The Best Kong Products for Big Dogs

The best qualities of big dogs—their love of play, their strength, their protectiveness—also make it difficult to find toys that suit them. You can’t just hop over to the grocery store and grab a couple of fluffy stuffed toys. The moment your big dog gets ahold of them, they’ll be destroyed. That’s where Kong comes in. Known for their durable rubber chew toys, Kong has a huge line of toys that big dogs love. But not all of its toys are created equal. My eight-month-old Alaskan shepherd, Eira, and I recently set out to determine which are the best Kong products for big dogs.

Here are our top 5 favorite toys (plus Eira’s favorite Kong treats!).

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The Best Stuffed Animal Toy: Kong Wild Knots Bear

Eira loves stuffed animal toys. She cuddles with them…and she also rips them apart and spreads stuffing all over the house. This is why Kong’s Wild Knots Bear is a favorite for us. The bear is soft and cuddly, and it does have a bit of stuffing inside. But under the stuffing, the bear has a skeleton made of indestructible rope.

This means two things: first, Eira can chew the bear and even rip it a little without completely destroying it. Second, when she chews the bear, she gets a satisfying gnaw on the rope instead of a mouthful of loose stuffing.

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Here’s Eira and her Kong Wild Knots Bear in dark brown. She loves the cozy feeling of the bear’s fur and the sturdy chewable rope inside.

She loves to toss the bear in the air. She loves to take the bear in her paws and nuzzle into it. And of course, she adores chewing it. So far, it’s held up nicely.

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Eira getting a nice grip and chew on her Kong Wild Knots Bear.

We also love the Kong Ballistic stuffed animals, but they don’t have the same level of chewability that the Wild Knots Bears do.

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The graphic on the back of the package provides a nice visual of the rope skeleton inside the Kong Wild Knots Bear.

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The Best Fetching Toy: Kong Air Dog Squeaker Ball

Kong has several toss-and-fetch toys on the market, and we’ve tried lots of them. The rubber fetching balls and tug toys are nice, but they’re a little awkward, and the small balls especially get lost easily. That’s why this larger football-shaped squeaker toy is Eira’s favorite, and mine too. The bright yellow ball is fabric-wrapped rubber that squeaks when Eira chomps on it. Its football shape makes it bounce all over our hardwood floor and Eira absolutely adores the challenge of fetching such an unpredictable toy.

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The fantastic Kong Air Dog Squeaker Ball.

The best thing about this ball is that it’s the perfect toy for my toddler and Eira to play with together. It’s big enough that my son can easily grasp it out of Eira’s mouth without risking injury from her sharp teeth. She doesn’t bite him, of course, but even catching one of his tiny fingers against her teeth can hurt.

It’s easy for him to throw, too, and it’s bright and catches his eye. The two of them play together with the Kong Air Dog Squeaker Ball almost every single day.

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Eira and my toddler playing with the Air Dog Squeaker Ball from Kong.

My son gets up in the morning and runs to find the Air Dog. Eira loves fetching for him and producing delightful squeaks from the ball. I’m left able to make coffee and breakfast in peace while the two of them play!

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The Best Puzzle Toy: Kong Genius Mike Interactive Feeding Toy

Make sure you get the large size of this fantastic puzzle toy for your large dog. Eira has a purple Genius Mike, and I stuff it first with a jerky treat before squeezing Kong Bacon and Cheese Easy Treat (Eira’s absolute favorite flavor!) paste inside.

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Eira’s beloved Kong Genius Mike with the goodies I stuff inside.

The first time I ever gave the Genius Mike to Eira, it took her about two hours of play before she figured out how to get the treat out. Even now, it takes her a good hour to coax it out. This is a perfect toy for wintertime: when it’s too cold to comfortably play outside for long, the Kong Genius Mike will keep your large dog entertained for hours.

I love this video of Eira with her Genius Mike. Note how she uses her paws to move it around, finding the best angle for extracting the treat. The puzzle toy makes her think, which keeps her brain sharp and free of too much boredom.

While the red classic Kong toy—which I’ll show you in a moment—is also fantastic for stuffing with treats, the Genius Mike keeps your dog busy for a longer period of time. It’s also super durable, though you shouldn’t leave your dog unsupervised with it just in case.

