The KONG Subscription Box Made Our Dogs Love Us Even More

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Spoiling your pup is one of the most satisfying things to do.

Sometimes grabbing a toy or two from the store doesn’t quite feel like enough. But surprising him each month with a box full of exciting new goodies? You’ll have the most pampered pup around.

(And with a great dog subscription box, you shouldn’t have to stress about making sure you’re picking out the perfect stuff for your BFF because the retailer would ideally do all the work for you.)

So, we decided to test out the KONG Box, made by the manufacturers of arguably the most classic dog toy in the world, for ourselves to find out if it would really spoil our dogs for us.

The verdict? Here’s why it earned our Paw of Approval.

KONG Box is a monthly dog toy and treat subscription service from KONG, which is known for making some of the best (and most iconic) rubber toys in the game.

Each KONG Box includes:

To get started, all you have to do is fill out a quick quiz about your pup so KONG can curate what kind of toys and treats he’ll get based on his size, chewing style and personality.

From there, you’ll decide whether you want to do a month-to-month plan, a 6-month plan or a 12-month plan — and your price per box goes down based on how many months you commit to. Once you confirm your order, your first KONG Box should arrive within 10 days.

If you’re looking for something more targeted, KONG Box also has what they call solution boxes — which are designed to be fun but also help with specific issues your dog might have. They offer solution boxes for things like:

You can even specify if your pup has a food allergy to make sure he can actually enjoy the treats he receives. (KONG Box can accommodate beef, chicken, pork, dairy, gluten/grain and peanut butter allergies.)

The most exciting part is that they don’t tell you what your dog will be getting ahead of time, so it’s always a fun little surprise for both you and your pup.

You can also send a KONG box as a gift if you want to surprise a dog (or dog parent) you love.

We picked three Dodo dogs to surprise with a box full of exciting new stuff.

Our judges each got different boxes — Romeo received the separation anxiety solution box, Tip got the boredom solution box and Hercules tested the crate training solution box — but they all found something they loved inside their KONG Boxes.

“Right when I took each of the KONG toys out of the box, Romeo jumped up and down with excitement and couldn't control himself.” — Rachel E.

“Tip loved the box itself right away and quickly tried to steal the toys away, almost knowing everything inside was for him!” — Nicole H.

Even our harshest critic (who’s super hard to impress when it comes to toys) found something he loved.

“Hercules played with only the KONG teddy bear, which is an amazing toy. He was not interested in the regular KONG, but did like the treats by themselves.” — Ken P.

And that enthusiasm didn’t wear off — there’s a lot of play time packed into these boxes.

“Romeo loves all of the toys within his box and plays with at least one of them every single day.” — Rachel E.

“Tip loves his new KONG toys and uses them daily — both the red KONG cone and his black KONG bone.” — Nicole H.

Each of our judges found at least one toy inside their KONG Box that they loved so much they couldn’t leave it alone.

“If I put the squeezable treat in the rubber toys, Romeo will gnaw and lick them until he gets every last drop (around 30 minutes). When he's looking for a toy to play with, he'll automatically go for any of the rubber toys.” — Rachel E.

“Tip loves chewing the classic KONG toy on its own, or sitting with it for longer periods of time when I stuff it with treats.” — Nicole H.

“The bear is one of the only toys Hercules enjoys and it keeps him busy. This is always good for a puppy.” — Ken P.

Of course, treats are always a win, and including both toys and treats in the KONG Box kept things interesting for our judges, especially since some of the treats and toys were designed to be used together.

“Tip was very excited when we got to the treats section of the box, and he particularly loves the bones that are for stuffing into the KONG!” — Nicole H.

And our dogs especially loved that everything in the KONG Box was made just for them, which they seemed to realize right away.

“Romeo briefly sniffed them and then abruptly picked them up and trotted off to another room by himself for what we jokingly call his ‘private chews.’ He'll lay down and chew them as he goes into a trance, closes his eyes and enjoys.” — Rachel E.

