I’m obsessed with creating stuffin’ recipes because stuffin’ an interactive toy adds mental stimulation, hours of entertainment, and extra nutritionally packed foods to your dogs diet, plus its super easy for you to do.
Often when a dog is misbehaving it is because they are bored – and we haven’t challenged their brains enough. When you give your dog a stuffed bone or interactive toy using my stuffin’ recipes you will be amazed at their focus and determination to get out all of the food. I swear my dogs smile at me after they finish a stuffed bone or toy because they love to shake, roll, paw at, play with, nibble on and toss the bones as they eat all the goodness from my stuffin’ recipes. Dogs were designed to hunt and work for their food and love to find hidden things. Implementing this type of activity helps to satisfy their hunting drive.
There are many nutritional foods you can stuff a marrow bone with or any hard rubber toy with a hole. It is similar to a puzzle toy with a reward for “un-stuffing” the vessel to find a variety of flavor packed prizes. We offer a variety of stuffing vessels so come check out our many options and visit my blog on How to Get the Most from a KONG Rubber Toy!
My new fav’ is a Planet Dog Interactive Toy – these are hot, hot, hot this season! Check out our Free Planet Dog Toy giveaway scheduled for June 11. We are also featuring a FREE Primal marrow bone give away in June to help everyone prepare for my Stuffin’ Workshop on June 11.
I know a few folks who actually use stuffed interactive toys as a feeding vessel so their dog is never given anything for free. I love this idea, but I have large dogs and they would not get enough calories at one meal. So for my big dogs this is used as a treat. However my 7-pound maltipoo, Miss Beverly is the world’s pickiest eater and will often only eat from a stuffed bone or interactive toy. She requires a lot of variety in her diet so interactive toys with stuffin’ are also ideal for picky eaters.
Occasionally when I came home from a long day at work I’ll hide their stuffin’ toys under their beds, under their dog bowls, inside a crate or in a corner. Then we watch them go to work on their treat – the silence is golden! This way they remain calm once I am home, the house is quiet, and I can unwind a bit. Many folks prefer to offer the stuffed interactive toy when they leave in the morning, as this greatly reduces separation anxiety. They are also great for when company is over or Scandal is on. There really is no right or wrong time to when offer these nutritionally packed treats to your pet.
You do not have to make a culinary delight to stuff an interactive toy or a bone. My recipes are easy to make and I am confident you can get creative with your own recipes! At least once a day I hear of a new stuffin’ idea from one of my awesome customers. If you lack any culinary creativity just know you can make 21 stuffed bones or toys out of one can of dog food. I’m happy to show you how – it’s super simple!
The best time to stuff for your dog is after you’ve eaten dinner and you have a few tiny pieces of left over chicken, steak or fish. Just save everything in a Ziploc bag for easy stuffin’. You can find a lengthy list of options of stuffin items in my Toppers Make It Fun! blog post. Others options to add to your Ziploc bag: chicken broth, (Fruitables Broth Bowls are actually better because they do not have onions, sodium or MSG), apple sauce, Primal Raw Goat Milk, leftover Cheerios (hold the milk), bananas, apples, steamed veggies, plain yogurt, plain Kefir, boiled eggs, canned tuna, leftover potatoes, coconut oil (great for skin and coat), Fruitables Canned Pumpkin, blueberries, left over Triscuits or Wheat Thin crackers, or the last bite of a sandwich. Just watch the fats – so no peanut butter or cheese, please. Top off each end with a Freeze Dried Raw Chew or a treat. It’s simply too much fat for their little livers. Line up a week’s worth of stuffin’ vessels at a time. This literally takes me less than 10 minutes to stuff 7 days for all of my dogs.
If you want to keep it super simple just grab a Primal Freeze-dried Nugget and stuff a Planet Dog Interactive Toy. Primal Freeze-dried Nuggets are full of nutrition.
If your dog has allergies stick with their recommended kibble or raw foods they eat and Primal Raw Goat Milk creates a more interesting frozen treat and provides an allergy solution for your pet.
So grab a few stuffin’ vessels and follow my easy instructions above. And don’t forget to freeze them. This will create far less mess, you can prepare a weeks worth at one time, and will provide a longer lasting experience for your dog.
Lastly, enjoy and have fun with my stuffin’ recipes. Remember to let your dog work for their food or treats. I look forward to hearing all about your stuffin’ good times!