Item added to your cart
Written by Glenn Bell, Founder of Ultimate Pet Foods | Updated August 2026
A dog treat marked as “natural” can mean almost anything. The term has no legal definition in UK pet food law.
That means it can appear on a bag of treats that contains artificial preservatives, recovered meat derivatives, and heavily processed protein sources — and the manufacturer would be within the rules to print it on the front. If you’re choosing treats based on that word alone, you’re going by marketing rather than ingredients.
This guide covers what to actually look for: the ingredients, the processing methods, the protein sources, and how to match the right treat to your dog’s size, health needs, and chewing habits. At the bottom you’ll find our full Green & Wilds range, which is what we stock at Ultimate Pet Foods for precisely this reason — transparent ingredients, single-source proteins, and nothing in the bag that shouldn’t be.
Under FEDIAF guidelines — the European framework that UK pet food manufacturers operate within — “natural” technically means derived from plant, animal or mineral sources without chemical synthesis. That definition sounds reassuring but it still permits:
The label doesn’t have to tell you how the protein was sourced, what percentage of the treat is actually the named ingredient, or whether it spent four processing stages getting there.
What to look for instead of “natural”: single-ingredient products with a named protein source, an ingredient list short enough to read in ten seconds, and a processing method (air-dried, freeze-dried) that doesn’t require chemical preservation.
“Beef jerky” made from beef gullet is a meaningfully different product from a treat listing “meat and animal derivatives” — even if both call themselves natural. Named, species-specific proteins tell you what you’re giving your dog. Unnamed derivatives don’t. For dogs with food sensitivities, this distinction matters considerably: you cannot run an elimination protocol on an ingredient list that doesn’t specify its contents.
Air-drying removes moisture slowly at low temperatures — typically below 50°C. Because the protein isn’t cooked at high heat, more of the nutritional profile of the meat is preserved. Oven-baked treats and extruded treats are processed at much higher temperatures, which affects both the protein structure and the palatability to dogs.
Freeze-drying is the most nutritionally preserved method but the most expensive. Air-drying is the practical middle ground — genuinely effective, widely used in quality treat production, and the method used across the Green & Wilds range.
A single-ingredient treat should have one ingredient. If a product labelled as “chicken treats” contains chicken, vegetable glycerin, salt, and three listed additives, it is not a single-ingredient product. The front of pack is marketing. The ingredient list is the contract.
The broadest category. Meat — typically poultry, red meat, or fish — is dried slowly at low temperature until shelf-stable. The result is a concentrated, protein-dense treat that doesn’t need refrigeration and doesn’t need added preservatives.
These work well as training rewards because they’re small, high-value, and consistent — one protein source, same response every time. For dogs with food sensitivities, single-ingredient air-dried treats are the cleanest option for identifying reactions or running a controlled elimination period.
Good examples from the Green & Wilds range: 100% Duck (Lucky Duckies), 100% Lamb (Baaa Baaa), 100% Beef Gullet Jerky.
Chews are different from treats in purpose and use. They are not training rewards — they are extended engagement. A quality chew should keep your dog occupied for a meaningful amount of time, and through the mechanical action of sustained chewing, contribute to dental hygiene by reducing plaque and tartar build-up.
The best natural chews share a few characteristics:
Rawhide alternatives worth knowing:
| Chew Type | Hardness | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef collagen | Medium | Most adult dogs | Digestible; natural source of collagen for joints |
| Buffalo horn | Hard | Heavy chewers | Long-lasting; not for small or light chewers |
| Venison hide | Medium | Most adult dogs | Low fat; good for weight management |
| Antler (easy grade) | Medium | Moderate chewers, puppies with adult teeth | Cut to expose marrow — softer entry point |
| Antler (standard) | Hard | Confident adult chewers | Long-lasting; natural glucosamine in marrow |
| Wild boar hide | Very hard | Heavy chewers only | Tough chew for dogs who destroy everything else |
| Camel hide | Medium-hard | Dogs needing novel protein | Genuinely novel source; useful for elimination protocols |
Browse the full Natural Dog Chews collection →
Some treats are built around a specific health outcome: joint support, weight management, or anxiety relief. The category is legitimate — but the inclusion levels matter.
A treat with 1% chamomile added for the front-of-pack claim is not the same as one formulated with chamomile as an active ingredient. A joint support treat needs glucosamine at a level that actually contributes to daily intake, not a trace quantity that earns the label. If a manufacturer can tell you the inclusion level of the functional ingredient, that’s a good sign. If the packaging is vague, the inclusion probably is too.
For a dog with suspected or confirmed food sensitivity, novel protein treats are the practical tool for managing what goes in between meals. A dog sensitised to chicken, beef, or lamb may tolerate duck, goose, venison, rabbit, or camel without any adverse response — because they’ve had no prior exposure to that protein.
For novel proteins to be useful in an elimination context, they need to be single-ingredient. Mixing novel proteins in one product, or adding a novel protein to a base of common proteins, defeats the purpose. The same logic applies to treats that add “natural flavourings” — if the flavour source isn’t named, it may be the protein you’re trying to eliminate.
