Best Kong dog toys, according to our dogs | CNN Underscored

Fillable Kong toy: Kong Wobbler Dog Toy

Kong tug toy: Kong Twistz Ring Dog Toy

Kong chew toy: Kong Extreme Tires Dog Toy

Kong is one of the most popular dog toy and pet supply brands on the market. It’s also one of the most recognizable. You know a red Kong toy when you see one.

However, with so many options, knowing the best Kong dog toys to buy can be tough. Not only does Kong have its famous Kong Classic Dog Toy but the brand offers tug toys, balls for fetch, chew toys, puzzle toys and so much more. So, before buying the first Kong you see at the pet store, it helps to consider what your dog would like best.

Since Kong sells so many variations of its popular toys, think about the kinds of toys your dog likes. Do they enjoy playing fetch outside? Is tug-of-war their favorite game? Or do they want to sit in their crate and have some alone time while licking frozen peanut butter out of a toy? No matter your dog’s favorite games, Kong has a toy perfect for them.

To help you find the best Kong toys for your dog, I recruited my dog and her friends to help me test 20 of the brand’s most popular models. Whether you’re looking for a toy for pulling, chewing or filling with treats, you’re sure to find a quality winner in our picks below. Here are the best Kong toys we tested.

This classic red rubber dog toy is Kong’s bestseller. The Kong Classic Dog Toy is a hard rubber, odd-shaped toy that is hollow inside so that you can fill it with treats and goodies. You can put a mixture of peanut butter and kibble inside or freeze another dog-friendly mixture for an even longer engagement. I like to give this to my pup, Imogene, when I’m leaving for a few hours; she’s an 8-month-old mini Australian shepherd/border collie mix that weighs about 30 pounds.

Sizes of the Kong Classic range from XS to XXL; Imogene likes the medium for long-lasting treats but prefers the extra-small size when she just wants to chew on something. The Kong toy also has specific varieties for puppies, older dogs and extreme chewers.

Once my pup figured out how to use the Kong Wobbler, this was one of her favorites. The bottom of this toy unscrews so you can pour kibble into the hollow top part. Once screwed back on and placed on the floor, the rounded bottom makes for a fun game your dog can play by themselves. When they paw at the Wobbler, the toy topples and kibble falls out of the small hole on the side. During the day, I fill this with a handful of kibble and leave it in Imogene’s playpen.

The Kong Classic Biscuit Ball has a vibe similar to the Classic Kong — a rubber red ball with pockets to stick treats in. One of our dog testers, an 8-year-old mixed breed named Parker, loved to chew on this even without any treats. Sticking treats in it was also very easy, which Parker enjoyed.

Underscored pet editor Kai Burkhardt loves this dog toy, which is slightly different from the Biscuit Ball toy. You can insert treats into the ball, and the grooved slits on the outside of the ball help clean your dog’s teeth while they’re playing. Burkhardt says he’s had one for more than three years and it’s still holding up.

You can fill this toy’s four different compartments with spreadable treats like peanut butter or hard treats like kibble. The Kong Goodie Ribbon is made from the same durable red rubber as the Kong Classic but is a bit more of a puzzle to play with. If you are going to fill the Goodie Ribbon toy with a spreadable mixture, make sure it’s either pretty thick or slightly frozen before filling or it will drip out the other end.

The Squeezz Ball is a classic squishy and squeaky ball. My dog enjoyed how easy it was to bite and squeak, and how unpredictably it bounced in all directions.

This ball is similar to the regular Squeezz Ball but has textured nubs on all sides to promote healthy gums and clean teeth. It is heavier than the regular Squeezz Ball and didn’t bounce as well, but my dog enjoyed chewing it, especially when I filled the grooves with peanut butter.

If your dog is obsessed with their Kong Classic Toy, get this launcher for the next time you head outside to play fetch. Similar to a Chuckit!, the launcher makes it easy to throw the toy far and you don’t have to get your hands all slobbery from picking it up. Be careful, though, as the Kong Classic Toys are heavier than a tennis ball, so watch when and where you launch this.

