I saved the best for last, at least my favorite Kong toy. Drum roll…tatatatatatatatatat.. It’s the Kong classic. Why having such a boring toy as my favorite? Because Mom fills them with love.. okay, not love dog treats and PEANUT BUTTER!! These Kong Classics can be used a general chew toys or something to play fetch with but their best use is as a treat filled goodie ball to bribe us pups. Mom stuffs the ball with either treats or just plain dog food but then she plugs the hole with peanut butter and puts them in the freezer overnight. Then when Dad leaves for work in the morning Trey and I each get a Kong ball and head into our crates to eat our sweet treat.
Pros:
Multi-Uses (Play/Treat)
Multi-Sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL)
Lots of room for treats and peanut butter
Cons:
Really hard chewers can destroy if left unsupervised (our vet posted an article on it)
Recommend:
YES, but only if you parents are going to fill it with lots of love aka treats and peanut butter!
Mom got me a Kong Traxx (tire) since I have an obsession with another tire toy I had but to be honest this one does nothing for me. I have two other non-Kong tires, one is smaller and the other is a much larger tire and they both get much more play time. I like to hold the smaller tire in my mouth and squeeze it (collapse it) while the bigger is used for general chewing, tug-of-war and just play carry around and give to Mom toy (I am on my 2nd of those).
Overall I would have to say this toy is just too small for chewing because if it did interest me, just feeling it, I would have killed it. However if you are just the type that likes to mouth toys they you would probably like it.
Pros:
Flexible rubber for pups that like the mouth toys
Cons:
To small for the 30-65lb chewer it is recommended for
Recommend:
Not for the chewer, I think this would be great for a large puppy for the dogs that like to carry and/or mouth toys.
Here is another Kong ball I have, the KONG Squeezz Ball Dog Toy. This is another fun ball I keep around the house. I normally play with this one when I am looking for a squeaking ball. I’ve had this thing for a couple years now and it is still in good condition and the squeaker still works. I can’t rave but definitely can not complain about the toy, after all it is still in good condition. I wouldn’t rave about it only because I have a large selection of balls and this one tends to get left in the toy box most days since I like the slightly bigger, heavier Kong ball I talked about earlier in this series.
Pros:
Overall Durable
Durable Squeaker
Fun colors
Price
Cons:
Bigger than a tennis ball so it doesn’t fit in the thrower, although that is okay because I use this as an indoor toy.
A Kong chew toy that is also a dental stick? This has got to be the perfect chew toy, right? Well I don’t have any pictures of this because it long ago disappeared but you can find a picture on Kong’s website under Dental Stick. As you may (or may not) know by now I am a chewer so Mom figured a chew toy that is supposed to be good for the teeth so it would be a good thing for me, but she was wrong.
Well not to say that is product isn’t good, it is just not good for me. I have to admit, I loved the toy it has a wonderful texture that made me want to really chew on it. I would stand with in in my mouth and just squeeze it in my mouth and work it around. However it didn’t take me long to realize if I held it in between my paws and grabbed the end I could chew off the ridges. It was really a shame, I should have just packed this away and hid it in my crate so I could enjoy it out of view. With the ridges quickly ending up as red bits on the floor the toy quickly disappeared into that toy boy in the sky (same place the dryer puts your missing socks).
I have to admit this toy has been in our toy box since before I was born. Mom bought this toy for Trey years ago but before I came along, Trey preferred to love on soft plush toys so it got very little play. Going back through my puppy pictures I found a few with this toy. I think Mom hid this away when I got bigger because she was afraid it wouldn’t last with my reputation for toys (with good reason bawhahah). However since we barked about doing a Kong series Mom decided to pull it out of the toy box and let me have it.
After a bit of play here are my thoughts, although it looks like a tennis ball it is a bit more durable with thicker walls than a standard tennis ball. It has the nice fuzzy soft feel of a tennis ball and it is nice to hold. Being long you can hold it in the middle and still have enough out the side of your mouth to waive it in front of your brother/sister but still play keep away. Surprisingly the squeaker does seem to be holding out (normally first to go on my toys) but I think it is because I haven’t narrowed down the location of the air hole so I haven’t stuck my tooth in there yet to pop in/out the squeaker.
Pros:
Like a tennis ball but tougher
durable squeaker
Here is my 2nd favorite Kong toy, the Kong ball. This ball comes in 2 sizes a small and a medium-large. The small is 2.5 inches and the M/L is 3 inches and I of course have the M/L. I love this ball, it is a solid rubber toy and has a bit of bounce and seems indestructible to me. In our house, tennis balls normally last 1 play session (fetch) before they are splitting, but this ball is solid, it has no give at all. The size is also perfect for my mouth at 3 inches I can hold it fine but I can’t grip it in my back teeth or as Mom calls it, The destruction zone (where most toys go to die) so I can’t kill it. After several months of carrying this thing around, inside and out there are not even teeth marks on it. I don’t think I really have a complaint on this one, except it doesn’t bounce as well and doesn’t get thrown as far because it is heavier than a tennis ball. Although Mom does complain if I have this in the house and drop it on her foot.
Pros:
Lasts a bazillion times longer than a tennis ball (for me)
VERY durable
Still has bounce (nothing compared to tennis ball)
Bigger than a tennis ball, so for a mouth my size it doesn’t allow me to chew on it
Cons:
Price, its about $15, but if you play fetch a lot it should save you in the long run if you go through a lot of tennis balls.
Bigger than a tennis ball (also a pro) so it doesn’t fit in the tennis ball thrower.
I have to share this little gem I got at the Love Your Pet Expo back in 2011. Mom was talking to the vendor (sorry don’t remember the name) and they said that this was a great ball because it bounces in different directions because of it’s shape. This Bionic Ball is a very thick rubber with a large hole in the middle and ridges along the edge, these make is bounce in random directions when it hits the ground. I have to say, I love it! This ball is always loaded and ready to go in my tennis ball thrower because it is one of the few heavy duty balls that fit.
Well I have to admit, this is a size medium which is supposed to be for 15-35lb dogs, but if you want to use the tennis ball thrower that is the size you need, otherwise I still would not hesitate to grab a large or x-large if I see one, well I would ask Mom to get it for me, she is a sucker for the look.
Pros:
Heavy duty!!
Bounces unpredictable directions
Fits in tennis ball thrower
Cons:
Not found at the big pet stores so you can’t get a feel for it
Recommend:
YUP! If you love to fetch balls, then grab this in medium, if you just like to carry balls then it would probably be best to grab their recommended size.
With these short winter days there is not always enough daylight for a good game of fetch after Mom and Dad get home from work. If you love to play ball this is your winter time answer, the MeteorLight K-9 LED Dog Ball. This thing is so much fun!!!!!!! Have your Mom or Dad turn it on and throw it, it stays lit up with its color changing LED lights making it easy to find at night. Mom and Dad say it is funny playing when it’s pitch black because all they see the ball go out, then they see it floating back to them. The amount of oohs and ahhs you get when camping is enough to keep me playing ball all night.
Pros:
Allows nighttime play
Waterproof
Durable (no sign of wear or tear with two dobies fighting over it)
Size of a tennis ball, so it works with tennis ball throwers
Battery lasts a long time
Bounces (not as good as a tennis ball)
Cons:
One time Dad went for a hard bounce on cement and battery popped out
Can be hard to turn on/off (Mom just steps on it with her heel)
Recommend
YES YES YES, if you love playing ball this is a source of evening/night entertainment.
Suggestions to Manufacturer:
Make more LED toys! Maybe a Frisbee or other fetching toys? I WANT MORE!!
