Whether you have a teething puppy with a rampant chewing problem or are just plain overwhelmed with the amount of dog toy options out there, the recent publication by Sonowal et al. (2025) and associates may interest you. Titled ‘To chew or not to chew? Exploring the influence of scented chew toys on puppy chewing’, this study examined the chewing habits and toy preferences of 29 puppies ranging from 4-10 months, seeking to shed some light on the impact of scented toys on chewing behaviour. Dogs chew for a variety of reasons and while it’s true that some reasons are negative, like boredom, frustration, or stress, it is also true that chewing is a motivating and rewarding behaviour for dogs.
Through observation and owner surveys, it was found not only that puppies tended to engage more with the peanut butter-scented chew toys than non-scented ones. Due to their strong olfactory senses, curious puppies explore extensively with their nose and for this reason the scented toys were also sniffed more as well. Of interest to overwhelmed puppy parents, (and we know it can be overwhelming) owners of dogs that took home their scented chew toys were found more likely to report a decrease in problematic chewing and nipping behaviours! As mentioned in the paper, more research is needed in this under-explored area so that we as owners can continue to provide the best options for our beloved companions — so here’s to learning more!
Read the full paper here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12226495/