{"id":904,"date":"2025-09-10T10:23:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T08:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/2025\/09\/10\/types-of-dog-food-differences-pros-and-cons\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T10:23:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T08:23:00","slug":"types-of-dog-food-differences-pros-and-cons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/2025\/09\/10\/types-of-dog-food-differences-pros-and-cons\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of dog food: differences, pros and cons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you confused about how many different types of dog food there are? That&#8217;s normal, but you&#8217;ve come to the right place. I&#8217;m Janusz, a dog trainer in Mallorca, and today I&#8217;m going to explain the different types of dog food, with their pros and cons, so you can identify which one is best for your dog and your lifestyle. More and more people are interested in improving their dogs&#8217; diets, which is good news. But the reality is<\/span> that many owners focus only on which brand of food to buy and forget about everything else.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More and more people are interested in improving their dogs&#8217; diets, which is good news. But the reality is that many <b>owners focus only on which brand of food to buy<\/b> and forget about everything else: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how meals are distributed, how much food is used for training, or whether it makes sense to use supplements. <\/span>All of these factors also influence your dog&#8217;s health and behaviour.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today I want to tell you, clearly and without idealisation, what the<\/span> most common types of dog food are, <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and what to consider knowing if you are doing the best for your dog.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Commercial diets vs home-cooked meals<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can divide dog food into two main groups:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Commercial diets: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">any processed and packaged food you buy (dry, wet, semi-moist, dehydrated feed, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Homemade food: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prepared at home, with fresh ingredients, adapted to the dog, and cooked (or not) by the owner.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both options can be good if done right, but they can also be disastrous if they do not meet the dog&#8217;s needs or if they are poorly balanced.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Most common types of dog food<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below is a summary of the main types of dog food currently available:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Dry feed <span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u2013 types of feed<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the most widely used. It is convenient, easy to store, ideal for large portions or for working with dogs during the day. However, as it is highly processed, it is not always the best option in the long term. In addition, it must be stored properly to prevent oxidation or contamination.   <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Semi-moist feed<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Softer and more appetising than dry food. It is very useful as a treat or for dogs with poor appetites. However, it is still a processed food, with more moisture but a shorter shelf life once opened.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Wet food<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has a higher water content and is usually very appealing to dogs. It works very well as an occasional treat or for mixing, although it can be less practical if not stored properly. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>4. Dehydrated or freeze-dried food<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It keeps well, contains high-quality ingredients and is usually rehydrated with water before serving. A good alternative to feed, but less manageable as a treat. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>5. BARF (biologically appropriate raw food)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on raw meat, bones and vegetables. Very tasty and appetising, but more complex to store, transport and balance correctly. Requires knowledge and close attention to the cold chain.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>6. Home-cooked meals <span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u2013 types of food<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It allows complete control over ingredients, but also involves more time, cost, and risk if not balanced correctly. It requires professional supervision to avoid nutritional deficiencies. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Food supplementation in dogs <span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u2013 types of feeding<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is increasing talk about supplements for dogs. Some may be useful, but not all dogs need them, nor do they need them all the time.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I always recommend consulting a professional before incorporating any product.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Some common supplements for dogs:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Chondroprotectors:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for joints.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Trace elements and vitamins:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">only if there is a genuine deficiency or on veterinary advice.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Liver and kidney protectors:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in dogs with specific diseases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Tryptophan:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> linked to stress regulation and, in some cases, improved behaviour.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Remember:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not everything that is natural is harmless. More is not always better.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>So&#8230; what is the best diet for your dog?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no single answer. Every dog has a different activity level, metabolism, environment and relationship with food. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Si tienes dudas, <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/34680932094\">puedes escribirme<\/a> y lo vemos juntos<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. No se trata de elegir la marca \u201cm\u00e1s cara\u201d o \u201cm\u00e1s natural\u201d, sino de adaptar la alimentaci\u00f3n <\/span><b>a tu perro, a tu estilo de vida y a lo que quer\u00e9is conseguir juntos<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Si te interesa el mundo canino, <a href=\"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/2025\/08\/21\/dog-neutering-what-no-one-tells-you\/\"><strong>consulta nuestro post sobre la castraci\u00f3n en perros<\/strong><\/a>, seguro que te sorprende. <\/span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dogandrollmallorca?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&amp;igsh=em0wMTQ4ZGV3dDFi\">Follow me on social media<\/a> <b>for more tips and useful information<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that may be helpful to you and your dog. Best regards!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you confused about how many different types of dog food there are? That&#8217;s normal, but you&#8217;ve come to the right place. I&#8217;m Janusz, a dog trainer in Mallorca, and today I&#8217;m going to explain the different types of dog food, with their pros and cons, so you can identify which one is best for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":806,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dog-health","category-sin-categoria"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogandroll.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}