Kong Tugger Knot Review

Puppy playgroup going in at Petco, which I was heeling Leon
around.  

I have been doing a lot of training via tug toys and other toys with my dogs, Boris and Leon.   Leon is fairly easy on toys, and Boris is very hard on toys.   Most of the tug toys have only been used for training in order to keep them in a useable condition for as long as possible.

I also train at least once a week at a Portsmouth Petco.   Sundays are particularly busy for instance last weekend they had a vaccination clinic.   Lots and lots of cute puppies and dogs were waiting in line.   I believe everyday at about 2 pm on Sundays there is a puppy play group too.   This can be challenging to dogs to train around.   The staff at Petco is very friendly as well.   So I keep some cash on hand to pick something up.   Since I can buy my training or daycare toys in bulk, I will try out a new toy first at Petco.   I consider buying something there each time as a kind of rent.   We buy most of our petfood items and such at Ann-imals to support our local pet supply store.

So I saw Kong's Tugger Knot toy, and it looked like a good idea.   The rope goes all the way through.   Leon and Boris both like to play tug together.   Even though I like to keep the tugging mostly to training right now, I don't like to eliminate games entirely that my dogs like to do together.   I figured the first part of this toy that would go would probably be the rope, but if I managed the play (by being interactive with them and making sure Boris didn't stop and chew it) that it would last at least a week.   This cost me about 13.00 of my pin money.  Plus Kong makes great rubber toys, and I hoped the same care would be shown in this toy.  



Kong's Tugger Knot Toy





The first thing to go however (in the first day BTW) was a seam in the animal portion of the toy.   I think the knots are so big inside that it was easy to burst out.  While my dogs can still use this toy, this was a dissapointment. It would have been one thing if my dogs had intentionally ripped open the toy, but I was sure that we were all constantly in motion playing with it as it should be played with.

While this toy looked sturdy, it was a fail for my dogs.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

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Frisbee Fun

Our first Doberman, Jazz, was magic with a Frisbee. Neptune, Jack, and Leon never had the knack. Both Neptune and Leon loved the Frisbee idea, but could only catch it in their mouths at short distances. Both loved to either chase it or the one getting it. Our newest addition, Boris, shows some promise.

Thanks to Jazz, we have investigated several types of Frisbees for large dogs that tend to rip apart anything they are able to (toys wise that is). Here are some pros and cons of our finds.

The Nylabone Frisbee:

Unless you have a puppy named Boris, this is a pretty indestructible toy. If you do have a puppy like Boris, be sure that you play with this only as a Frisbee and not a chew toy. I must admit in desperate moments, we let Boris chew on this. So now one side has a dent.

Cons: Hard on human hands when catching it, as far as I am concerned. Especially sharp after Boris has chewed on an edge. Dogs like to chew on this, and this may be a con for some owners.

Pros: A very hardy Frisbee toy that can not be pulled apart or chewed up that easily. It actually needs pretty concentrated chewing in order to get damaged. Seems to fly better than your standard human Frisbee despite the weight factor. Does double as a chew toy if you would like. The least likely to be an ingestion danger if left alone with the dog.

Rubber Type Frisbees:

I really like these frisbees a lot.

Pros: Easy on human hands! Easy on dogs mouths, as well one would think. Tough, not so easy to rip. The very edge of the frisbee is usually the first to go. Dogs don't seek to chew on this Frisbee so much.

Cons: Does not fly as well as other Frisbees. Less tough than a Nylabone Frisbee, but adequately tough. Not a large danger, but could be an ingestion danger if left alone with the dog.

Nylon Cloth Frisbees:

This was the first Frisbee that worked well with Jazz.

Cons: Can rip easily and be punctured by large breed canine Frisbee enthusiasts. You want to get this Frisbee quickly away from your dog so they don't have their way with it. Definately want to use this only for Frisbee type games. Could be an ingestion danger if left alone with the dog.

Pros: Very easy on human hands. It flies far very easily even for those of you as hopelessly Frisbee challenged as my wife .

Human Plastic Frisbees:

Cons: Tends to break just from a canine catching it, never mind if they try and chew it. It tends to break into sharp jagged pieces as well.

Pros: None that I know of as far as playing with canines. The cheap ones don't even tend to fly that well.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

Thursday Thirteen (13) Training Supplies Bought Regularly

Just got in some orders of things that I order at least every year, and some are staples that will last me a few years:

1. Ring Toy Nylabone




2. Kong Rubber Balls Big




3. Kong Rubber Balls Small




4. Waste Bags-Big Sized 300 count




5. Hot dogs (used to be bacon treats but hot dogs are cheaper)




6. Mail Bag for Jackie (see previous post) Provided by York Maine local pet supply store, Ann-imals.




7. Six Dog Remote E-collar




8. Chain Metal Choke Collars of Various Sizes




9. Dinasour Nylabone Toys




10. Nylabone Galileo Petite




11. Nylabone Galileo Wolf




12. Nylabone Galileo Super




13. Colored Ink Print Catridges

Interested in training your dog in York County Maine? Call Mannerly Mutts Dog Training and ask for Robin Rubin, Dog Trainer, at 207-361-4395. Or e-mail at mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com.