Not every treat that looks good on a shelf belongs on one. At Farmer Pete’s, a new product has to clear seven checkpoints before it goes anywhere near your dog. No exceptions, no shortcuts, and no “close enough.”
This isn’t a vague promise about quality. Below is the actual process we follow — step by step — every time we evaluate a new treat.
What should you look for in a natural dog treat?
Before we get into our process, here’s the short answer: a good dog treat should be real food. That means recognisable animal parts, minimal ingredients, no fillers or preservatives, and a clear explanation of where it came from and how it was made.
If a treat needs a long ingredient list to exist, the base ingredient probably wasn’t good enough to begin with. Dogs evolved eating muscle meat, organs, cartilage, skin, and bone. They don’t need flavour sprays, glycerine, binders, or colour additives.
That principle drives everything we do at Farmer Pete’s. Here’s how it plays out in practice.
1. Is it actually food?
The first question we ask about any potential product is blunt: is this something a dog’s body recognises as food?
Not a formula. Not a blend engineered to smell appealing. Actual food.
To pass this stage, a treat must be single-ingredient or close to it. It must be a recognisable whole animal part. No fillers, binders, colours, glycerines, flavour sprays, or preservatives.
If we can’t explain what a treat is in one clear sentence, what it’s made of and where it came from, it doesn’t go any further!
2. Where does the ingredient come from?
Sourcing matters more than most people realise. We strongly prioritise Australian-sourced proteins — not as a marketing line, but as a control measure.
Australian sourcing gives us clear traceability from paddock to finished product, higher baseline animal welfare standards, stricter biosecurity and food safety controls, and more consistent raw material quality.
We work with licensed processors and use by-products of the human food chain that would otherwise go to waste. That’s nose-to-tail done properly — better for sustainability and better for dogs.
Our proteins include Australian beef, lamb, pork, chicken, kangaroo, and seafood. If we can’t verify responsible sourcing, handling, or processing standards for an ingredient, we walk away. Full stop.
3. Is this treat safe in practice — not just on paper?
Some products are excellent nutritionally but dangerous in a dog’s mouth. Those don’t make the cut.
Before anything is approved, we assess natural hardness and density, how the treat fractures under pressure, whether it softens with saliva or stays rigid, risk of splintering or sharp edges, suitability for different dog sizes and chewing styles, and fat content and digestibility.
We also ask practical questions. Is this better as a supervised chew or a quick reward? Is it appropriate for puppies, senior dogs, or aggressive chewers? Does it need specific feeding guidance?
If a treat can’t be used safely when fed as intended, it doesn’t belong in our range — regardless of how popular it is elsewhere.
4. Are dehydrated dog treats safe? Only if the process is right
Dehydration sounds simple, but poor execution ruins the product. Done badly, it destroys heat-sensitive nutrients, creates brittle and unsafe textures, strips natural flavour, and produces inconsistent results from batch to batch.
We only proceed if the dehydration process uses controlled temperatures over extended time, preserves natural nutrients, flavour, and aroma, avoids cooking or burning the product, and produces predictable texture and moisture levels.
A properly dehydrated treat should smell like the ingredient itself. If it needs flavour enhancers or additives to be appealing after processing, that’s a red flag — the process or the ingredient wasn’t right.
5. Does this treat solve a real problem?
We don’t add products to fill gaps or pad out the range. Every new treat must serve a genuine purpose for dogs or their owners.
That might be long-lasting enrichment and mental stimulation, dental support through natural chewing, a novel protein for dogs with sensitivities, a high-value training reward, or a nutrient-dense snack that fits a balanced feeding routine.
If a treat doesn’t clearly benefit dogs or make life easier for owners, it doesn’t justify shelf space. More choice isn’t better. Better choice is.
6. Will most dogs actually tolerate it?
Some ingredients are perfectly natural but too rich for regular use. Before launching anything, we look closely at fat content, protein density, likelihood of digestive upset, and how the treat fits into a real feeding routine.
When a treat is rich, we’re upfront about it — including guidance on portion size, frequency, and which dogs it suits best.
A good treat should be enjoyed, tolerated, and not cause problems that show up hours later.
7. Do real dogs actually want it?
No lab test replaces real-world feedback. We observe initial enthusiasm (no coaxing required), chew time and sustained engagement, whether dogs return to it later, and digestive response over several days.
We also listen to owners. Smell, mess factor, storage, and whether they’d actually repurchase all matter. If dogs lose interest once the novelty fades, or owners hesitate to open the bag, that tells us something important.
A product only moves forward if it works in real homes — not just on paper.
What about labelling?
Honest labelling underpins everything above. We use straightforward ingredient names, make no exaggerated health claims, provide clear feeding and supervision guidance, and explain honestly what a treat is and isn’t suited for.
If a product needs clever wording to sound appealing, it’s probably not something we want to sell.
Why does any of this matter?
Dog treats aren’t occasional extras. For most dogs, they’re part of daily life — training, enrichment, bonding, reward. You buy them repeatedly and trust that someone has done the homework before they reached your hands.
That’s the role we take seriously. We’d rather launch fewer products done properly than flood shelves with forgettable options. We say no far more often than yes.
Every treat in the Farmer Pete’s range has passed the same internal question: would we confidently give this to our own dogs, regularly, without hesitation?
If the answer isn’t a clear yes, it doesn’t make it to yours.
Frequently asked questions we get asked when making a range of new pet treats
How do I know if a dog treat is safe?
Check the ingredient list first. A safe treat should have recognisable, minimal ingredients with no fillers, artificial preservatives, or colour additives. Consider the treat’s hardness relative to your dog’s size and chewing style, and always supervise with new chews.
Are single-ingredient dog treats better?
For most dogs, yes. Single-ingredient treats reduce the risk of sensitivities and make it easy to identify what your dog is eating. They’re also a straightforward way to rule out problem ingredients if your dog has allergies or digestive issues.
Why does Australian sourcing matter for dog treats?
Australian-sourced proteins offer clear traceability, higher animal welfare baselines, and stricter biosecurity controls than many overseas supply chains. It also means shorter supply lines and more consistent raw material quality.
What’s the difference between dehydrated and freeze-dried dog treats?
Both methods remove moisture to preserve nutrients and extend shelf life. Dehydration uses low, controlled heat over an extended period. Freeze-drying uses sub-zero temperatures and vacuum pressure. Both can produce safe, high-quality treats when done correctly — the key is the quality of the process and the starting ingredient.