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As you can see in this photo, Eira gets laser focused when she’s got a treat-stuffed Kong Genius Mike to play with.

The really neat thing about the Kong Genius line is that you can purchase other versions, including Genius Leo, and connect them to Genius Mike so that you have a chain of connected puzzle toys, each filled with treats, paste, and kibble. You can even put small pieces of cooked chicken inside to make the game even more irresistible!

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The Best Tug Toy: Kong Wubba Weave

Kong’s Wubba line is a group of squeaky tug toys made with durable fabric. Eira’s favorite Wubba toy is the Wubba Weave, which boosts durability with a knot of rope encasing its squeaker. Eira loves to toss this one into the air and then scramble after it, give it a good chew, and toss it again. The long tendrils hanging off the rope knot make it more intriguing than a simple ball toy, and they also make it easy for you, the owner, to toss the Wubba Weave so your pup can get some exercise in fetching it.

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Eira and her Kong Wubba Weave. She loves to chew on the rope portion of the toy.

While the Wubba is durable, it’s not indestructible and you should keep an eye on your large dog as she plays with it to ensure it stays “alive” for a long time. I’ve found that the rope part is almost indestructible, while the tendrils can rip off with too much chewing. You should still be able to play tug-of-war with this one, though! That’s what I love to do with Eira and her Kong Wubba Weave.

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The Best Classic Toy: Kong Classic Dog Toy in Red

If you’re looking for an indestructible dog toy you can feel comfortable leaving alone with your dog, look no further than the Kong Classic. This snowman-shaped toy is made of natural rubber and features an opening, much like the Kong Genius but easier to figure out. This is the toy I stuff with Kong’s Easy Treat paste and treats when I’m leaving Eira at home alone for an hour or two. I stick her in her crate with water and a Kong Classic, and I know she’ll stay happily entertained the entire time.

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Eira sniffing eagerly at her Kong Classic dog toy before hanging out in her crate.

Kong makes four different types of Kong Classic toys, and even though Eira technically qualifies for the Kong Extreme, the Kong Classic works just fine. The Kong Extreme is the most durable Kong rubber toy, so if your dog is an extremely strong chewer, it’s a fantastic choice. But the Kong Extreme is a little too extreme for Eira: she can’t get much chew out of it right now.

Kong also has a light blue or pink Classic toy made of gentler rubber, which is perfect for delicate puppy teeth. Their purple Kong Senior features rubber that’s easy on an older dog’s teeth and jaw.

The Kong Classic toy in red is our favorite for now, but as Eira grows even bigger, we might find ourselves switching to stronger rubber. The Kong Classic she’s had for half her life still doesn’t have any teeth marks on it and she chews on it almost every day. She also rolls it around on the ground and chases after it. Like the Kong Air Dog, the Classic has an unpredictable bounce that Eira adores.

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The Best Kong Treats

Though the Bacon and Cheese Easy Treat paste is Eira’s favorite, we also enjoy several other types of Kong treats. Designed especially for stuffing inside toys like the Genius Mike and the Kong Classic, these treats are also Kong’s tastiest.

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Shaped just like a Kong, the Kong peanut butter-flavored snack fits perfectly into the Kong Classic or Genius (make sure you purchase a large for your large dog’s Kong toys). Eira loves the peanut butter flavor, but you can also get a bacon and cheese snack biscuit, a liver-flavored one, and one designed especially for puppies.

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This sweet potato spread is amazing. It’s a little different than the Easy Treat paste, and there’s less of it in the tube, so we reserve it for special occasions. Eira gobbles it right up every time. Also, the spread is made with “human-grade” sweet potatoes, according to Kong Company, so you can trust that you’re feeding your dog something nutritious and safe.

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The Kong Ziggies line is not only tasty, but it also cleans your dog’s teeth. These larger treats are a tight squeeze in the Kong Classic, but that means they take longer for Eira to extract! They’re the perfect crate-time Kong-stuffer.

Go Find Some Kong Products for Your Large Dog!

Now that you know which Kong products hold up best for large dogs, you can go purchase a few for your own pup. Get ready for loads of fun, and let us know which Kong toy is your large dog’s favorite!

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