KONG NEWS
Thank you for being part of our third issue of the KONG Community Newsletter. We now have over 5500 members and growing daily. Volume 3 contains descriptions of KONG's latest products, delicious KONG Stuff'N recipes, KONG photo contest, KONG training and activity tips and an article by well-known, guest author and behaviorist, Steve Appelbaum.

KONG Quarterly Photo Contests

Last issue the KONG "Dental Stick Photo Contest" grand prize winner was Leslie Bryant of Victoria, BC and her dog Kaya. Leslie and Kaya have won the grand prize of $500.00 and a KONG Gift Basket (worth approximately $120.00).


Our second place winner is Susan Merchant of Stevensburg, VA and her dog Jack. Susan and Jack have won a large KONG Gift Basket (worth approximately $120.00).

The third place winner is Peter Lake of Newton Square, PA and his dog Red. Peter and Red will receive a medium KONG Gift Basket (worth approximately $85.00).

The KONG Company would like to thank all the community members who submitted KONG Dental Stick photos. Your involvement in the contest was overwhelming and the photos superb. The process of choosing a winner took a full week, but we loved every minute of it. All participants will be receiving a thank you gift for making this contest a smashing success.

Check out the new pet photo contest in this issue, for another chance to win $500.00 and a KONG products gift basket.


A Community of Caring
As members of the community at large, we have all been touch by the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina and Rita. We all saw the dramatic and heart wrenching images of those lives caught in the grip of despair and desperation, we also witnessed the uplifting stories and images of the brave and thoughtful people that gave of themselves during and after the storms. Fundraising and donations from the world have brought hope and needed comfort to the survivors.

In the aftermath of these disasters the relief efforts were first directed to the vast human suffering in the form of food, water, medical aid, and shelter.

Once accomplished the community was able to focus some efforts on all the stranded, injured and hungry animals affected by the hurricanes. Again, we all have seen the disturbing pictures and videos of confused dogs and cats on rooftops, wandering the muddy streets, and drinking the dirty water. Much has been accomplished in the weeks after the hurricanes, but there is still much to do. Many pets still remain, lost in the effected cities and thousands need to be reunited with their owners. Many rescue organizations involved in the effort and subsequent housing of these animals are in great need of help.

The KONG Company is pleased to announce a donation of forty thousand KONG toys and associated KONG treats to the pet rescue efforts. This donation was made in the name of the KONG Community. It is our greatest hope that after being through such stressful situations, these beloved pets will find some solace in these toys and treats during their relocation and temporary housing.

Welcome to the KONG Community
This month the KONG Company would like to share a letter sent to us by a grateful member of the KONG community. It is refreshing to be part of a community and product line that truly makes a positive difference in the lives of companion animals and their owners.

Hi There!
I wanted to write and tell you how much I have enjoyed looking at your website and share our KONG story with you.

Magnus is my American Bulldog/Pit Bull mix. He's the white dog in the attached photos. He is 7 years old. I found our original King KONG for him at the vet's office 7 years ago. It has so far proved to be the most durable dog toy I've ever found. It has survived 4 moves with us and much abuse from Magnus and Tank. Last month I was mowing the yard, and King
KONG met with his first major catastrophe. I hit it with the mower and chopped the little end off.

Tank is our American Bulldog/Pit Bull/Black Lab mix. He is the black dog in the attached photos. It was a planned pregnancy with our best friend's dog. His body is all Bull/Pit, and his hair is all Lab. He's quite the character. He is 5 years old. I found a KONG Ball at the grocery store a couple of years ago, and introduced it into our house. It has survived 2 moves but continues to be a favorite toy. They have not been able to destroy it. Your toys are so tough.

We got the boys a new KONG for Christmas this last year (04). I found a new Red KONG at PetsMart. I wish we would have had KONG toys when Magnus was a puppy as he chewed everything. I know our next dogs will grow up with KONG toys!

