I am a massive fan of Kongs and recommend them to all my clents as an essential part of their environment enrichment programe or in laymans terms, fun toys for their dogs. The Kong was born out of a frustration of 'Fritz', a former police dog turned brick chewing german shepherd, who's owner tried everything to coax out of his destructive behaviours. After toying with everything from kids toys to radiator hoses he was working on his VW Van he threw the rubber suspension mount to 'Fritz' who took to it immediately and the 'kong' came into being. After experimenting with different rubbers, Fritz's owner Joe Markham began producing and marketing the super strong toy.

Kongs now come in a variety of strengths for puppies which are an aqua colour and pink, right through to the super tuff range, which are black, the classic is red and seniors whose jaws have softened with age get a purple range. Within each of these rubber strengths are different sizes its important to get the right size for your dog, so he has the best chance of taking to his new toy.

There are countless ways of making Kongs fun, and it is essential to do so in order to redirect any chewing and boredom from your best shoes and chair legs to your kong, below are heaps of ideas from different trainers who like me use kongs extensively.

Dogs who are fed kibble can have the kibble stuffed into a Kong toy which is hung from a tree branch or other sturdy object (have the bigger hole in the Kong facing upward), so that the dog must leap into the air and knock at the Kong to release his meal.

Alternatively, kibble can be mixed with just a spoonful of canned food, yogurt, cottage cheese, or other healthy "wet" food and spooned into the Kong, then the entire Kong can be placed in the freezer. The dog must then work extra hard to remove her frozen meal when the Kong is delivered. Multiple Kong toys can be stuffed with the dog's meal portions and hidden throughout the house or backyard, so that the dog must spend his day hunting down and "dissecting" his Kong-kills.

Dogs who like to destroy or chew things can have their energy harnessed into a positive outlet by sealing Kong toys inside paper bags or cardboard boxes, this can also assist with those cumbersome cardboard boxes that are to big for the wheelie bin, by turning them into much smaller pieces (also such dogs may be better served by crate training to prevent destruction). A machine that dispenses four Kongs randomly during a period of four or eight hours was available for sale for a short period of time, and may still be found for sale by a diligent buyer either on ebay or at stores that still have them in stock.

Crated dogs especially need the mental enrichment provided by a Kong toy during their confinement. Soon enough dogs will learn that when its time for them to be crated they will run into their crate in anticipation for their 'private kong time'. Frozen Kongs make my clients dogs extra eager for their owners to go and make the crates into a positive place to spend their time. Dogs who are not yet entirely comfortable with the idea of a crate can be encouraged to spend time in an open crate by tying a stuffed Kong toy at the back of the crate (make sure to supervise your dog while doing this, but do not try to lock him or her in: your goal is to create positive associations with the kennel, not trick your dog into getting trapped, you don't want your dog to start losing his trust for you).

Dogs who are fed raw, home cooked, or canned diets can get even more enjoyment out of getting their food from a Kong. This is because these diets usually contain much more moisture, which makes them ideal for freezing, and is fantastic for the hot Australian climate.

Melted cheese can be another great addition to a kong toy. A Kong can be filled with a small amount of cheese along with some kibble or other dry tidbits, placed in a microwave-safe cup, and heated in the microwave until the cheese melts. Allow plenty of time to cool before giving it to your dog, or place directly in the freezer for an especially tough-to-remove treat.

Many dogs are reluctant to work at a Kong toy at first, especially if the toys are packed in such a way that food is difficult to remove. For these dogs, try layering the Kong toy to make it especially rewarding to work on. Simply alternate layers of wet food with layers of dry tidbits, then serve to the dog directly (without freezing). After just a small amount of licking to swallow the wet layer of food, the dog will reach a dry layer. This will make a bunch of treats suddenly fall out of the Kong. Jackpot! Usually this dry layer jackpot is enough to renew the dog's interest in the Kong, and he will soon begin licking and slurping at the next layer. After just a few moments, another dry layer will appear, and so on.

When using "wet" or moist food in the Kong toy, there are lots of options, so be creative. For dogs who are not used to rich foods, use common sense in introducing new foods and start with small amounts to be sure your dog tolerates it. Some ideas to try include canned food (both dog and cat food), meat flavoured baby food, rice, potatoes, cream cheese (use low fat varieties for most dogs), cheese whiz, peanut butter, Kabanas/Footy Franks, leftover cooked veggies (gooey veggies such as cooked spinach or squash are especially great), tuna, raw beef or lamb mince, cooked mince, canned fish such as salmon or Jack Mackeral, gravy, beef or chicken broth, buttered porridge, yogurt, and cottage cheese...really it is only your imagination and your dogs personal taste that will limit what you can add to make your Kong the delight that it can be.

Dry tidbits are even easier to experiment with. Try various types of dog or cat kibble and treats, small pieces of pepperoni or luncheon meat, strings of string cheese, bread crumbs, croutons, beef sticks, or healthy leftovers from your meals (remembering that anything containing onions, garlic, chocolate, macadamia nuts, grapes will be toxic for dogs).

For dogs who have become really talented at "destuffing" a Kong toy, use a dry dog biscuit that is slightly bigger around than the large opening of your dog's Kong toy, Kong supply their own biscuit which 'kong shaped' called kong stuffin. Bend the toy by squeezing it so that the hole lengthens in one directions, allowing you to slip the biscuit into the Kong. Once you stop squeezing the sides of the toy, the biscuit will be "stuck" inside the Kong and will not fall out easily. At this point the only way for your dog to get the biscuit loose will be to either break the biscuit into smaller pieces (which can be done by biting down hard on the Kong or by throwing the toy about the room), or by licking at the treat until it becomes soggy and crumbles apart. Be prepared to help your dog remove the tightly lodged biscuit using a pair of pliers if it proves too difficult and is driving your dog nuts!

One last tip is to use honey to smear the inside of your kong, this acts as an antibacterial as well as giving the dogs one of his favourite tastes...sweetness.

Do you have a favorite Kong stuffing recipe? Share it in the comments below!