“Tip sat right next to me as I opened the box and then he would take a toy and run off.” — Nicole H.

Our human judges were thrilled that all three pups found toys in the KONG Box that became their new favorite things.

They especially loved that these new obsessions kept their dogs busy and encouraged independent play.

“We took Romeo on vacation with us, and the KONG toys kept Romeo 100 percent occupied in the hotel room by himself whenever we left him alone. I felt comfortable and happy knowing that they were there to keep him entertained.” — Rachel E.

“Both KONG rubber toys have the ability to stuff in treats and peanut butter and keep TIp's mind stimulated and distracted. Tip has some issues with being alone and going into the garbage, but we left him with a stuffed KONG toy when we left him to go to the store, and it helped keep him occupied!” — Nicole H.

All of our pet parents were also big fans of the sturdy rubber toys KONG is famous for.

“All of the rubber toys are extremely high-quality. Romeo hasn't even made a dent in any of them. The rubber toys he'll have for many months to come.” — Rachel E.

“The two rubber toys included are extremely durable and Tip was not able to destroy them. He really enjoys trying to, though!” — Nicole H.

“KONGs are also great for chewers — better than BarkBox toys! They were much more durable.” — Ken P.

Plus, the KONG Box came with SO many things!

“I was surprised by the amount of goodies inside the box. There were very generous amounts of treats and toys inside!” — Nicole H.

“The best part about the KONG box was how many great toys were included within the box.” — Rachel E.

“The variety of toys was good for this box.” — Ken P.

Since you get so many high-quality, long-lasting toys, all of our pet parents felt the price was totally worth it, even though it’s a commitment.

If you sign up for a month-to-month plan, it costs $49.95 per box. But if you go for a 6-month plan, the price dips down to $44.95 per box. And if you opt for the 12-month plan, it drops down to $39.95 per box.

Our pet parents didn’t love that the included treats were a bit messy and stinky (though that’s typical of pretty much any treat that dogs love).

“The edible treats that you put inside the rubber toy didn't smell great, to be honest. They were also a little messy, and the mix of treats and drool got all over my couch and rugs. Luckily, it didn't last very long since my dog ate it up.” — Rachel E.

KONG is definitely known for its quality rubber toys, but that new-rubber smell can also be a little noticeable for some pet parents, especially when they’re just out of the box.

“All of the rubber toys have a strong odor that I'm not too fond of, but I'd take that any day over an animal by-product.” — Rachel E.

A couple of our judges were able to easily destroy the plush toys they received, but it’s worth noting that our judges included some pups who usually aren’t allowed around plush toys, and we didn’t test out the tough chewing solution box (which is designed to prevent that sort of thing in heavy chewers).

“For the soft toy included, unfortunately, Tip went from suckling to destroying within about 10 minutes and had one leg removed, so we had to throw that away for safety reasons. He can't have any soft toys with limbs or he will eat them off.” — Nicole H.

“Romeo destroyed the stuffed toy in under 10 minutes, so I had to toss it for safety reasons.” — Rachel E.

While Ken P. said, despite the advantages, he probably wouldn’t continue with a subscription just because Hercules is so picky that he’s not a great candidate for any subscription box, our other two judges’ parents said they would. And all three said they’d definitely recommend the KONG Box to fellow dog parents. 

That’s really the beauty of KONG Box — no matter your dog’s play style (or how hard he chews), he’s bound to find something he loves.

You get a bunch of different high-quality toys in each box, and the rubber toys especially should hold up for a good while.

And the best part (for your pup, at least) is that you get a ton of treats, too.

No matter what comes in your KONG Box, it’s going to keep your BFF happy and totally captivated — and it saves you the trouble of having to figure out what he’ll actually like.

The Dodo may receive complimentary samples to test in our Paw of Approval program, but all our opinions are 100 percent our own. We only publish endorsements of products we (and our dogs and cats) absolutely love! You can find out more about our testing process here.

If you have a product you love that you want to share with other pet parents, send a tip to dodopaw@thedodo.com.