This all-natural rubber chew toy comes in two diameter sizes: 3.5 inches and 4.5 inches. It works ideally as a chew toy or even to play a bouncy game of fetch. With the smaller size, this is perfect for a small dog or puppy who is teething.

The Bounzer Dog Toy can amuse your dog as a compressible chew toy and a slightly bouncy fetch toy. It’s shaped like the Kong Classic Dog Toy but is much softer and more flexible, so it is better for chewing and self-entertainment as it expands back to its original shape. The medium is about 6 inches tall, while the large (8 inches) and extra large (11 inches) can provide oversized, springy fun.

The Kong Squeezz Goomz Football is a hefty toy. It has two different textures to engage a tough chewer and a squeaker in it too, but reviews did say that it didn’t last with heavy chewers. The football was a bit heavy for my 30-pound dog — and I definitely wouldn’t play fetch with it — but larger dogs loved it.

My pup immediately latched on to this durable stuffed mallard. The colors are bright and it’s just the right size for her to carry around without tripping on it. It’s also a bit floppy with minimal stuffing, so she can shake it around without much effort. She enjoyed pulling some of the furs out, but the squeaky, plush toy remains intact, even as she’s used it to play tug with other dogs.

This smaller stuffed animal, about 9 inches long for the medium, is more of a lovey for my pup, as she prefers carrying it around or keeping it in her crate. It has one squeaker and more stuffing than the mallard, so even if she decides to destroy it, it will take some effort. This Cozie toy also comes as an alligator, elephant, lion, rhino and monkey. Sizes include small, medium and XL.

If you have two dogs who love to play tug, consider the large-size Kong Twistz Ring Dog Toy. It’s made from a flexible rubber that is twisted and textured so it’s easy to latch on to but isn’t too hard on teeth. The large size (11 inches in diameter) can easily be held onto by two dogs, and it floats if you are playing fetch in the water. And if your dog uses it as a chew toy, like mine did often, the ring is very durable.

This is another toy ideal for dogs who love to tug and pull with their friends. The Kong Tug Dog Toy is shaped like a figure eight and is made from durable, grippy rubber that is easy on dogs’ teeth. It’s almost 13 inches long, so my pup and two of her dog friends found plenty of space to grab on and pull, pull, pull until they wore one another out. It was also easy to hold on to when I played tug-of-war with my dog.

The Tugga Wubba toy can be used for both fetching and tugging. The end tails were a little slippery for me and my dog to hold on to, but the thick, braided rope was great for chewing. Sizes include small, large and XL.

My dog and I really liked the two different parts of this toy — the handle and the attached ball — that we could hold on to. When my dog isn’t playing tug, she likes to nibble on the toy (ropes too), but all the parts have withstood her chewing so far. The ball and handle are made from flexible rubber, so my hands didn’t tire even during intense tugging.

The soft and bright Reflex Flyer was quickly one of my dog’s favorite new water toys. The frisbee is easy to throw, very bright and floats completely in the water. It’s about 9 inches in diameter and is made from a foamlike material used in running shoes that can withstand chewing and rough play.

This is the ball version of the Reflex Flyer, and though my dog and I appreciated how well it floated, what I liked best about this ball was how light it was. Because I live in a condo with tenants below me, some fetching toys are just too heavy and loud. This ball is lighter than a tennis ball and has an excellent bounce for my pup to chase. Its weight and ability to float make it a go-to for inside play and outside sessions at the lake.

The Kong Aqua Dog Toy comes in bright orange with a long rope, so you can get a bit more leverage when throwing it and your dog can easily grab it while swimming. Plus, the rope is made from a durable material that dries quickly and doesn't stink.

You should wash a Kong dog toy you put treats or food in right after your dog is done playing with it. You want to ensure the toy is cleaned before you put more food or treats inside.

The best Kong dog toy to freeze is the Classic Kong. It has a hole big enough to add lickable treats like peanut butter, and if you lay it on its side in the freezer, it won’t spill easily.

Read our review

Read our review