We're dog lovers, just like you. We love shopping for our dogs, whether it's checking out the chew bar at your local pet supply store or hunting for hard-to-find goodies online.

We know how frustrating it is to purchase some treats that you're really excited about the first time, like these...

And then the second time you order the same item, you receive something like these instead...

At The Natural Dog Company, we hand sort all of our treats and chews. Any pieces that don't meet our standard of quality are scrapped and/or donated. This may include pieces that are discolored, are too small, or are otherwise defective.

Our bully sticks and antlers are sorted by weight. This will ensure that you consistently receive a product that is within standardized parameters that will never change.

A breakdown of how we sort our bully sticks:

Why don't we sort bully sticks by width or thickness?

One of the most important qualities of a bully stick is how long it will take your dog to chew. Bully sticks are a natural product subject to many variations that are dependent on factors including (but not limited to) the bull's diet, age, genetics, time of year at slaughter, cooking method, and more.

Bully sticks do not have identical densities across the board. Some bully sticks are extremely dense and will take even the toughest dog a while to chew through it. Some bully sticks are filled with pockets of air, and will have a crunchy and brittle texture. 

We sort our bully sticks by weight, rather than thickness, because a heavier bully stick will always (as long as there weren't issues in the cooking process) be more durable than a lighter, less dense bully stick. 

A breakdown of how we sort our antlers:

Why don't we sort antlers by length?

Antler shapes vary a lot. We wanted to find a consistent way to sort our antlers. When sorting antlers by length, you have to decide if you want to measure the distance from one tip to the other type, if you want to factor in the curvature of the antler, as well as the thickness of the antler. 

In addition, pieces cut from the base of the antler will be much more durable and dense compared to pieces cut from the tip of the antler tine.

The heaviest, densest antlers will be the most suitable for large, aggressive chewers. A long antler tine may appear to be suitable for a large and powerful dog, however, if the piece is narrow and light, it is much more likely to fracture than a short, heavy piece that's shaped more like a brick.

That's why we decided to sort our antlers based on weight, rather than length.

Curious to learn more? Here's a quick behind-the-scenes look at our production line and shipping department!

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