Barking Heads grain-free dog food
Barking Heads is built around grain-free recipes, using potato or sweet potato in place of the wheat, maize or rice found in a lot of everyday dog food. If you're choosing a Barking Heads food specifically for its grain-free credentials, this is what that actually means for your dog and how to check it on any pack you're looking at.
What 'grain-free' means on a Barking Heads pack
Grain-free simply means the cereal grains - wheat, maize, barley and the like - have been left out and replaced with a different source of carbohydrate, usually potato or sweet potato. It is a formulation choice rather than a guarantee of anything else, so it is worth reading the actual ingredients list on the pack rather than assuming every recipe in a brand's range is built the same way.
Recipes across the Barking Heads range include Bowl Lickin' Chicken, All Hounder Fat Dog Slim for weight management, and Golden Years for older dogs, each aimed at a slightly different life stage or need while keeping to the same grain-free approach. The ingredients panel on each pack tells you exactly what has gone into that specific recipe.
Why an owner might choose it
Some dogs do genuinely better on a grain-free diet, particularly those with a diagnosed sensitivity to a specific cereal, and grain-free food can be part of a plan your vet has suggested for a dog with digestive or skin issues. For most dogs without any diagnosed problem, though, grain-free is a preference rather than a necessity, and a dog can do perfectly well on either type of food.
If you are switching to a grain-free diet because of a suspected sensitivity, do it gradually over a week or two mixed in with the current food, and talk to your vet first if your dog has an ongoing health condition or is currently on a prescribed diet.
For this need
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Forthglade Cold Pressed Natural Turkey
Cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs from 2 months, soft enough to mix with water for young pups
£45.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Salmon
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for dogs, built on fresh and dried salmon
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Duck
Cold-pressed grain-free duck food with fruit and botanicals, in two bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Turkey
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% turkey, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Small Dog Turkey
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for small dogs and puppies, built on turkey
£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Lamb
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% lamb, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Turkey
Grain-free cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs, gentle on sensitive stomachs
£69.69
Forthglade British Classics Chicken Family Lunch
Complete Forthglade wet dog food with 75% chicken in a 395G tray
£2.45
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Harringtons Adult Dog Turkey Veg
Complete dry food for adult dogs with turkey, chicken and salmon oil, 21% protein
From£3.39
Common questions
- Is grain-free food better for dogs?
- Not automatically. It suits dogs with a genuine grain sensitivity, but for a dog with no such issue it is simply a different way of providing carbohydrate rather than a health upgrade. Choose based on what actually suits your dog, not on the assumption that grain-free is always the healthier option.
- Does Barking Heads make wet and dry food?
- Yes, the range includes both dry kibble and wet pouches, covering life stages from puppy through to senior, so you can generally find a grain-free option in whichever format your dog prefers or needs.
- How do I switch my dog to a Barking Heads recipe?
- Introduce it gradually over seven to ten days, mixing in a little more of the new food and a little less of the old one each day, and watch your dog's stools and appetite as you go. If anything looks off, slow the transition down or speak to your vet.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.