Why Do Dogs Like Bones So Much?

If there’s anything that dogs love aside from their best friends, their humans, that’d be bones and chewing them.

What makes bones our canine companions’ all-time favorite treat?


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Why do they love chewing on bones and other stuff?

What’s the Connection Between Dogs and Bones?

We’ve always associated dogs with bones—even some dog food brands and canine gum massagers come in the shape and taste of a bone!

The reason behind that goes all the way up to our pooches’ family tree.

It’s Part of Their Instinct

One habit common to many dogs is chewing.


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They gnaw on bones, furniture items, and shoes, among other things lying around at your home!

This is more than just a habit for them. In fact, it’s part of their nature.

Studies have taken this trait from ancient canines that have evolved into modern wolves that gave birth to today’s various dog breeds.

Modern pooches’ ancestors were hunters in the wild.

They studied their surroundings well before they attacked their prey.

How did they do that? They chewed on bones within their hunting grounds.

No, that hunter’s instinct isn’t limited to big breeds like German Shepherds and Dobermans.

Even your fluffy Shih Tzu, your teeny Chihuahua, or your plump Corgi has that trait!

It Makes Them Feel Less Lonely and Bored

According to scientific discoveries on dogs’ origins, ancient canines started hunting in packs around eight million years ago.

Animals were evolving to adapt to their environment.

Remember natural selection: Only the critters with traits that help them survive live on and reproduce.

Canines’ prey grew bigger and started traveling in groups. Our pooches’ predecessors, hypercarnivores (animals whose diet is made up of more than 70 percent meat), developed stronger jaws and jaw muscles and larger teeth.

They also ditched solo hunting.


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Those traits helped get food and survive, and they were passed on to later generations of canines.

Chewing bones, then, is more than just a pastime for dogs.

It makes them feel that they belong to a pack.

This sense of belonging helps calm them and ease their loneliness.

It’s Healthy!

As previously mentioned, gnawing on bones provides dogs with comfort to help them stay emotionally healthy.


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It’s also the canine equivalent of humans brushing their teeth.

This allows dogs get rid of tartar stuck between their choppers.

They also get vital nutrients like calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals from bone marrow.

Isn’t That Aww-Mazing?

Now, you know the reason behind dogs’ indescribable delight in having bones to chew.

Gnawing on bones is a part of their genetic makeup, no matter the breed; it’s a reminder of how their ancestors in the wild used to live and how canines came to be what they are today.

It also helps keep them physically and emotionally healthy.

Can We Give Our Dogs Some Bones?

You definitely can! Make bones a part of your pet’s diet, so it stays strong, healthy, and happy.


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Don’t forget to ask your vet about the kinds of bones your pooch can feast on before giving it some.

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