Top Dog Training Facility in Portland, OR
How to Find the Best Dog Food Brand for your Dog or Puppy
Dog food brands are NOT created equal.
Find out what dog food brands our dog training experts recommend to make a significant impact on your dog.
Healthy, Natural, Balanced Dog Food Makes All the Difference!
As professional dog trainers, we interact with hundreds of dogs and puppies. We have found that feeding your dog high quality dog food makes a big impact on their health, energy, and behavior.
Puppy Food: High-quality nutrition transforms anxious puppies into confident companions
Older Dog Food: Older dogs can change from being luggish seniors into playful explorers
Fresh & Healthy Food: Top dog food brands have thoughtful, balanced recipes supplied with every vitamin and mineral in the correct ratios for the dog’s life stage
5 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Dog Food Brand
Before settling on any bowl-filler, we run each brand through five (5) non-negotiable filters. Tick all five boxes and you’ll land on the kind of nutrition we’re proud to recommend.
1 ✅
AAFCO “Complete & Balanced” Seal
A line on the label stating the food meets AAFCO nutrient profiles tells you every vitamin, mineral, and amino acid is present in the right ratio for growth or adult maintenance.
2 ✅
Real, Named Ingredients Up Front
Turkey should read turkey, not “poultry by-product meal.” Transparent sourcing keeps mystery proteins and filler grains off the menu—and makes life easier for pups with sensitivities.
3 ✅
Cooking Method
Lightly baked, air-dried, or sous-vide methods preserve more natural nutrients (and flavor) than high-temperature extrusion. You’ll notice the difference in shinier coats and eager mealtime manners.
4 ✅
Sourcing & Ethics
Brands that manufacture in their own kitchens—or partner with audited facilities—have tighter control over safety and ingredient quality. Locally produced foods often travel shorter distances, meaning fresher ingredients and a smaller carbon paw-print. Bonus points if the company shares third-party test results for contaminants and nutrient levels.
5 ✅
Multi-Use Format & Palatability
Even the healthiest food falls flat if the dog won’t eat it. Versatile foods that work as full meals, toppers, pill pockets, or enrichment-toy stuffers simplify daily routines and please even the pickiest noses.
Why Urban Pawsibilities Loves Neighbor Pet Food
✅ AAFCO Complete & Balanced for adult-maintenance diets, formulated with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
✅ Chef-Crafted in Portland with fresh, human-grade ingredients and zero artificial additives. Neighbors’ dog food recipes aren’t formulated in a lab—real chefs create them in their own Portland kitchen.
✅ Flexible Meatball Format—serve as a full meal, crumble as a topper, hide medication inside, or stuff into a Kong for mental enrichment. Whether your pup is a picky eater, a pill-hiding pro, or a treat connoisseur, Neighbor Pet Food works as:
Food toppers to jazz up kibble
Soft, chewy treats for training
Pill pockets that even the slyest dogs can’t resist
✅ Sustainability Mindset: Reusable shipping materials and local sourcing wherever possible.
“We first met the Neighbor Pet Food team while sponsoring last summer’s Trail Blazers PupCity event. Their passion for ethical sourcing and dog wellness mirrored ours, so when they offered a collaboration, we leapt at the chance.”
- Emma Brent, Co-Owner of Urban Pawsibilities
Here’s How to Try Neighbor Pet Food Risk-Free
Use code UP60 to get 60 % off your first subscription box at neighborpetfood.com/UP60
The subscription is month-to-month—skip or cancel at any time with no penalty. It's perfect for testing how the dog likes the recipes before committing to them long-term.
Local to Portland?
Swing by our dog training facility in Portland and ask the front desk for a free Neighbor Pet Food sample pack (while supplies last). Let your dog’s tail wag be the review.🐕
Transition Tips for Switching Your Dog’s Food
Go Slow –For two days, Start with 75% of the dog’s current food and 25% Neighbor meatballs.
Monitor Stool & Energy – Gradually move to a 50/50 mix, then 100% Neighbor over a week.
Enrichment Bonus – Stuff a Toppl or Kong (find our favorites in the Mental Enrichment Collection) with thawed meatball pieces to slow feeding and keep the dog’s brain busy.
Try Neighbor Pet Food Risk-Free
Use code UP60 to get 60 % off your first subscription box at neighborpetfood.com/UP60
The subscription is month-to-month—skip or cancel at any time with no penalty. It's perfect for testing how the dog likes the recipes before committing to them long-term.