=MikeMiller82 link=topic=5113.msg64219#msg64219 date=1395992187] Can i ask how much (weight g) you are feeding zulu? I am feeding Max between 240 - 300g of James wellbeloved but i have also put some of his puppy treats mashed up into a kong which he has during the day. Is this is a similar amount to you? [/quote] Zulu is 8 weeks and probably weighs just over 5kg..I'm feeding him Advance (puppy plus growth) and the amount is around 100g per day.
Re: Mealtime using kongs [quote author=JulieT link=topic=5113.msg64226#msg64226 date=1395994130] I gave Charlie frozen kongs right away - BUT didn't freeze them very long at first. My dog is a high risk for teeth damage, but he always starts a frozen kong by licking the top and chewing the narrow end. I can see that the rubber does take the chew impact (from the damage to the rubber) and the frozen middle "gives" immediately, even if it seems very hard to us. I apologise for being a complete and utter kong bore! But with a champ chewer, and a full time job, it has become necessary! [/quote] Yep, frozen kongs are always licked thoroughly first in this house too, and I have never worried about tooth damage from one. I wonder if dogs get 'ice-cream head'??! Clare
