Cross sectional survey: Owner-reported influences on dogs’ opportunities to chew

Dogs have a strong motivation to chew that reflects the behaviour’s putative biological function, yet time spent performing this behaviour is often lower in companion domestic dogs than their free-ranging counterparts. The factors that reduce or prevent chewing behaviour in companion dogs are poorly understood, as is the type and variety of chewable substrates provided. To fill these knowledge gaps, we developed an online survey for dog carers. The survey was designed to reveal how demographic, environmental and morphotypic variables influence chew opportunities for companion dogs. Complete responses were gathered from 655 dog carers, 96.6% of whom provided chews for their dogs. The reported median chew rate (total mins/day) for dogs in this study was 6.9 minutes per day with a mean of 20.9 minutes per day. Variables identified as risk factors for relatively lower chew rate were advancing dog age and single-dog households. Relatively lower chew provision occurred with low dog body weight, and having young carers (18-25 years old) compared to the highest provision (97%) by carers 36 to 55-years old. The reported barriers to carers providing hard bones to dogs were ‘too messy and smelly’ (p=0.001; No: 0.68 ± 0.062 mins/day; Yes: 0.24 ± 0.107 mins/day)(mean ± SD), ‘I'm concerned about the impact on my dog's teeth’ (p