With February being National Pet Dental Month, we’d like to take a moment and review why we think daily chewing is one of the best activities you can provide for your canine companions.

The Health Benefits of Chewing

Why do clean teeth lead to a healthier dog?
By keeping teeth clean, you can literally extend the lifespan of your pet. The driving concept behind this is that dental hygiene will improve quality of life and extend their lifespan because you are preventing future diseases that typically start with dental issues.

Why Dental Disease (Periodontal Disease) is so destructive?
As plaque turns into tartar, gingivitis or inflammation of the gums become a factor. This leads to an increase in oral bacteria, which can eventually enter the bloodstream stressing the immune system's response and putting certain organs into a more risky environment. There are three organs that are more susceptible to the spread of oral bacteria: the heart, the liver, and the kidneys.

Where does dental disease start from?
The most common culprit is kibble! Processed dog foods are not hard enough to clean teeth and ultimately just leave behind plaque due to commercial foods containing high levels of carbohydrates. A dog’s saliva does not contain the needed enzyme (amylase) to break down carbohydrate sugars, so without daily cleaning, these sugars lead to plaque, which turns into tartar in the span of a few days.

What is the best way to maintain dental hygiene?
Daily chewing that lasts around 10 minutes is the best way to know you are cleaning teeth! As your dog chews, they scrape and grind their teeth and this motion is exactly what you need to clean teeth and strengthen gums. What chews you select will all depend on the breed, age, and size of your pup, but the most important goal is to reach 10 minutes of chewing.

The Mental Benefits of Chewing

Dogs have an instinctual need to chew. This drive is woven into their DNA and never goes away, so giving your dog an outlet to chew is very important to help mitigate stress and anxiety. As you’ve probably experienced as a pet parent, if you don’t give them something to chew, they will find something around the house to get that drive satisfied.

When giving your dog access to a hearty chew, you will often see them position the chew towards the back of the jaw, and even close their eyes as they fall into a chewing trance.

This mode of chewing is a tell that they’ve reached the level of chewing intensity needed for the brain to release endorphins (“feel good” hormones). These natural hormones help enhance your pup's sense of well-being, improve their mood, and relieve stress, anxiety, boredom, and even loneliness!

Another consideration towards chew time is to observe the shape of the chew. Some shapes (like Farm Hounds Beef Hide Chips) will increase the chewing difficulty by forcing the pup to actively process how to hold and work a chew down. This small change can force a dog to use much more mental energy, which for some breeds, is a very needed outcome to help them feel satiated.

Remember that every dog is different and while some dogs just want to turn their mind off and chew, others need more engagement to meet their chewing needs. As you keep testing out chews, observe how your pup behaves after a chewing session. If they go drink water and lay down a good snooze, GOOD JOB, you’ve checked those instinctual boxes! If they hover around looking for something else to do, you might have a dog that needs more time or a tougher chew to meet their mental needs!

The Physical Benefits of Chewing

The Teeth and Jaws:
From the shape of their teeth to the strength of their jaws, your pup’s need to chew comes from a desire to use the tools they are born with. A dog can use a tremendous amount of energy chewing, which helps alleviate boredom and stress, and leaves a dog feeling quite accomplished with how they spent their time.

Chewing on your Terms:
By providing chew time on a schedule, you can help direct their physical drive by providing quality chews to keep them healthy, safe, and out of trouble. If you don’t provide something, in most cases, they start to test chew items in their environment until they locate something to crunch.

Some of the best situations for quality chew time are the days when you aren’t able to knock out a walk or take them out to play. Long day at work? Rainy day keeping you inside? Giving a chew when it benefits everyone based on the current situation is key. This helps create some freedom for you, as well as helping your dog burn energy on a day when they might not have been available otherwise.

The Chewing Quota:
Breed, age, and environment can all play a role in how long your dog can and should chew. 10 minutes of daily chewing is always a great start, but note the behavior of your pup once a chew has been removed from their space. If after a few minutes, they go get water and lie down, they checked the correct boxes and had a successful chewing session.

Trying a New Chew?
Great! Your pup is going to love it! Always remember to start slow and monitor anything new. You know your dog better than anyone, make sure you watch how they chew and take anything away that they seem to be having trouble with!