I wanted to put my boys in the Kong Hall of Fame on your web-site. Every dog should have a KONG or three!! Thank you so much for creating a wonderful dog toy that is so loved!!

Jerilyn McConchie
Magnus and Tank

Your letters of success, like the one above are always welcome and appreciated. If you would like to share your KONG experiences or any KONG news with the KONG community, just email us at:kong@kongcompany.com

If your letter is chosen for the next KONG Community Newsletter, you will receive a KONG Gift Basket.

The responses to the KONG website and KONG newsletter have been overwhelmingly positive. We continue to receive thousands of visits daily from the enthusiastic KONG community. Feel free to visit the KONG website often, and welcome to the community.

NEW KONG PRODUCTS
The KONG Company is proud to be the recognized leader in quality pet products. All of our new products have been thoroughly tested by happy family pets; we never use laboratory animals for our product testing. Veterinarians have also approved and tested all of our new products. Here are the latest additions to our ever-expanding product line.

New KONG Toys:

KONG Saucer
After the successful release of KONG’s first rubber flying disc, the KONG Flyer, KONG has succeeded in producing another ultimate natural rubber, flying disc. The KONG Saucer is made with KONG Natural Rubber and has a reinforced nylon outer rim. Accurate flight and soft-catch make the new KONG Saucer perfect for a game of fetch and catch. More fun, flying exercise for you and your dog.

As with any flying disc toy, never leave your dog unattended with the disc. KONG’s flying discs are not intended as chew or tug toys. More information and instruction is available on the KONG website.

Large Air KONG Squeaker Tennis Balls
AIR KONG IS MAKING SOME MORE NOISE! Large Air KONG Squeakers. Our durable, high quality large SQUEAKER tennis ball is covered in a nonabrasive tennis ball material that will not wear down dog’s teeth. All squeaker units are hidden and covered by the tennis ball fabric creating a clean, finished look.

Dr. Noys Tennis Ball Mouse
The lightweight, Tennis Ball Mouse cat toy will make any cat jump for joy. The Tennis Ball mouse is the latest creation of Dr. Noys' Cats with an Attitude product line. This cat toy is designed with a lightweight tennis ball body that produces an irresistible, erratic roll. The head of the mouse contains premium catnip to further entice any cat.

New KONG Stuff'N Treats:

FREE Stuff’N Stand with KONG Stuff’N Hounds 27
The KONG Company has added another Stuff’N tool to make stuffing and freezing KONGs a breeze! Packaged with both flavors of Hounds 27 Sauce, you will receive a FREE KONG Stuff’N Stand and a FREE Hounds 27 User Guide / Recipe Booklet. The KONG Stuff’N Stand makes stuffing your KONG easy by securely holding the KONG toy in an upright position. Fill KONG toys with KONG Stuff’N treats, Sauces or Pastes. Serve as is or freeze (always remove Stuff'N Stand before serving). A frozen treat-filled KONG gives your dog long lasting entertainment.

Delicious Fun made even easier. The new KONG Stuff’N Hounds 27 is a thick, rich, all natural, gourmet sauce for the pampered dog in your life. Designed to be used as a stuffing for KONG’s famous line of dog toys, or as a topping that will add a gourmet touch to any dry dog food. Hounds 27 is the perfect match for KONG toys.

KONG TRAINING TIPS
Every quarter we will explore different topics related to training and behavioral issues. All future issues will also include feature articles from world-renowned dog trainers and behaviorists. This issue our guest author is Steve Appelbaum.

Crate Training with KONG
By Steve Appelbaum

The very first time I saw a KONG was 1980. I started my dog training business that year and was visiting a local pet store with my dog, a beautiful Samoyed named Samantha. As we walked around the store, I would occasionally show her a toy I thought interesting. She haughtily ignored all offerings. When I saw the red KONG, my first reaction was what the heck is this? Picking it up, I accidentally dropped it and watched its unique, weird KONG bounce when it hit the floor. Samantha pounced on it and a love affair was born.

