10 Best Taste of the Wild Dog Foods – 2024 Reviews & Top Picks
Updated on
As loving dog owners, we all want to feed our dogs the best food possible. With so many brands competing, it can be a daunting task just picking which food to provide your furry companion.
Taste of the Wild dog food provides premium nutrition for canines with quality ingredients. We decided to try all of their formulas and see what our dogs think. After testing so many of Taste of the Wild’s selections, we wrote short reviews comparing each so that you can benefit from what we learned. Hopefully, it will save you the trouble and expense of testing them all yourself!
A Quick Glance at Our Favorites in 2024
| Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall
|
|
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dry Dog Food |
|
Check Price |
Best Value
|
|
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Grain-Free Dry Dog Food |
|
Check Price |
Best for Puppies
|
|
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Puppy Dry Dog Food |
|
Check Price |
|
Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain Grain-Free Dog Dry Food |
|
Check Price | |
|
Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free Dry Dog Food |
|
Check Price |
The 10 Best Taste of the Wild Dog Foods
1. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dry Dog Food – Best Overall
Most dog owners would like to feed their canines the most natural foods possible to ensure they get proper nutrition and eat the way their ancestors did. The Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is made with natural, whole-food ingredients, and you can be confident that you’re feeding your canine the highest quality nutrients.
Dogs need a lot of protein in their diets, which is why High Prairie Grain-Free is packed with a minimum of 32% crude protein. However, it gets even better; the protein comes from multiple high-quality sources, providing your dog with a varied and balanced supply of essential amino acids.
Of course, it is packed with more than just protein. It’s also formulated with other health-boosting nutrients to keep your canine in top shape. For instance, it has omega fatty acids to improve your dog’s coat and skin. Plus, prebiotics and antioxidants help maintain healthy digestive and immune systems. Overall, we think this is the best Taste of the Wild formula this year.
- Uses real buffalo as the main source of protein
- High protein content from multiple sources
- Loaded with health-boosting nutrients
- Doesn’t sit well with all canines
2. Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Grain-Free Dry Dog Food – Best Value
In the Western world, we overwhelmingly feed our dogs chicken, but some pups are temperamental and refuse to eat foods they’ve grown tired of. But the Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Grain-Free Dog Food uses real salmon as its primary protein source, giving your dog a diverse new flavor and amino acid profile. Unfortunately, it doesn’t contain as much protein as the High Prairie formula, which is why it is our runner-up.
Like all Taste of the Wild foods, this one is crafted from whole-food ingredients to give your pup the healthy nutrition they need. Because it’s made with salmon rather than chicken, it is an excellent option for canines with food allergies.
Rather than using harder-to-digest grains, this formula is entirely grain-free. It’s still loaded with vital nutrients, including omega fatty acids, chelated minerals, and prebiotics for digestive health.
- Uses real salmon as the main protein source
- Made from real, whole-food ingredients
- Great for dogs with food allergies
- Less protein than our favorite choice
3. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Dry Dog Food – Best for Puppies
Puppies require adequate nutrition to fuel their growing bodies and brains. That’s why the Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Dry Dog Food is our top choice for puppies. It’s formulated with the vital nutrients growing pups need to reach their maximum potential. For instance, this formula is fortified with DHA to help support healthy brain function.
You’ll also find omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat, plus chelated minerals to support the entire range of healthy functioning systems. You’ll even find high doses of antioxidants and prebiotics to keep the immune and digestive system functioning at full capacity.
On the downside, some of our puppies got gas from this food. It also made their stools soft. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it can be hard on some puppies’ stomachs.
- Multiple high-quality protein sources included
- Packed with antioxidants and prebiotics
- Contains DHA, omega fatty acids, and chelated minerals
- Gave some puppies gas and soft stools
4. Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
We eat different foods each day, but our dogs eat the same food day in and day out, often for years. Not only can that get boring, but it doesn’t give your dog a diverse nutrient profile. But the Sierra Mountain Grain-Free Dry Dog Food formula from Taste of the Wild is a great way to switch things up. Instead of chicken, this recipe uses lamb as its primary source of protein, adding flavor and providing nutrients that your dog doesn’t usually get.
However, lamb isn’t the only healthy, whole food in this formula. It’s packed with fruits and vegetables to provide necessary vitamins and minerals to your pup. This formula even contains omega fatty acids for improved skin and coat and DHA to promote healthy brain function.
