Reply #4: My dog ignores the kong

[FloridaJudy]

She seems to avoid anything made of rubber or latex: it must taste or smell bad to her. Try a cheap rubber toy to see how she reacts first before investing in a kong - they're pricey.

On the other hand, she can amuse herself for hours with those stuffed "fake fleece" squeaky toys. Some are sturdier than others. She's been known to disembowel the flimsy ones in less than five minutes, but she's still working on one that's over a year old. Ask the pet shop for one that's "terrier proof" (I don't know if this is an official term, but the folks there seem to know what I mean when I use it). As a bonus, if you carry it around for a few hours stuffed under your shirt it seems to absorb your odor, which may be comforting to a dog left alone. I found quite a few waistbands chewed out of clothes in the dirty laundry basket before I discovered that trick!