by Alison Moss

Created on: March 12, 2008   Last Updated: February 08, 2010

Of all the dog toys my dog has had his favourite is the Air Kong and I highly recommend it. The Air Kong is a dog toy which is made of two adjoining parts, the main part being made from yellow tennis material but instead of a ball it is a long cylindrical shape like a sausage. Then attached to this is a rope weaved in yellow and blue. The Air Kong we have is the large version which is approx 28 cm long and 6cm wide, there are smaller versions available so you should find one appropriate for your dog size. Here I will be reviewing the large version. My husband was really keen to buy this for our puppy, at first I was not quite so keen, the toy to me looked like a giant tampon! However it is one of the best toys we have bought for our puppy and one that he won't outgrow.

Kong toys are made by The Kong Company an American firm specialising in tough durable toys for pets. Although now making a wide variety of pet toys the original Kong came about after a German Shepherd owner trying in desperation to stop his dog from chewing stones through down parts of the Volkswagen Van he was working on. Finally part of the suspension attracted the dog away and gave the idea of making a toy in this shape. The owner Joe Markham worked on the design and made it of a really strong rubber to satisfy even the strongest of chewers. These Kong's have erratic bounces making them fun for the dog to try to catch and also can be stuffed with treats for the dog to try to get out. The company has now branched into making tennis ball type toys as well as the traditional rubber chews.

Prices vary from shop to shop but for the large Air Kong the RRP is 3.99 but I have seen it for sale up to 5.99. Obviously it is better to be able to get it for as cheaply as possible however I do believe even for 5.99 it is worth it. You can buy it at most pet stores and online.

The toy is very versatile. It can be used as a retrieval toy. If like me you can never throw balls very far you will find this really easy to throw as you can use the rope to get a good swing before you let go and it will fly. The dog will find it easy to pick up either from the tennis ball end or the rope end (it has a knot to make it easier to pick up).

It can also be used as a tug-of-war toy with you holding either the rope end or the tennis-ball end. You should however be careful if you have a young puppy as you should not pull against them as it can damage the alignment of their jaws.

It can be used simply as a chew toy, the dog

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