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January 12, 2011

Santa brought Lilly and Ginko 4 new dog toys in 2010. As we’ve already said, count us among the BIGGEST fans of the Kyjen Invincibles snake. I wish I could say the same about the Kong Genius and Kong Wobbler. Both feature design flaws / issues that make using them less than ideal.

Flawed Design Changes
Original Canine Genius Leo & Mike Toys

Chez Champion of My Heart has owned the original Canine Genius Leo toy (extra large one) for years. I originally got it for Lilly, but Ginko adopted it with enthusiasm. It’s the activity feeder we use most often for his meals as part of our canine bloat prevention efforts because it can hold nearly 2 cups of kibble.

Both dogs now eat from various food-delivery toys twice a day, so I wanted to get a few more options into the toy chest.

But, when I went looking around to get both another Leo toy and the newer one called Mike, I found the toys being sold by Kong.

I have no issue with Kong. It’s a Colorado-based company. It was a major thought and product leader in the dog toy market.

I just REALLY liked Canine Genius, and the women who founded THAT company. I interviewed Alise Shatoff for this article years ago on The History of Dog Toys. She was terrific. We had a lovely chat about the dog toy world, about our dogs, our careers, etc.

So, when I saw her products being sold under the Kong name, I suspected that Kong bought the Canine Genius line or something. I tried to confirm the details of this change via email weeks ago, but Alise did not respond. So, I’m not sure how the Kong Genius came about.

What I can tell you, though, is that the “new” design or modified design make it nearly impossible to fill with kibble. The crisscross slices that allow you to hook the toys together are now simply TOO big … the kibble pours right out.

On the left you see the original Canine Genius Leo toy (XL) and on the right the new Kong Genius (L).

Yet, the new design also features a MUCH smaller neck hole, so filling the toy from that end is nearly impossible.

The other toy in this line, called “Mike,” features the same redesign flaws. The x-shaped holes on both ends are just too big to contain a normal sized kibble for meals, without the food just pouring out.

I understand that most people probably use these toys to dispense treats rather than kibble, but since we like to feed meals from them, the design changes make that a challenge.

We’ve tried:

  • Taping over the holes for easier filling
  • Stuffing paper towels into the toy to make getting the food out harder

And, we can make the toys work for our needs, but it isn’t easy. So, we’re VERY disappointed with these toy gift selections.

Cautions About Using the Kong Wobbler

Lilly loves her Kong Wobbler. It’s MUCH better than the Kong Genius at dispensing a meal of dry kibble, but the heavily weighted Kong Wobbler poses a real danger to your home and possessions.

I let Lilly learn to use the Kong Wobbler in our unfinished basement, and once she got the hang of it, I let her use it my office … but only ONCE … because she nearly caved in the closet doors, and she somehow turned on the stereo (which sits on the floor), which proceeded to blast static noises that freaked us all out until we figured out what had happened.

So, because the toy is SO HEAVY, Lilly is allowed to use the Kong Wobbler for meals, but she can ONLY do so in the basement, where there is less stuff that might be damaged.

What’s so funny about how Lilly uses the Kong Wobbler is that once it’s empty (or nearly so), she often chews on it.

So far, Lilly hasn’t done much more than scratch that seam area with her teeth.

The Bottom Line

We will keep and continue to use these toys, but I seriously doubt we would recommend or buy them again.

** FTC Disclosure **

I purchased all these toys myself.

About the Author Roxanne Hawn

Trained as a traditional journalist and based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, I'm a full-time freelance writer for magazines, websites, and private clients. My areas of specialty include everything in the lifestyles arena, including health and home, personal finance and other consumer interests, relationships and trends, people and business profiles ... and, of course, all things pet related.

I don't just love dogs. I need them in my life. Seriously.

  1. I got answers to your long questions kong bought out Canine Genius about 3 years ago but I was able to get all the old Leo’s & Mike’s & I got all the old colors before they were all sold out. There is a big difference in Canine Genius & Kong. Kong is not made as good at all.

    1. Agreed, Ronald. The Kong version of the Canine Genius toys aren’t nearly as good, especially the Mike toys. Lilly shredded both of her “new” ones.

