Kong Extreme Toys – Which Will keep Your Dogs Amused For Hours?
But first the doggies researched a little and discovered the following:
The Kong classic toy was ‘born’ back in the seventies when the founder Joe Markham discovered that a snowman shaped rubber suspension car part he threw out appealed to his dog Fitz. Now Fitz had a habit of destructive chewing and a preference for rocks, sticks and items that damaged his teeth. Upon seeing Fitz’s enthusiastic reaction to the rubber suspension part, the first among many, many, many Kong toys was created.
With such a huge range, here at Benafim Dogs we decided to test some of the Extreme Kong range. The majority of our rescue dogs are medium and large in size so we need the toys to be tough, strong and stand up to endless hours of play and chewing. The Extreme range is designed for ‘the toughest of chewers’ and made with the ‘most durable strength of rubber’ so these should be the perfect range for our doggies.
Real Reviews From The Toughest of Critics – The Dogs At Benafim Shelter
These are the 7 King Extreme Toys that our doggies at the shelter reviewed: Kong Extreme Ring, Kong Extreme Ball With Rope, Kong Extreme Dental, Kong Extreme Goodie Ribbon, Kong Extreme Flyer, Kong Extreme Dog Toy and Kong Extreme Tyre.
They chewed them for hours and hours, played fetch (some doggies more successfully at the fetching part than others, we won’t name and shame though haha!), pulled funny faces, threw the toys around themselves and posed a lot with hugely proud faces with their new toys.
What is really interesting for us to see is how our doggies at Benafim Dog shelter react to new toys. For some, who we have recently rescued and whom may have had a bleak past, often when they come to us, they discover toys for the first time. The moment they realise what a toy is, the expression on their faces, happy faces….. You really can not beat witnessing this.
Now of course they had all the fun and left the not so fun part to us, writing their thoughts and feedback. So let’s see what they thought.
Kong Extreme Ring
The Kong Extreme Ring is designed for long lasting chew sessions and claims to promote healthy teeth and gums. Jambo and Star were very keen to test this toy and are both very keen chewers, always looking as though they are up to mischief (despite their sweet and incredibly innocent eyes)!
Jambo was rescued a few months ago from the Algarve countryside. We doubt he had ever seen a toy and was incredibly scared and nervous around humans. Fast forward a few months and he is the kindest big boy with such an inquisitive nature, so much to discover every single day, he approaches everything with slight caution but gains courage from his best friend Star.
We spread a little bit of peanut butter onto the top to entice both Jambo and Star and also to help them understand what they were supposed to do. Often doggies who miss out on a ‘normal’ puppy hood need a little extra encouragement with toys.
Well it took a matter of seconds for this pair to get their teeth stuck in and we didn’t hear a peep out of them for hours.
What was incredibly sweet to see (so much so that we were so wide mouthed and grinning stupidly we completely forgot to capture the moment in pictures) was Jambo and Star then taking a side each of the ring and gently playing tug.
The Details
Size XL
Natural Extreme Rubber
Designed for Dogs of 27 to 41 kg
Measures 5.25 inches
Summary
Quite simply, a lovely toy to chew on and to play with. Durable, strong, lightweight and easy to clean.
Check Price on AmazonKong Extreme Ball With Rope
The Extreme Kong Ball with Rope is designed to be used for interactive games such as fetch and tug. The 100% cotton rope also rewards appropriate chewing behavior while massaging teeth and gum. Dogs Tom and Alex were two of our rescues who tested this toy.
Tom is young and full of energy. His reaction to the Kong Extreme Ball with Rope was priceless. He looked so incredibly proud with his toy and immediately took it to his bed and played with it to his hearts content. Tom really got into the swing of playing with it by himself and loved seeing how when he held the rope the ball would swing around when he threw his head around too. What is also fantastic is that when he let go, the ball bounces which got Tom chasing after it and retrieving the toy back to his bed.
We will let you into a secret. Alex is the funniest dog to play with. He is so enthusiastic, fairly clumsy, dare we say not the best with coordination and hand on heart until he played with this toy didn’t understand the concept of bringing toys back to us. Admittedly most of the time when we throw a standard ball for Alex to fetch, he often can’t find it!
The Extreme Kong Ball with rope was an instant hit with Alex. (if you want to know more about Alex click here). What is astonishing is that he chased the toy, found it and brought it back to his with such pride – honestly we were shocked. Alex then lay down with the toy between his legs with the biggest smile on his face. Lots of big smiles from us seeing him so happy.
Back to Tom. Now he loved the toy so much, he didn’t want to give it back to us. We are a soft touch at times and seeing him so happy means we left the toy for him to enjoy and have a good chew on. Oh dear, this wasn’t the best decision as a few hours later Tom had chewed through the rope.
The Details
100% Cotton rope
Extreme rubber
Designed for Dogs of 13 to 30 kg
Ball size 3 inches
Summary
The Extreme Kong Ball Rope is ideal for interactive play as Tom so readily showed us. The 100% cotton rope for tugging and chewing satisfaction unfortunately didn’t stand up to Tom’s rigourous testing/chewing. We feel however this toy isn’t one to be left with dogs for chewing and with so many alternatives as tested in this review, this shouldn’t put you off buying the toy.
