The Kong Genius is a treat dispensing toy designed by the Kong Company to keep our dogs thinking and entertained. Mental exercise is important for keeping your dog healthy and builds intelligence. Dogs are extremely bright animals, and in the wild, dogs hunt for their food and use their intelligence when figuring out how and where to get their next meal. Dogs in the 21st century don’t have to worry about such archaic hunting methods because their food appears in a bowl like clockwork at 8:00am and 8:00pm. Dog behavior research has found that dogs thrive when they are asked to “earn” their dinner (for example, having them sit before giving them their food). This is known as the “Nothing in Life is Free” method, and it teaches dogs discipline, respect, and self control. Sitting for a meal is too easy.
If you really want to challenge your dog and get the gears in their head turning, the Kong Genius is a great choice. It provides them with a “hunt” (the treats are on the inside of this contraption, and they have to hunt it out), and a reward, since they are rewarded when they actually achieve their goal. Additionally, the Kong Genius can be therapeutic for dogs suffering from separation anxiety by providing them with both a distraction and an outlet for their stress. These types of activities are extremely important for your dog. By giving them a sense of purpose, your dog will be a more “balanced” member of your pack, as Cesar Milan would say. Thinking is also a form of exercise, so after 30 minutes of playing with this thing, he’ll be too tired to chew on the leg of your dining room chair.
Anyway, on to the actual product itself. The Kong Genius comes in three sizes: small, large, and extra large, and in two different shapes. The first shape is a hollow tube that has slits on either end where you can insert food or treats (this is the one shown in the video). The second is more vase shaped and offers a different challenge. These shapes can be interconnected, so if your dog is really smart, you can buy a couple and give him something to really think about. They are made of non-toxic, FDA approved material, and are recommended for average chewers. Ripley (my Shetland Sheepdog in the video) is not a very aggressive chewer, and as you can see he picks up the toy pretty gently and drops it to get the food out. Because of this, I use smaller pieces of dog food (sometimes I put his half his meal in there so he has to work for it). Larger pieces present more of a challenge, but make sure you don’t put food in the toy that is too hard to retrieve or your pup might get frustrated. Even though Ripley hasn’t put the Kong Genius through the ringer, this thing feels sturdy, so an average chewer most likely won’t destroy it. I wouldn’t recommend this toy for dogs that are rough on their toys and chew them aggressively, simply because they could accidentally swallow a piece of the toy itself. So, if your dog typically chews on the black colored Kong (the toughest one they make), he might just chomp it in half and get the food out the easy way. The best part is that this toy is made in the USA and is dishwasher safe.
Overall: A+
Good For: Average Chewers
Cost: approximately $8.50 for the small, $13.50 for large, and $16.99 for extra large. However, they have them for about %30 off at www.Dog.com
The Ripley Report 