KONG Extreme Dog Toy, Black

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List Price: $15.99
Sale Price: $9.67
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I got the Extreme Kong (black), because my rat terrier had already torn apart a Classic Kong (red). He goes through plush squeaky toys in no time flat. He has chewed pieces out of one Extreme Kong, but not the other two. What have I learned to keep him from shredding Kongs?

1) Always supervise your dog with this toy (at least until you know how well it will hold up). Yes, the instructions say this. It's not just CYA legal BS. Until you know for SURE that *your* dog can't chew through the Extreme Kong, don't leave him unattended with this toy. (Unfortunately, this means that I can't give it to him in his kennel to alleviate boredom when I leave the house.)

2) If your dog has already destroyed other toys, consider sizing up from the "recommended" size. My dog weighs 25 lb, which is solidly in the "medium" range, but the Large Kong is better for his extreme chewing. The Extreme Kong he tore apart was a Medium. He hasn't managed to tear apart the Large yet.

3) Don't fill it all the way with peanut butter. Stuff the bottom 1/2 2/3 with dry food or treats and the clog the top 1/3 or so with something soft like peanut butter. If you fill the whole thing with something that's impossible to get out without tearing the toy apart, your dog will tear the toy apart.

4) Wash it on a regular basis. I have more than one Kong so I can still use one while the other is being washed. I like to soak mine in warm, soapy water for a few hours before sticking it in the dishwasher. This seems to get it clean even if there's peanut butter in the crevices. Dried on cheese can be a bit harder to clean out (I use the pointy end of a spoon or even a toothbrush to get at those bits).

5) If you notice your Kong is showing wear, replace it. Once it starts to give, your extreme chewer can destroy it pretty fast. Don't let him get that far!

No toy is indestructible, but the Extreme Kong lasts longer than anything else I've found. Read the insert that comes with your Kong and follow the recommendations to keep your dog safe and entertained.

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Important note: the extreme Kong is NOT the same as the red Kong, which apparently is much flimsier. I got this for my neighbor's good-natured pit bull Major, after seeing him shred everything else. Thin rubber squeaky toys last only a few hours, nylabones perhaps a day or two, and even the thick rubber chill pill got shredded. But the Kong Extreme has (to my surprise) remained intact. I had begun to think that only a chunk of cinderblock would survive...maybe. Extreme Kong takes funny bounces (which apparently is part of the idea. Toys with rope handles made for better slobber-avoiding toss-and-fetching, but handles got chewed off very quickly. You can throw this by poking your finger in the holes and tossing--it's marginally better in terms of slobber than many other toys. Kong comes in different sizes--the largest may outweigh your toy Chihuahua, so be judicious. If a neighbor has a pit bull, getting on his good side is important, even if he is as good-natured as Major!

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I do pit bull rescue and I'm ALWAYS looking for durable toys. This Kong is my favorite of all. I like to have three per dog so that I can mix up batches of Kong stuffing (peanut butter, bananas, and oats) and then freeze them. They are AWESOME for crate training.

Now that I've said how awesome they are, there is a drawback. They DO stink when they first come. They DO smell bad. So I always wash mine (with a bottle brush) and soak them in soapy water for a few days before their first use. The smell goes away after awhile, but it never seems to bother my dogs.

We LOVE the Kongs!

(If you're looking for durable toys you should also check out the Nylabone dinosaur and deer antlers. They are big hits at my house. And if you buy in bulk, is good too!)