Check Price on AmazonKong Extreme Dental
The Kong Extreme Dental Toy is designed to provide chewing entertainment for dogs whilst cleaning their teeth and gums. Unlike the Extreme Ring Toy it has grooves that help to clean teeth. A great way to get your dog to start chewing is to stuff the grooves with your dogs favourite treat and the inside of the toy too. This can be anything from cheese, peanut butter to small treats or kibble. In the summer why not put something tasty and frozen in there?
Kai and Chica were our chief testers for the Kong Extreme Dental Toy. Kai took the relaxed approach and settled in for the long haul, in fact hours later when we checked on her, she was still on her blanket and still having a good chew. Result!
Chica or Cheeky Chica as we like to call her is miss independent and very sassy. Every single dog loves her and of course we do too! Chica is definitely a ‘take it or leave it’ kind of girl, she will either love something or not show any interest at all. Well you can see in the picture below this was a ‘take it’ – phew!
Cheeky Chica approached the toy with caution but as soon as she realised there were tasty treats hidden inside, of course she was won over. Chica is actually smaller than the weight of between 13 and 40 kg the toy is designed for, but we couldn’t leave her out of helping to test a product! She may be tiny but she has the attitude of a massive dog so win, win really.
The Details
Available in size L
Extreme rubber
Designed for dogs of 13 to 30 kg
5.25 Length x 2.75 Width inches
Summary
Provides an enjoyable chewing experience with unique grooves that help to clean the teeth and gums. A nice design, easy for the doggies to get a nice grip on and a really tough rubber that stands up to the strongest chewers.
Check Price on AmazonKong Extreme Goodie Ribbon
We have a rule at the shelter – if a toy passes both Nero’s and Black Nero’s paws and is still intact a day later, the toy is durable and tough and will most likely be around for weeks and months to come! Very few pass the test. They are the most enthusiastic of chewers and not many toys survive long if left with them. Can we pause for a ‘yipppeeee’ moment? Yes, the Kong Extreme Goodie Ribbon is still very much alive and kicking!
The Kong Extreme Goodie ribbon has four stuffable ‘Kong compartments’ in a bone shaped row which is designed to keep dogs entertained for hours. Each stuffable Kong compartment also has ridges inside which helps keep any treats inside and makes it more challenging for a dog to reach and get out.
We put peanut butter for Kyra to enjoy and for both Nero’s we stuffed dog treats inside. The photos, we feel, speak for themselves. A huge success! What is also a real positive according to the dogs is that it is strong and big enough to really get a good hold of between their paws. For the lazier chewer of course this means less moving around trying to get the right angle to have a good chew.
The Details
Available in S, M and L
Designed for dogs of 13 to 30 kg
21.8 x 15.5 x 5.5 cm
620 Grams
Extreme rubber
Black Nero loved and we mean loved the goodie ribbon – so much so he is still talking to us about it days after trying it for the first time. Black Nero on walks will pick up the biggest sticks (some could possibly be trees ha!) and in a few chomps will have chewed his way through. Honestly! So to be greeted with such enthusiasm, smiles and to pass Black Nero’s mouth and remain in one piece is incredible.
Summary
What a toy! This Extreme goodie ribbon toy will keep even the most easily distracted dog absorbed for hours. How could it not with not just one, but four compartments to fill with your doggie’s favourite treats?
Check Price on AmazonKong Extreme Flyer
Our wonderful boy Alex once again put his paws up to volunteer when we asked who wanted to help test the Extreme Flyer toy. Thank you Alex!
Now a little bit of input from the Benafim human team here. We are a little bit in love with this toy. Some of us (no finger pointing) are not the best throwers much to our dogs dismay. Eeek. But the Extreme Flyer is super light and really easy to throw and to a fair distance, which of course is much more fun for the dogs.
Alex’s excitement at Lee preparing to throw the flyer is clear to see in this photo. And look…. in the photo below, Alex really is getting the hang of this retrieving business!
The dynamic rebound on the flyer means that even if the dog doesn’t catch the flyer mid air, the toy will then bounce up again and can still be caught by the dog (instead of lying flat, still and lifeless on the ground). Absolutely priceless watching Alex’s face trying to coordinate his eyes and his body into catching the flyer mid air!
With it being really soft there is no risk at all of any impact, mid air or when rebounding, hurting a dog. It is so so light weight and incredibly soft.
Alex thoroughly enjoyed this toy. He would have played with it for hours given the chance. Every single throw of the flyer he retrieved and loved also lying in the grass, smiling, with the toy proudly between his legs! But with a shelter full of doggies waiting for their exercise and to enjoy testing the toys too, we had to bring the fun to an end after 45 minutes of constant play.