Now a quarter of a century later, KONG toys come in a myriad of shapes and sizes. What’s more, trainers and dog owners the world over have come to appreciate the product’s durability and usefulness. Not only as an interesting play toy, but a valuable training tool.

In the last newsletter a fantastic trainer named Teri Ryan shared how KONG toys can be utilized to alleviate puppy teething and foster proper chewing behavior. In this article I will explore how KONG toys can be used to help dogs feel comfortable while crated. This comfort is extremely important for those people utilizing a crate for housebreaking, treating separation anxiety, as well as teaching your dog general house manners.

A KONG-loving dog that is allowed to have a “special treat-filled KONG” when crated, may find the experience of being created much more positive. Since successful crate training hinges in part on such positive associations, anything a trainer or owner can do to facilitate this is a step in the right direction.

When preparing a stuffed KONG, be aware of any dietary limitations your dog may have. Taking that into consideration, it’s important to stuff the KONG with something your dog really loves. Owners should consider delicious items the dog can easily get out of the KONG. In the old days, people would use whatever items they could find. Believe it or not, I once had a client who stuffed his Beagle’s KONG toy with minced garlic! To make life easier for dogs and owners, KONG developed a variety of products designed exclusively for stuffing KONG toys. These include soft stuffings like KONG Stuff’N Liver Paste and Stuff’N Peanut Butter Paste. Filling a KONG with soft stuffings like these will insure the dog’s success almost immediately. Owners can eventually graduate to hard stuffings, like KONG Stuff’N Liver Snaps or my dog’s favorite, Stuff’N Beef and Liver. The hard stuffings last a bit longer and keeps the dog entertained for greater periods of time. There is even a new product designed to make whatever you use even more enticing. It’s called “Hounds 27”, a rich natural sauce that can be applied over various stuffings or frozen inside the KONG.

Crating Training Made Easy - Step 1
Once you find the perfect recipes for your dog, use it to stuff three or four KONGs (they will come in handy). Then make it a point to give a stuffed KONG to your dog once a day, when not crated, at random times for about a week before using it in the crate. After a week the dog should eagerly look to play with her special stuffed KONG whenever it is offered. You can then start placing it in the crate when you offer it to her.

Get the dog used to the crate, leave the door open and place the stuffed KONG inside while encouraging your dog to retrieve it. Soon she will enter the crate with no hesitation. From there, graduate to crating her with the special stuffed KONG. Start off crating your dog for short periods of time. After twenty to thirty minutes you can give her a second fresh stuffed KONG. Once the dog is used to being crated for longer periods of time, simply give her two or three special stuffed KONGs all at once.

Professional Tips
Be careful not to stuff the KONG with anything that disagrees with your dog’s stomach. This is why KONG’s Stuff’N products are such a good choice (they are made for dogs). However, regardless of what you use, make sure your dog can digest it.

Crates, KONG and Separation Anxiety
Simply stated, separation anxiety in dogs is a stress or panic response that occurs when the dog is left alone. Usually such dogs will have an anxiety reaction within fifteen to forty-five minutes after their owners leave them. Some typical anxiety responses include:

• Digging, chewing and scratching at doors or windows. Some dogs have even been known to crash through windows and jump over fences.
• Excessive barking or howling.
• Urination and defecation even amongst housetrained dogs.

Many owners are familiar with the term separation anxiety and also recognize that some of the aforementioned symptoms could indicate their dog suffers from this disorder. Unfortunately, many owners fail to realize that these symptoms can also be caused by numerous other factors having nothing or little to do with separation anxiety. This is one of the reasons why owners suspecting separation anxiety should consult with a professional trainer who has experience in addressing this behavioral challenge.

Crating can be used in conjunction with various behavior modification techniques to address some separation anxiety problems. However, not all dogs will tolerate being crated. Assuming your dog will not become more stressed when crated, KONGs can be highly effective in teaching a dog to enjoy being crated or at least feel more positive about the experience. To put it another way, while there is a good deal more to treating separation anxiety than simply stuffing a KONG, the more positive a dog feels when being crated, the easier it may be to treat the separation anxiety problem.

