Good Review for Kong Tugger Knots

Being asked to review dog toys is a nice  perk for the dogs and I. Admittedly, my  own dogs are not the toy hounds they used to be, but between foster dogs and visitors,we do always seem to have a revolving door of ready, willing, and able toy testers who are always  willing to help out.


Basically I look for two things when testing a toy.

1.) Do the dogs like it?

2.) Will it last.



The answer to question number one is yes the dogs liked it. They liked the rope and the stuffed animal texture and the squeaker right out of the box so to speak.   I wish I had video taped the wagging scene when I opened it. 



No soft toy will last unsupervised and poor little froggy did get a nibble taken out of it when I got busy with something else, but considering that we have had this toy for a few months now and it has been in heavy rotation, I think a little nick off the corner still warrants a pretty tough rating. Basically, the toy is a knotted rope with a plush frog over it. So even if they shredded the frog to bits, there is still a  toy underneath. Love that! Fair warning, this toy is not made for power chewers, it is designed to be interactive and I do not let the dogs  have at it unsupervised to shred it to bits.

Every dog who passed through my door liked it, including my own two, but none more than Border collie Jack, our Christmas guest.




If Charlee and Finney had a love child, it would be Jack.

  




Neighbor Bandit on the left has discovered that my life is a dog park.

  Jack did every thing to this toy that a dog could do, he tugged with other dogs, slept with it, carried it around endlessly, settled down and munched on it a bit to find the squeaker. Yesterday when we awoke to Burricane2010 I realized we had left the frog out in the storm. Oh well I thought, so much for that toy, but Jack had other ideas and he found it, dug it up and the dogs had a complete and total blast with it.





All the dogs were happy that Jack dug up the Kong Tugger knot. 

 

FYI - Yes, Jack is wearing a pink sparkle T shirt. He was afraid of the wind and having a tight t shirt on helped. We apologize to Jack for the embarrassment.




Charlee says -   "What's up with him? I love this storm."

 

Product Review: Kong Rocket, and Air Kong tennis balls

The Kong Rocket Tennis Ball Launcher is 24" long and allows you pick up 2 sizes of tennis balls and chuck them a few hundred feet without having to put your hands on the dog's slimy ball.


I liked it!

What I like even more than the Rocket are Air Kong squeaky tennis balls.

I have a love hate relationship with a tennis ball that can squeak. Of course most dogs love them, and while I think they are a must have for the serious dog person, who out there except maybe the hard of hearing is not driven insane by incessant squeaking?


I am grateful to Kong for being instrumental in helping my 6 month old foster dog learn how to play with toys. Like many shelter dogs, Stella was not interested in dog toys when she arrived, but once she saw the other dogs playing with the Air Kong squeaking tennis ball, it wasn't long before she snagged it from them and she has been all about toys ever since. Dogs with a toy drive, that is not excessive, are much easier to train, and they can be a lot of fun to hang around with. Stella is actually more adoptable now that she is starting to fetch.  Thanks Kong!

Unlike a Chuck it, Kong Rocket comes with a plastic switch that adjusts to fit both regular sized and oversized tennis balls. Unless you have a big breed with the chance of swallowing the standard size ball, I am not sure you need this feature. Of the 15 dogs that we tested the Air Kong squeaky tennis balls and Kong Rocket with, to include the "Oh my God it's a ball, it's a ball, throw the ball" Labs, the dogs preferred the smaller ball every time, but still engaged with the larger ball .



One of the best features of the Air Kong tennis ball is that it is made from a non-abrasive fabric that will not wear down dog's teeth. There can be harmful chemicals in almost tennis balls and Kong's tennis balls are safe for dog to play with, but not eat of course.



One of the "OMG it's a squeaky tennis ball, throw the squeaky tennis ball", Labs was in absolute heaven with both sizes of the squeaky tennis ball and I wish I had gotten a picture of her with her glazed look of total bliss.

Kong Rocket sells for about 10 bucks and a 3 pack of regular sized Kong Squeak Air tennis balls sells for about $6.50. Quite a bit cheaper than a doggie dentist.