The BarkerFun Zilla is made from durable natural rubber. The natural rubber satisfies a dog's chewing and tugging instincts. The Zilla becomes irresistible when stuffed with your dog’s favorite food or treats. Enrichment in the form of mental and physical stimulation is the positive result that comes with each filled Zilla.
How to stuff a Zilla®
First plug the little hole. You can either use a small semi hard treat to plug the hole. Or, a small scoop of thick porridge consistency of wet dog food.
Watch: What to stuff in a Zilla®
If you are making several, line them up in a container so that they snugly fit next to each other. Any drippings will be caught in the container.
Now you get to be creative. This is the fun part. Any food that is healthy and safe for your dog can be put in a Zilla and frozen. Ideally you change it up and regularly try some new and different flavors.
If you start with Kibble or dried treats:
In a bowl mix the hard food with bone broth, beef broth, or chicken broth. Let it set until it gets mushy enough to fill the Zilla.
Additives - Try mixing in a little:
Canned pumpkin (plain, no sugar or spices added)
Plain yogurt
Peanut butter (natural, no sugar added)
Sweet potato
A little shaved hard cheese
Small pieces of mozzarella cheese
Cheese whiz
Unsweetened applesauce
Replenish dog water supplement
Another idea is to fill the Zilla directly with hard kibble and top it off with cheese whiz. It’s another game your dogs will love.
If you start with canned wet dog food:
Same as above, mix in one of the above additives as a surprise for your dog. And then fill the Zilla and freeze.
If you start with dehydrated dog food:
There are many brands of dehydrated dog food, they all work well. We have frequently used Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food. We’ve never met a dog who doesn’t love it. We first make a thick formula and drop in a tablespoon to plug the hole.
Then add more water to the bowl to thin it out. After letting it set for a few minutes, fill the Zilla. This is so tasty that the extra additives are not necessary.
Freeze for 5 to 6 hours.
DONE!
Now you are ready to attach the Zilla food container to the crate/cabin clamp or the Treat Clincher.
Both the crate clamp and the Clincher elevate the Zilla food container off the ground. When the Zilla food container is elevated it offers additional enrichment stimulation for your dog. Dogs will try to consume the food and at the same time tug, pull, and chew the container. By design the Zilla container will firmly stay in place. Your dogs are using their brains while enjoying their treats.
The Zilla Clamp Kit and Treat Clincher also keeps any mess in one place for easy clean up.
Some dogs like to hide food-filled treat containers and toys. Resource guarding in cabins or crates has always been a problem. That problem goes away with the Zilla Clamps.
Clean after each use. The Zilla is dishwasher safe. We recommend putting them in the top rack of the dishwasher. Or you can use a bottle brush with hot soapy water.
Bonus
For those in hot climates. And for the crazy sports dogs who never know when to quit. Our customers have started mixing Replenish Dog Water supplement in the water before making the Zilla. Replenish Dog is a powdered water supplement designed to re-hydrate and replace nutrients lost during exercise.
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