Browse single-ingredient treats from Green & Wilds →
| Dog Type | Treat Recommendation | Chew Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Small dog / light chewer | Small air-dried pieces; soft treats | Soft antler (easy grade), small collagen chews, cheese chews (small). Avoid horn and hard antler. |
| Medium dog / moderate chewer | Most air-dried treats work well | Medium antler, beef collagen, venison hide |
| Large dog / heavy chewer | Larger air-dried chews; beef heart or similar | Buffalo horn (large), wild boar hide, standard antler (large). Soft treats will last seconds — not economical. |
| Puppy (under 12 months) | Small, soft air-dried pieces only | Easy-grade antler once adult teeth are emerging. No hard chews until fully adult-toothed. |
| Senior dog | Softer options preferred; fish-based for omega-3 | Easy-grade antler or softer collagen chews; avoid very hard chews |
Browse puppy treats and chews →
| Health Goal | What to Look For | What to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Weight management | Low-fat fish-based treats; herring, cod | High-fat offal treats as primary training reward |
| Joint support | Glucosamine-enriched treats; collagen chews; antler (marrow contains natural glucosamine) | — |
| Dental health | Sustained chewing on appropriate chews (horn, antler, collagen) | Sugary or starchy treats that contribute to plaque rather than reducing it |
| Anxiety / stress events | Chamomile-based treats; sustained chewing (the act of chewing is itself calming) | High-excitement treats as a primary anxiety tool — pairing high arousal with anxiety is counterproductive |
| Food sensitivity | Single-ingredient novel protein only | Any treat with unnamed protein sources, “meat derivatives,” or “natural flavourings” |
Browse low-fat treats → | joint care treats →
Green & Wilds is the brand we stock for natural treats and chews at Ultimate Pet Foods. The range is built on single-ingredient or close-to-single-ingredient products, air-dried or naturally preserved, with full transparency about the protein source. No unspecified derivatives, no unaccounted flavouring, no chemical whitening.
We stock 68 products across treats, chews, and eco toys. The most relevant collections for treats and chews are below.
68 treats, chews, and eco toys — all with transparent ingredients and named protein sources.
Shop Green & Wilds →For most purposes, yes — primarily because of what they leave out, not just what they contain. A single-ingredient treat has one protein source and nothing else, which makes it easier to identify reactions in dogs with food sensitivities, simpler to account for in your dog’s daily diet, and free from the additives, glycerins, and flavour enhancers that appear in multi-ingredient treats. For dogs without sensitivity concerns, they’re still a cleaner option — but the practical difference is smaller.
Treats are consumed quickly — seconds to a minute — and are typically used as training rewards or brief positive reinforcement. Chews are designed to last significantly longer: minutes to hours depending on the dog’s size and chewing intensity. Chews engage a dog for sustained periods, contribute to dental hygiene through mechanical action, and serve a different behavioural purpose. The two categories can overlap (some chews are also used as high-value rewards) but the distinction is mostly about duration and intended use.
Some are, some aren’t — it depends on the chew and the stage of dental development. Hard chews (standard antler, buffalo horn, wild boar hide) are not appropriate for puppies whose adult teeth are still developing, because the force required to chew them can damage softer milk teeth or erupting permanent teeth. Easy-grade antler — cut lengthwise with marrow exposed, making the surface softer — is often suitable for puppies once they’re past the very early stages. Soft air-dried treats are safe from the outset. When in doubt, check the product guidance and match hardness to the individual dog’s jaw strength.
Single-ingredient, novel protein treats can play a direct role in managing food allergy symptoms — specifically by ensuring that treats don’t inadvertently reintroduce the protein your dog is reacting to. If your dog has been diagnosed with a chicken allergy, giving a treat that contains “natural flavourings” or “poultry derivatives” defeats the purpose of the dietary change. Transparent, single-ingredient treats from a protein your dog hasn’t encountered before keep the elimination protocol intact. They don’t treat the allergy — the elimination diet does that — but they don’t undermine it either.
The general guideline is that treats should account for no more than 10% of a dog’s daily calorie intake. For a medium adult dog on 400–500 kcal/day, that’s 40–50 kcal from treats — roughly two to four small air-dried treats depending on the protein density. High-fat treats (offal, salmon, heart) hit the 10% threshold quickly; low-fat fish-based treats give you more volume for the same calorie limit. If you’re training with high-frequency rewards, use smaller pieces rather than full treats, and reduce the main meal slightly to compensate.
Single-ingredient, easily digestible protein in small quantities. Fish — herring, cod, whitefish — tends to be well-tolerated by dogs with digestive upsets because it’s low in fat and a clean protein source. Duck and rabbit are also good options as novel proteins that most dogs haven’t been sensitised to. Avoid multi-ingredient treats, anything with added sugars or glycerin, and any product where you can’t identify every ingredient. If the stomach sensitivity is significant, check with your vet whether a dietary investigation is warranted alongside changing treats.
Two approaches: collagen-based chews and glucosamine-enriched treats. Beef collagen chews are a natural dietary source of collagen, which is a structural protein in cartilage and connective tissue. Antler chews contain natural glucosamine in the marrow. For more targeted support, there are treats formulated with added glucosamine at meaningful inclusion levels — such as the Green & Wilds venison and glucosamine joint care treats. These work best as part of a wider joint support approach (weight management, appropriate exercise) rather than as a standalone solution.
Glenn Bell is the founder of Ultimate Pet Foods, currently working towards a professional qualification in canine nutrition. He started the brand after finding that most grain-free dog food on the market was opaque about ingredients and inconsistent in quality. The Green & Wilds range is stocked because it meets the same standard we apply to our own food: named proteins, transparent ingredients, nothing that needs explaining away. Questions about this page or anything in the range? Email us at sales@ultimatepetfoods.co.uk.