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This is a fun dog toy, and the seller I ordered from, Seacorals, had a good price and very quick fulfillment. I had ordered a "regular" Kong Dog Toy, the same size but not for "power chewers", from another company, which came in the same style of packaging as pictured above; that toy included a "Ziggie" Kong Dog Treat, as indicated by the triangular base compartment, the photo of the toy plus treats, the words "Look Inside", and the arrows pointing to the base compartment. You can see from the photo provided here that the packaging photo shows treats, arrows, and the words "Look Inside" pointing to the base compartment. However, when my sealed shipping package arrived from Seacorals, and I opened and pulled out the toy, the inner packaging base compartment had been opened, and there was nothing inside. I didn't think it was worth calling the company about I was happy with the toy, my dog didn't need another treat, I didn't think it warranted asking for my money back, but it did indicate that something had gone wrong in that the inner packaging was opened, and that whatever was supposed to be seen "inside" the base compartment was not there. So, I gave the seller a "Fair" rating and mentioned that the toy had arrived with opened inner packaging and no treat. Immediately upon posting this rating, I received a call at home from a Seacorals representative. I was told it was unfair of me to post a rating without giving them a chance to make it up to me. I said I hadn't known that a "Fair" rating, which included positive comments on product, price and fulfillment, was a bad thing. The rep responded that a "neutral" rating was considered a negative rating by Amazon and asked if I would change mine if Seacorals sent me a dog treat. I said if the company wanted to do something to get me to change my rating that they should do it, but that I thought the rating was accurate; I received opened packaging with nothing where the text & form indicated there should be something. At this point, the rep stated that the Kong manufacturer never included a treat with the size of toy I had ordered, so that I had to be mistaken (i.e., lying) about the condition of the packaging I'd received. I found the packaging to double-check, and there was the opened base compartment, the "Look Inside" legend and the arrows, all indicating that something had been in the packaging that had been opened and was empty. I repeated that this is what I received from Seacorals, and that I thought my rating and comment reflected that. At this point the rep accused me of "slandering" their company! I repeated that if they wanted me to change my rating, it was up to them to do something about it. The rep's verbal assault continued, and when I suggested that continuing to browbeat me over the phone wouldn't change my mind, the rep said "I am not browbeating you," and I replied, "Yes, sir, you are," and chose to hang up the phone. The following morning I received an e-mail via Amazon from Seacorals banning me from purchasing from them again, along with negative comments about my character, and the lie that I had called their company "thieves"!!! So, by all means enjoy the Extreme Kong World's Best Dog Toy (size S), but BEWARE of purchasing from Seacorals!Extreme Kong Dog Chew Toy, Small Black

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I'll just touch briefly on some of the concerns that others have mentioned in their negative reviews.

*Is it counterfeit?*

I compared to a Kong I bought several years ago from a local pet supply chain store.

The Kongs are identical in every way although the graphics on the packaging has changed. That style of the packing, however remained the same. And yes, I actually did save the packaging because I can never remember what size it is.

* Did they make it smaller?*

As I said above, these kongs purchased through Amazon in Apr 2012, were identical to kongs I purchased locally in 2009 from a pet supply store. Picture the courtroom tire analysis scene from the movie My Cousin Vinny... I-(claps hands)-dentical!

*Why doesn't my dog want to play with it?*

If your dog is anything like mine are, they aren't interested in rubber chew toys. They're into bones and stuffed animals that they can destroy in 2 seconds. However my dogs were kong & chew-toy trained at an early age. More on that in a bit. I give them a stuffed kong. I used to put all kinds of goodies in there like kibble and peanut butter but now I just put a little piece of sliced bread in there. If I want to make it extra challenging, I'll break off about one quarter of a piece of a hot dog bun and wedge that in the kong. That'll take some work to get out.

"Working" on the kongs is sort of a mental exercise. Not just chewing. One of my dogs learned the best way to get the treat out of the kong is to throw the kong down the stairs. Once my dogs get the food out, they lose interest in the kong completely. That's normal. But it's a piece of rubber folks, not a beef bone. It does however serve another valuable purpose and that's mental stimulation.

*Does it stain the carpet?*

I haven't noticed the black Extreme Kongs to stain carpet and I have white Berber (unfortunately) so if anyone's going to notice... I have had problems with the BLUE kongs staining the carpet. Not the puppy kongs but the dark blue ones they sell (or used to) in bulk to vets, labs or kennels. They were the same thing, just a different color and in a very plain box. They were not as durable as these black ones either.

*Is there an odor?*

Unfortunately there does appear to now be a rubbery-chemicalish odor. Even after washing them and even after a few weeks of use. My dogs aren't complaining. They still use them but then again my dogs are trained to use them.

*Do they fall apart easily?*

I have gone through a lot of kongs. The are not indestructible but what I can tell you is these black ones are the most durable and if you get the right size for your dog, they will last a very long time and you should definitely get your money's worth.

Usually where they start to fail is they get a little frayed around the widest part but it's not that big of a deal. Then the top one third of the kong starts to get ripped until one day you can pry it off completely. That's when it's time to get a new one.

I have tried less expensive similar devices and I can tell you that these are much better.

*What is Kong training?*

Kong training is using a stuffed kong to teach your dog what is an acceptable chew toy, to give them a safe object to "get their chew-on" with and it's also a way to transition your dogs from an active play session to quiet nap time.

My dogs get two stuffed kongs a day. Once after our morning walk. This signals that it's time to wind down and sleep until dad comes home from work. The other is after our evening play session which signals that it's time to wind down from that for night time sleep.

My only complaint is the new odor. It's not terrible as in, it doesn't stink up the house or anything but if you take a whiff, it does make you wonder if a dog that isn't trained to enjoy kongs will be interested in it.

All in all, I recommend that you get these kongs and use them for training purposes, where you'll get the best benefit and so will your dog(s). I wouldn't let the odor stop you but I do hope they get that worked out.