Product Review: Kong Binkie

The Kong Binkie is a Puppy Kong shaped like a pacifier. Or binkie. Or paci. Or soother. Or sucky. Or dummy. Or bobo. Or boppy. Or nuk. Or bippy. Or chupi. Want to have a really weird conversation with any group of people? Hold up a pacifier and ask them what it's called. The Kong Binkie is made from Kong's softest rubber, and is intended for needle-sharp puppy teeth and not permanent adult teeth. It comes in two sizes for small puppies under 20 pounds and medium puppies under 35 pounds.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Kong Binkie is an almost entirely unnecessary iteration of the Puppy Kong. Made from especially soft rubber, it has an added disc and handle at the top to make it look like a pacifier. So cute!

The Original Binkie

This is a great improvement over the original design, which placed the handle at the bottom and eliminated the stuffable hole that is almost the entire purpose of Kongs. Seriously, what good is a solid hunk of rubber? Most dogs I know have little to no interest in a food-free Kong. Obviously Kong realized this, and the design was changed with little fanfare back when Puppy Kongs were still being made with white swirly rubber.

Sure, it's shaped more like a pacifier,
but at what cost?

Wait, do you even have a puppy?

At 10 months old, Sisci has all her permanent teeth so technically we should not be using puppy Kongs and do so at our own risk. However, none of my dogs are destructive chewers and they enjoy the softer rubber. I am, however, well aware that if one of them suddenly decides to shred the things I will be in no position to complain to Kong. Fortunately none of mine have problems with eating things that aren't food.

Plus the Kong Binkie is really, really cute. There's no reason not to add it to our extensive Kong collection.

Pros: Soft and appealing for sinking tiny, sharp little puppy teeth into. The handle part is especially fun to gnaw. Stuffable. Made in the USA.

Cons: The adorableness of the toy and general lack of informed consumers means a lot of people will let their puppy play with this until their permanent teeth allow them to demolish it. Hopefully their puppy doesn't eat enough pieces to cause issues.

Bottom Line: Puppies are cute little babies, so it's fun to get them cute little baby toys. The Kong Binkie also helps puppies learn to self soothe, settle down, and have a good gnaw on something safe.

What was your dog's favorite toy as a puppy?

Product Review: Puppy Kong Classic

Puppy Kongs are durable rubber stuffable chew toys made from extra-soft rubber. The Kong Company makes a variety of toys out of their puppy rubber, we have two large and one medium Puppy Kong Classics.

Photo by Erin Koski

Kong makes their durable chew toys from five different color-coded natural rubber materials. Pastel pink and blue puppy rubber is the softest, followed by purple senior rubber. Next is classic red, followed by dark blue, and finally Black Extreme.

Puppy rubber is intended only for dogs that still have their needle-sharp baby teeth. Puppy Kongs are extra-squishy and inviting, and I have used them to help teach reluctant chewers that Kongs are more than just vessels for food.

Naturally, the Puppy Kongs can be used the same way as any other Classic Kong. I like to stuff them with peanut butter and freeze them.

Photo by Erin Koski

When I had the foster girls here, they had just been spayed and needed to stay quiet in their crates for ten days. I would fill their Kongs with dry kibble after each potty break so they could roll the toys around rather than eating out of a bowl.

Pros: A safe, durable chew toy that can be stuffed with tasty treats and frozen for teething puppies. Comes in cute pastel "baby" colors. Bounces unpredictably for ridiculous puppy action.

Photo by Erin Koski

Cons: Puppy Kong is only for puppies with baby teeth, as soon as they grow some permanent teeth this toy should be tossed. I'm not crazy about stuff having a limited lifespan like that. Puppy Kong also only comes in Extra Small, Small, Medium, and Large, so giant breed puppies may outgrow their toys before they finish teething.

Bottom Line: I own Puppy Kongs because  am eccentric enough to want to collect Kongs of every size/shape/color.