KONG can also be used without crating to help the dog feel more positive when left alone. A stuffed KONG (or three or four of them) can be given to the dog prior to departure. This, combined with other behavior modification methods, makes KONG a useful tool in addressing this difficult challenge.

Remember, no method works all the time. When stressed, some dogs will not eat or play with anything. Stuffed KONG toys may not work as a training tool in these circumstances. If this happens don’t worry, as KONG is still a great dog toy for those times when your dog isn’t stressed.

Some readers may have a dog that is already accustomed to the crate. If this is the case, skip the section on getting your dog used to the crate. Simply create special stuffed KONGs which you can give to her during those times you wish the dog to be most relaxed and content.

These tips are presented as a general guide. If you have specific questions not covered here, contact a local KONG-using trainer near you. Good luck!

Steve Appelbaum has trained dogs professionally since 1980. From 1987 to 2004, he was the CEO of Animal Behavior and Training Associates (ABTA) which was the largest dog training company in North America. If you took a class at Petco before 2004, you were likely one of Steve’s clients. Today, Steve is President of Animal Behavior College, Inc., a school dedicated to training the next generation of dog trainers. This school has graduated over 1200 trainers since 1999 and has students in all fifty states and Canada. Steve writes a regular column for Off Lead magazine and is the author of the “ABC Practical Guide to Dog Training” published by Howell/Wiley in 2004. He also does consulting in the pet industry and lectures on behavior, as well as business building/marketing for dog trainers.

KONG STUFF'N RECIPES AND ACTIVITIES
KONG Toys are the original treat-dispensing toy; a properly stuffed KONG Toy will keep your dog busy and content for hours. Along with relieving boredom, a stuffed KONG Toy will provide an enriching activity that stimulates both physically and mentally. Remember to reduce your dog’s bowl feeding when offering two or more stuffed KONGs daily. Clean KONGs thoroughly after each use. Dishwasher is recommended.

Basic Stuff'N Suggestions:
For quick and easy KONG stuffing, use any of our KONG Stuff’N treats or pastes. KONG’s Stuff’N treats are specifically designed to fit KONG toys. Experiment with combinations of two or more KONG Treats, Pastes or Sauces for a longer lasting stuffed KONG session.

Hounds 27 Shepard’s Pie Recipe
Place your KONG in the KONG Stuff’N Stand, large hole end up. This is a layered recipe.

First layer: 1- 2 tablespoons mashed potatoes.

Second layer: 2 tablespoon KONG Stuff’N Hounds 27 Meaty Roast Beef Sauce.

Third layer: 1 – 2 tablespoons cooked ground beef.

Fourth layer: mix 1/8 cup shredded cheddar Cheese with 1 – 2 crumbled KONG Stuff’N Liver Snaps. Stuff mixture to top of large hole of KONG toy.

Serve as is or make several and freeze. Can be served frozen. A frozen stuffed KONG will provide long lasting entertainment for your dog.

Winning KONG Stuff’N Recipe:
New for this and all upcoming KONG Newsletters. The KONG staff will be choosing a winning KONG Stuff'N Recipe from those sent in by KONG community members. Recipes can be entirely original or utilize any combination of KONG Stuff’N Treats with any KONG toy. Winners will receive a KONG Gift Basket stuffed with a variety of fun KONG toys and tasty KONG Stuff’N treats.

This newsletter’s winning recipe comes for "Down Under".

Outback Noodles KONG Style
Cook any 2 minute instant noodles according to directions. Instead of stirring in the flavor sachet, stir in a spoonful of Vegemite (Australian yeast spread).

Stuff KONG and freeze. Australian dogs love it! (The KONG Company Canine Kitchen tested this recipe and found that American dogs love it to.)

Winning recipe submitted by KONG Community member:
Jo Elliott
Queensland, Australia
Pet's Names: Merlin & Milo

Jo, Merlin & Milo will receive a special KONG gift basket. Send in your favorite KONG Stuff'N recipes for a chance to win. Photos are also welcome.

