i’m pulling this out of my ass, on an alt account, but here’s my opinion.

i think the need to chew came out of the original drive to hunt. we domesticated wolves to help us hunt and protect us. bones have nutrients and flavor, so it makes sense to chew on them to enjoy and absorb that. even humans make bone broth, eat bone marrow, etc because of the nutrients. so why not give little wolfy extra bones?

as others have said, kongs are meant for hunting and scavenging. most of the fake bones are flavored and/or textured to simulate real chewing things. i mean, you can even get antler tips for a dog to chew. it makes sense in my uneducated experience.

there’s a huge difference between a dog having a “hey i’ll enjoy this bone after a hunt” and a dog who’s bred to feel “i must kill if told to i will kill at any cost” which is what fighting breeds were selected to. we all like to believe that the “only reason” is if we tell them to, but they aren’t motivated to chew some yummy bone.