The Word "Premium" on a Dog Treat Bag Means Less Than You'd Think

Premium dog treats are everywhere on shelves and websites, but the word itself carries no legal weight in Australia. Unlike terms such as organic, which are tied to actual standards, premium has no official definition a manufacturer has to meet before printing it on a bag. According to Sharon Givoni Consulting, a law firm specialising in pet food packaging compliance, claims like this still need to be truthful under Australian Consumer Law, but there is no certification body checking whether a treat labelled premium actually contains better ingredients than a cheaper one sitting next to it.

That does not mean the word is meaningless in practice, just that it cannot be trusted on its own. The ingredient list is where the real difference shows up. A treat made from a single named protein, air dried rather than heavily processed, tends to hold onto more of its original nutrition than one built around fillers and flavouring. The ZIWI Peak Air Dried Beef Recipe is a decent example of what that looks like on a label, a short ingredient list built around real meat rather than a long one built around additives.

Chews are worth judging by a different measure entirely, since longevity matters as much as ingredients. Himalayan style chews, made from hardened yak and cow milk, last considerably longer than a soft treat and give a dog something to work at rather than swallow in seconds. Fish based options, like Gunni's Whole Herring, are worth rotating in too, particularly for dogs who do better on a protein other than chicken or beef.

None of this means treats should make up a large part of a dog's diet regardless of quality. The habit worth building is reading past the front of the packet to the ingredients printed on the back, since that tells you far more than any word chosen by a marketing team. Browse Happup's range of dog harnesses, collars and leashes, along with the treats worth actually reading the label on.