Featured KONG Activity:

KONG Tracking Game

The KONG Tracking Game is a fun activity designed to stimulated and entertain your dog. KONG Tracking will teach your dog to follow a treat trail to the ultimate reward of a treat-stuffed KONG. All you need is a KONG toy and KONG Stuff’N treats for this activity.

Keep your dog away from the area where you will be placing the KONG Tracking trail. Stuff a KONG toy with any KONG Stuff’N Treat and hide it out of sight in your house or backyard. Starting from the stuffed KONG, create a trail using 10 -12, dime-sized pieces of KONG Stuff’N Snaps, Beef and Liver, Tail Mix, or TOTs. Moving away from the Stuffed KONG place Stuff’N treats pieces about 12 inches apart in a relatively straight line, this will make it easy for your dog to track the trail to the stuffed KONG.

After the trail is set, retrieve your dog on lead. Point out the beginning treat at the start of the trail and say “seek”. After your dog eats the first treat, point to the second treat in the trail and say “seek”. In a soft voice, praise your dog after she finds each additional treat in the trail. Eventually your dog will find the treasure at the end of the trail. Praise you dog and say, “Good seek”. Never correct your dog during this game. If she loses track of the trail, simply point her in the right direction. Always use lots of praise at the end of the game. Follow these instructions for the first two or three KONG Tracking games.

Once your dog masters easy tracking trails and anticipates the extra special reward at the end of the trail, you can begin to increase the difficulty. Start by increasing the distance between the 10 - 12 treat markers. Then, add curves and zigzags to the trail. You can also increase the number of markers (12 – 24 treats) and the distance of the trail. Your dog will love the challenge and constant positive rewards this game offers.

KONG Tracking Tips
• Lightly moisten your KONG Stuff’N treats pieces. This will increase the scent of the treats and make it easier for your dog to track.
• When building a tracking trail in grass, flatting the grass first with footprints before setting the treat markers down.
• In the beginning, use of a lead is recommended to keep your dog on task.

KONG Jump'N Jack
PHOTO CONTEST
Win $500.00 or valuble KONG Gift Baskets! It’s simple. Photograph your dog using a KONG Jump’N Jack and email digital image to:kong@kongcompany.com, or mail photograph to:

KONG Jump'N Jack Contest
16191 Table Mountain Pkwy
Golden, CO 80403-1641

(Photos mailed to the KONG Company cannot be returned)

Rules:
1. The photo must contain a dog(s) interacting with a KONG Jump’N Jack toy.
2. Make sure your photo is clear and of good quality! If your picture is blurry, or the Jump'N Jack unrecognizable, it is not likely to win. 
3. Limit two photos per contestant.
4. The dog owner’s mailing address and phone number must be included. Any prize won will be mailed to that address.
5. The KONG Company will pick one “Best Photo” winner from images received.
6. There are three guaranteed prize categories: Grand Prize Winner, Second Place Winner and Third Prize Winner. Grand Prize winners will receive $500.00 US and a KONG Gift Basket. Second Place winners will receive a KONG Gift Basket (worth approximately $120.00). Third Place winners will receive a KONG Gift Basket (worth approximately $85.00).
7. Photo comments and captions welcome, but not necessary to win.
8. All entries must be received by December 31, 2005. No entries accepted after December 31, 2005. A winner will be selected by January 15, 2006.
9. Winning photos may be used in KONG Company advertisements and promotions.


KONG Jump'N Jack
The Jump’N Jack makes a great fetch toy and treat dispenser. KONG Stuff’N TOTs and KONG Stuff’N Pastes work great to initiate play sessions. KONG’s Jump’N Jack is designed with patented Denta-Ridges that reduce plaque and food debris while providing a gentle abrasive cleaning and conditioning of teeth and gums.

NEXT KONG NEWSLETTER WILL BE SENT
January 15, 2006

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