  2. Thanks for the reviews. I stood and stared at these toys in a store recently and finally decided against them. I wish that I’d read your review so I wouldn’t have had to stand there for so long.

  3. Clementine loves her Kong Wobbler, but yes it is loud! She (thankfully) is too small to really be able to pick it up and fling it around like she does with the regular Kong, but she does growl and “talk” to the Wobbler. I use it with supervision and work with her nose push commands and her paw touches.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMp6VO96X1s

  4. Great article, Roxanne. You confirmed what I wondered about when I saw quite a few of the toys at Petco…it seemed like kibble would drop out pretty quickly…

    I’m happy with the Wobbler that we just purchased and used for the first time today. Though I intended it for Aaron, the adolescent, needing to be busy all the time dog…it was actually Janie who has become the Kong Bonker in this house.

  5. I haven’t tried the Canine Genuis or the “Mike”, but I have the Kong Wobbler. Jasper and Daisy both love it. But, I do agree with you on the heaviness. Jasper is the one who is hardest on it and I agree, it has been run into my furniture a few times. It hasn’t caused any damage yet, but I think I’ll be a little more cautious with where he uses it now. Mostly it just ends up under a chair or my entertainment center and then the play ends. Would be nice if it was easier for them to grab out from under the furniture, but usually I am the one down on hands and knees trying to pry it out of wherever it has ended up.

  6. We still have, and can get the original Leo and Mike! Kong is only marketing (and probably producing) the Leo and the Mike for the owners of Canine Genius.

    http://www.bestfriendsgeneralstore.com/unique_dog_toys_c/Canine_Genius/Canine+Genius

    The owners of Canine Genius are very friendly woman. Somehow we always ending up staying in the the same hotel and going on the same shuttles to Trade Shows.

    We also have many of the original plush dog puzzle designs from Canine Genius…I am afraid that they are going to go away with their new Kong marketing agreement.

    I am guessing that they made the slot bigger so they would link together easier.

    In March I will be at Global Pet Expo and I will mention to Joe Markham, the President of Kong, about the redesign problem.

  7. Do I have the only dog in the world who is so unmotivated by food that he will sniff, give a lick, and then go back to bed when I try to entertain him with a food toy? It’s kind of sad!

  8. I love, love, LOVE food toys. My dog has a ton of them. Here is what she had last year: http://reactivechampion.blogspot.com/2010/05/management-101-mental-stimulation-or.html

    Since then, we’ve added the Genius toys. I got the smaller size so that the treats were harder to get out… but that also means they’re harder to get IN.

    We also got another rolling treat ball, the IQ treat ball. It’s smaller and made of hard plastic, so the Tricky Treat Ball might be a better choice for some, but I like that there’s an adjustable barrier inside the ball that makes it more difficult.

  9. Kelly got a similar wobbler, Dogzilla, purchased at Target. It’s made of hard plastic (looks like the Kong is softer) and yes, it is really heavy. But Kelly loves it and pushes it all around the house and seems to be having a wonderful time! Food falls out rather easily, so it’s no much of a challenge, but she likes the wobble movement.

  10. I’ve never used the original Canine Genius but I heard really good things about them. So when I saw the Kong Genius line I had to give it a try.

    Not good. My dog was able to chew a huge chunk off almost immediately, probably because the kibble inside fell out a lot faster than I realised so I didn’t take it away in time. That was that.

    I don’t have a wobbler but I have a Nina O. pyramid which is just the same and has the same flaw you mentioned. Shiva loves it but it is so LOUD on our hardwood floors that it disturbs our neighbours. I like the orange tricky treat ball better as it is much quieter and less destructive but Shiva can chew a hole in those pretty fast.

    Thanks for these reviews! It’s good to know I’m not alone in my frustration.

  11. I know what you mean about the Kong Genius – I saw the large holes and decided to get Marge the smaller version. It doesn’t hold as much kibble, but I can cram a whole meal into there if I use both the Leo and the Mike together, attached to each other. It’s a big hit with her.

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