Gau Gau’s reaction to the toy is a very standard Gau Gau one. He is much more discreet than Alex and doesn’t like to be in the spotlight as much. Gau Gau loved chasing after the flyer but when it landed he became distracted by smells in the grass and forgot about the toy for a few seconds.
Typical, the testing comes to a halt when one of the team throw the flyer in completely the wrong direction. Thank goodness for the fishing net! Relief all round when we managed to retrieve the toy! Alex would not have been happy!
The Details
Large Size
Durable rubber material
Summary
An absolutely fantastically fun toy for playing fetch, and yes, it is a lot of fun for humans too!!!!
Check Price on AmazonKong Extreme Dog Toy
The Kong Extreme Dog Toy is an even stronger and tougher version of the well known Kong toy classic. Komo, Nero and Jean volunteered to test the Extreme version. It’s a hard life haha!
Komo’s initial reaction was hilarious – is it a bird, is it a plane? No Komo it is a Kong toy! Jean’s reaction was not too dissimilar – see photo below!
Once both dogs got over the initial – what on earth is this? – moment, and realised there were goodies to be licked out, both dogs settled down to an afternoon of relaxed chewing time.
You know on those very rare occasions when you throw a standard tennis ball and it falls onto a stone or bump and veers off in a totally unexpected direction? You do? Do you laugh when you see the dog’s confused face and watch them circling trying to work out what just happened? You do?
Well the Kong Extreme toy does this every time it lands (if the dog hasn’t got it mid air). The toy has a random bounce meaning it does exactly what we just described above. Absolutely priceless watching the dog’s faces trying to work out where the toy has ended up.
Incredibly handsome Nero is an expert when it comes to toys, he has seen many in his life and not many have survived. Nero took himself off to a quiet corner of his kennel and similarly to Komo and Jean (minus the “what is this” reaction) got stuck in and we didn’t hear a peep out of him for quite some time.
Remarkably not one signal sign of having been through Nero’s paws and teeth!
The Details
Available in sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL
Natural rubber
XXL measures 6 x 4 inches
Designed for dogs of 38 + kg
Jean must have loved this toy, he only buries the ones he loves. Typically he can never remember, but there are always the tell tale signs, yep, he needs some practice and hiding any evidence. That large heap of stones in the corner of his kennel is a bit of a giveaway.
Summary
This is quite a big claim from our doggies but here goes…… they told us you really can’t go wrong with the Extreme Dog Toy.
Check Price on AmazonKong Extreme Tyre
Experienced chewer Pebbles and novice chewer Teddy were two of our dogs who helped test the Kong Extreme Tyre. The Extreme Tyre is a tire chew designed to provide the ultimate chewing experience. The uniquely shaped sidewalls and thick outer tread create a super durable, elastic barrier. The sidewalls are designed to double up and rebound when compressed. The tyre also has a bounce to it making it a great alternative to a standard ball for games of fetch.
Pebbles, sweet, sweet Pebbles – doesn’t she just look so focused and happy having a good chew and lick on the Kong Extreme Tyre? Once again we stuffed the inside of the tyre with peanut butter. Within nano seconds Pebbles was not interested at all in our presence beside her, which is so unusual as she just loves human company, interaction and cuddles. Not this time! We became invisible, meaning we just stared at her in awe and with such love – yes she is one very special girl! Doesn’t she look like a pro/model with the tyre between her paws?
Teddy, one of our newest rescues, came to us extremely traumatised and scared from a horrendously traumatic past. Within a few weeks, Teddy has made such an incredible physical recovery and every single day he becomes more confident in himself too. We were so thrilled to see him being brave enough to trust us giving him the Kong Tyre toy. His toy dog stayed close by and with a slightly envious eye watched as Teddy had a proper chew on the tyre.
The Details
Available in sizes S and M
Extreme durable rubber
Designed for dogs of 13 to 30 kg
Measures 4.5 inches
Summary
A great alternative to the Extreme Kong Toy according to the dogs. Perhaps slightly less strange a looking shape for dogs who are not used to toys? This is of course the human input as to why potentially it got less strange looks when introduced? Another toy you really can’t go wrong with.
Check Price on AmazonConclusion – Our Dog’s Verdict
We are in a bit of a predicament, oh yes we are. The thing is, with such positive feedback from all of our doggies, and with such enjoyment had by all, the dogs genuinely are so impressed by all 7 toys tried and tested. Each and every toy does exactly what it says it does and more.
Jambo, Star, Tom, Teddy, Alex, Kai, Chica, Nero, Kyra, Black Nero, Gau Gau, Komo, Jean, Pebbles and all the other dogs at Benafim Dogs had such a fun time testing the 7 Kong Extreme Toys. They all asked us (especially Alex) to say a big, big thank you to Fitz – without whom these fantastic toys would not exist. We also owe a big thank you to Fitz. We get so frustrated when toys don’t last and within minutes the doggies faces go from big smiles to confused, sad faces. With hours to fill every day at the shelter until we find homes for all our wonderful dogs, of course we want them to be happy, entertained and stimulated. Every Kong Extreme Toy the dogs tested did exactly this!
