KONG Safestix

A long, flexible stick toy with rounded ends, sold by KONG as a safer alternative to wooden sticks for fetch and tug.

Who it suits

Dogs that love tug and fetch outdoors, where a long stick keeps your hands away from teeth. The maker now lists Small and Medium sizes. Less suited to indoor play, and owners who want a fully disclosed material may prefer the other two picks.

Key facts

• Rounded ends, which the maker says make interactive play safer (KONG)
• Flexes, bounces and floats (KONG)
• Currently listed in Small, for dogs up to 20 lbs, and Medium, for dogs of 15 to 35 lbs (KONG)
• The maker describes it only as a durable material and does not name it (KONG)

What reviewers say

Canine Journal: Reviewer Amanda named it the best stick for tug (September 2023). The long sizes she tried kept her hands far from her German Shepherd’s jaws, and several dogs could grab it at once. After weeks of rough play it had no visible punctures. She warns that it is clumsy indoors and that a stick left outside for months got stiffer. The article does not say how the toys were obtained.

Whole Dog Journal: Nancy Kerns ranked it third of five (published June 2022, updated March 2023). Her dogs enjoyed tugging and chewing on it together, and it was the heaviest stick and the easiest to throw far, but she marked it down because KONG does not say what it is made of and because it is made in China. The article does not say how the toys were obtained.

We did not test it ourselves.

Pros

• Long shape keeps hands away from teeth in tug games
• Floats and bounces
• Easiest of the tested sticks to throw a long way, per Whole Dog Journal

Cons

• Maker does not name the material
• Long sticks are awkward indoors
• Fewer sizes listed by the maker today than in the tests

Good to know

• Store it inside, and supervise play; take it away if pieces come off.
• If your dog swallows a piece or seems to hurt its mouth, see your vet.