The little Kong looks about good as new
The Monster Mouth, admittedly, still looks a little grungy. It might need a further soak and scrub. Or I'm going to stop worrying again. Whichever.
The two larger Kongs are also still just slightly grubby. Yeah, it doesn't matter. I'm sure the insides are clean enough.
Part of what precipitated this is that Princess, in the last days of National Novel Writing Month, has been leaving a bowl full of food and in fact begging the nearest food bearing human tirelessly, or leaving a bowl full of food and bringing me puzzle toys to give them to her with peanut butter. The begging I do not reward in any way and in fact, since Saturday, she hasn't had any people food from me. She also won't have any puzzle toys until she's regularly eating food from her bowl again. I created this problem, I know; fun food with peanut butter is distracting to her, giving me time to do Grownup Things like write a novel (51, 374 words. I haven't validated yet, I want to see if I can finish the story). It's also far more fun than food in the bowl, so why should she settle?
I've created a monster.
That is funny! Blueberry knows that I'll sometimes give her a treat after breakfast or dinner and so she'll often eat half her food then run over to the fridge to see if she can get it a little early. I always send her back to the bowl to finish up. Dogs, they are better at trying to train us than we are them, aren't they? ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, I think they are better at trying to train us. Maybe it's because they've got their criteria solidly in mind? ;)
DeleteI run Nanook's bowls through the dishwasher every so often so they're cleaned... but yeah I go with your thinking. He licks himself and eats god knows what he finds in the garden so I'm sure not washing his bowl every day does him zero harm!
ReplyDeleteYeah, definitely my thinking. Some germs are healthy anyway, right? They keep doing those studies about how toddlers who play in the dirt have better immunities.
DeleteHaha what a smart dog! I don't blame her for picking peanut butter ANYTHING over kibble. Smart lady.
ReplyDeletePeanut butter does make things better, that's a fact.
DeleteHahahaha! I can't see my dog ever leaving food in her bowl, even if she would prefer something else. She could try but I bet she'd cave after a couple seconds. Once a stray, always a stray?
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a dishwasher so I have to wash Shiva's toys by hand, which means I don't do it as often as I should either. Meh. She never complains!
Yes, I think strays probably have their food priorities set!
DeleteSince I don't have a dishwasher I've found the best thing to clean a Kong with is a baby bottle brush. I scrub them inside and out every day before filling/stuffing with part of their kibble and a little canned food to keep it in tight.
ReplyDeleteAll of the pack except the blind spotted wonder, Breeze, inhale their food. Breeze takes forever and ever to eat. She'll wander away and then seems confused when it's gone (by me) a few minutes later. Silly pup! I've thought adding a topping but that seems like a bit of a bad habit to create.
Oh Breeze, I wonder if she's trying to simulate the "hunt"?
DeleteI wonder if a good transition step as you retrain her to plain food might be a puzzle type toy that is designed to dispense kibble--like a Buster Cube, a Tug Jug, or a Kong Wobbler. No additional calories, but more "fun." Smart Elka would probably love them.
ReplyDeleteI've thought about that, if putting the Kongs away for a little while didn't fix it. She seems to have caught on, though! Plus, I use the Kongs when the bowls are in the wash.
DeleteI leave kibbles down for my dogs all the time. But they will still bring their Kongs to me for a refill with the same kibbles even when the peanut butter isn't included. I guess working for food is part of their genetics.
ReplyDeleteWhile I wouldn't say that Elka has a completely set feeding schedule, she gets food in the bowl at a semi-regular time of day.
DeleteWell, duh! I never, ever thought of running the kong toys through the dishwasher! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteHah, really it's just me looking for the lazy option ;)
DeleteWoof! Woof! My mom finally got me a new Kong. My old ones about 5 of them ... Yes she puts it in the dishwasher but sometimes soaking them with warm water does the job. too. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar
ReplyDeleteOoh, a new Kong! That's fun to break in.
DeleteI would have Ma do it if I had a Kong. I had one once, but it really didn't interest me. Ma was disappointed.
ReplyDeleteKisses,
Ruby
There are times I buy a toy for Elka that she ends up totally not interested in. Everybody has their own tastes!
DeleteMum washes all our toys in the washing machine every other month or so- not for us, but to keep her house clean!
ReplyDeleteBOL
Slobbers
P.S Sorry we are SO far behind with your bloggy- shame on us!
Keeping the house clean is a good priority!
Delete(I don't mind, I've been behind on peoples' blogs too, with NaNoWriMo. I'm glad you're reading!)
We just don't like stinky rubber kongs
ReplyDeleteBenny & Lily
Some dogs don't! It's allowed ;)
DeleteThey pick up naughty habits quick, don't they? I completely blame Cushion for Georgia's ceaseless begging and drooling when there's food around.
ReplyDeleteYeah.....I won't point any specific fingers, but I'm pretty confident that I'm not the reason she begs like that.
DeleteSmart girl! LOL the pic is hilarious! I just rinse Nola's off every time I fill it up, because I usually put something sticky like yogurt or pumpkin in it
ReplyDeleteNola's Mom
If sticky things are way in there, rinsing 'em out like that is a good idea!
DeleteHa ha ha! Well, at least you admit it! Hubby won't admit that he's created a pair of monsters, even though the fact that they never beg from me ought to be a clue. :P Hopefully, she's back on track soon!
ReplyDeleteThere's training, and then there's acclimation, and then there's habituation....
DeleteI should run my Kongs through the dishwasher more often. They're kind of scuzzy. Not as scuzzy as the puppy's stuffed dinosaur, though. That thing is NASTY.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's kind of what happened here. I realized one day that the toys were all totally gross. It happened to coincide with these bad manners, so I just whisked them all away.
DeleteThe stuffed dinosaur toy...hmm. Put it in a pillowcase and run it through the wash?
I should wash the toys way more often than I do. At least the bowls get washed twice a day. :P
ReplyDeleteWell really, who can think of collecting the toys to wash when they're under couches and things?
DeleteI find the dishwasher the easiest way to wash food toys. No brush I have equals those hot water jets (or a long tongue).
ReplyDeleteDishwashers are a modern wonder! I very much did not like it when we didn't have one.
DeleteI throw the nylabones in there too
ReplyDeleteStop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
Ooh, that's a good idea!
DeleteThanks! It definitely works out well.
ReplyDelete