Like so many of you, my wife and I are meticulous shoppers. Whether it be online or in-person, we tend to put a lot of research into the things we purchase so that we know we're putting our hard-earned money on the proper products. There are so many options for even basic items like leashes and collars that it's easy to get lost in what we're buying.

We will be writing reviews as we purchase and use these items ourselves. As you do your research for products you're planning to buy, our goal is to add another layer to that research.

In our first year of rescuing Markus from the shelter, we didn't focus nearly enough on the types of food we were feeding him. He proved to be fairly picky with his meals, so we were just happy to see him finish a full bowl of something for an extended amount of time.

Heading into last year and having gotten a better sense of the type of foods that Markus enjoyed, we started to put more of an emphasis on Markus' diet and the food that we were feeding him. Specifically, we wanted to pay extra attention on food ingredients and if it includes anything like preservatives or anything that isn't very natural to foods.

After a year together, we learned that Markus is a picky eater, but he also isn't. Having lived on the streets and scrounged for his own food, Markus has a good sense and taste for meat. This became clear to us when Markus caught a mouse during a walk and ate it. Markus isn't picky in the traditional sense, but he's picky in that most kibbles and other dry dog foods aren't the type of food he's looking for. He'd rather have a mouse from the field for breakfast than kibble and for a hunting dog, that makes sense.

This became even more clear to us when we switched him to the raw food diet. In over a year of being on the raw food diet, Markus has eaten the full bowl and licked it clean every time except once. He's not a picky eater - he just suspicious of anything that isn't meat. Since that discovery, it's been a lot easier picking up treats for him.

Knowing that Markus prefers his meat treats has allowed us to get smarter with those specific types of treats. When shopping for real meat dog treats, we tend to look for single-ingredient treats. Single-ingredient treats are exactly as it sounds: if you're purchasing a pack of tendons, the ingredients list on the back should only list that as the ingredient. Nothing more.

About Puppy Love Pet Products

Lately at our local pet stores, we've been coming across a brand of single-ingredient treats from Puppy Love Pet Products. We've been finding consistent quality with their products and we actively look to see if stores carry their treats.

In our limited time of purchasing these treats, we've been excited to see shops carrying more variations of their treats - products ranging from beef and chicken to bison, turkey, duck, elk, deer and lots more. No matter what we pick out for Markus, he absolutely loves these treats and we rest easy knowing they're not filled with preservatives.

If you visit their site, Puppy Love Pet Products have their treats broken down into their different types of meat, which are then further broken down into bite-sized snacks to chews. We've found that anything we bring back ends up being a higher value treat for Markus that I wouldn't be surprised if he started recognizing the logo on their treat bags!

Of the treats that we get from Puppy Love Pet Products, we really enjoy their chews. Whether it's a bully stick or a beef tendon, it takes Markus 10 to 15 minutes to work through one of these. What's nice about fibrous-y chews is that they're great for dental health as well. While it's not a replacement for routine brushing, the abrasion on the teeth when a dog is working through a piece of something like a tendon helps loosen buildup.

Puppy Love Pet Products also carry treats that have bones in them. Through their process of slow cooking, the bone materials are crystallized rather than becoming brittle so that the risk of splintering isn't there and it's safe for your dog to eat. These includes their treats like chicken wing tips or some of Markus' favourite chicken and duck feet. 

We've learned through Markus' raw food diet that (crushed) bone is good and necessary in a diet. It's rich in cartilage which promote healthy coats and can help to prevent things like arthritis and other joint issues. The Puppy Love Pet Products process is done in a way that naturally preserves the nutrients and minerals in their treats without using preservatives to do it. 

Whenever we're at a pet store that carries Puppy Love Pet Products treats, we always end up picking out something new for Markus. Here's a list with some of our favourite treats that we've gotten him!

Chicken & Duck Feet

For those who are unfamiliar with chicken or duck feet, it can be a bit jarring at first to look at, but dogs absolutely love eating these treats and so does Markus. As we wrote about, chicken and duck feet have bones that are crystallized and include important nutrients and minerals that promote healthy coats and joint health.

These treats are a full snack and they're high value for Markus and we make him work through a series of treats to earn one of these. We give Markus one full foot at a time and he can eat through one of these treats in about a minute or two! 

Bison & Duck Liver

Puppy Pet Love Products have said that their bison or elk products are becoming more difficult to find and we were lucky to have gotten to try the bison liver treats. Between the bison and the duck liver, we love using these treats to train with Markus because they're high value and they're easy to break apart into smaller training-sized pieces.

The smell of the liver's strong, but it's not the worst. It's definitely enough to get the dog's mouth watering. Since Markus' recall isn't great outdoors, we've been trying hard to find a treat that he'll return to. What often ends up happening is when we offer a treat to Markus, he'll smell it and not accept it. We've found that dried liver works more often than not and we think it's likely because it has a strong smell that's distinct even outdoors!

Beef Tendon Bits

Puppy Love Pet Products has full beef tendon treats that come in all lengths and sizes, but we usually like to pick up the packs of beef tendon bits for Markus. Tendon pieces are usually pretty chewy to begin with and when dried, they're hard chews that take Markus around 10 minutes to work through a 3-4 inch tendon piece.

Markus always brings chews or longer lasting treats to his bed, so these treats are perfect if we need to distract him with something. Whether we're cleaning or doing something where we can't have him running around, one piece of tendon will settle him in his bed for the 10 minutes!

While we put this post together, we found Puppy Love Pet Products FAQ page to be very informative - not just on their own treats, but about who they are and advice on raising dogs.

We’re so grateful for your support of The Markus Project. We mostly choose our locations through searching and word of mouth. If you know of a park, trail or location you think we should check out, please share it with us. We’d love to know!