We realize that it’s lacking in the protein department, however. While we like the high-quality lamb, the 25% crude minimum protein can’t compete with the other formulas from the same company. We also noticed something strange about this food; it made our dogs thirstier. They seemed to need several trips to the water bowl each time after eating this food.
- Fortified with DHA and omega fatty acids
- Lists real lamb as the first ingredient
- Made from healthy whole foods
- Less protein than other formulas
- Sends our dogs to the water bowl too often
5. Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Taste of the Wild likes to get creative with its recipes, often using ingredients you’ll rarely find in other brands’ blends. The Wetlands Grain-Free Dry Dog Food formula is no exception. They didn’t take the boring route with chicken. Instead, you’ll find duck listed as the main ingredient. You’ll also find smoked turkey, ocean fish meal, and roasted quail adding to the impressive 32% minimum crude protein.
We were quite impressed with the protein content and selection of this recipe, but our dogs weren’t quite as impressed as we were. It doesn’t matter if we like the ingredients in dog food if our dogs won’t eat it! Granted, many of our dogs had no problem with this food, but enough of them avoided it that we couldn’t ignore the issue.
While most Taste of the Wild formulas are fortified with health-boosting nutrients, we noticed that this blend is missing DHA, which is essential for brain health. It’s not the end of the world, but we prefer the formulas that include this important nutrient.
- High protein content
- Multiple sources of protein
- Contains no DHA
- Some of our dogs weren’t interested
6. Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
We’re fans of feeding our dogs a diverse blend of healthy, whole-food ingredients, especially when it comes to protein sources. That’s one of the reasons we expected to like the Southwest Canyon Grain-Free Dog Food recipe. It lists beef as the main ingredient but also packs in various other protein sources, including lamb, wild boar, and ocean fish.
While we love the diverse protein sources on paper, our canines’ opinions count the most. Unfortunately, they weren’t as thrilled about the protein sources as we were. Many of our dogs flat-out refused to eat this food at all! Even when hungry, they’d barely pick at it.
Of the dogs that ate this blend, several got gas, and a few got diarrhea. This is just as unpleasant for us as for our pups, which is why this recipe didn’t earn a high position on our list. Still, we like the ingredients and nutrient-profile of this formula, but none of that matters if the dogs vote no.
- Full of vital nutrients
- High protein content from diverse sources
- Many of our dogs rejected this flavor
- Gave many of our dogs got gas or diarrhea
7. Taste of the Wild Pine Forest Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
We get the feeling that many dogs eating the Pine Forest Grain-Free Dog Food from Taste of the Wild eat much better than humans. One look at the ingredients list proves it; venison is listed as the main ingredient, and it also provides several other protein sources, such as lamb and ocean fish.
However, our dogs rejected this food. They wouldn’t eat it, even if we added broth to it! They weren’t fooled. Despite the quality sources of protein and whole foods used in this blend, the dogs have decided it’s not up to their standard.
But some of our dogs ate it, even if they didn’t seem too excited. Their stools all got very soft and runny afterward, indicating that perhaps the other pups were right to stay away from this recipe.
- Uses high-quality protein sources
- Loaded with essential nutrients for a healthy dog
- Our dogs don’t like it
- Gave the dogs that ate it soft stools
8. Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
The Appalachian Valley Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food from Taste of the Wild follows the same formula as their other quality dry dog foods. It’s made with real, whole-food ingredients and packed with plenty of protein from diverse sources, including venison, lamb, duck, and ocean fish. You’ll also find plenty of fruits and vegetables inside to provide your dog with much-needed vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and other nutrients.
But despite all the positive benefits we expected, we were disappointed with this blend. It made quite a few of our dogs itchy. We would have thought it was a fluke if it had happened to just one dog. However, several of our dogs exhibited the same signs.
We also weren’t happy with the kibble size. This food is marketed for small breeds, but many of our small dogs had difficulty with these kibble pieces. They’re larger than the pieces in many other small breed formulas, making them a better choice for mid-sized breeds instead.
- Plenty of protein from diverse sources
- Made some of our dogs itchy
- Kibble is too large for small breeds
9. Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free Canned Dog Food
Often, if our dogs aren’t happy with a particular dry dog food, we’ll add wet food to make it more appetizing. But the Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free Canned Dog Food doesn’t appeal to our dogs’ taste buds in the same way. We thought they’d be thrilled to eat this food, but some were utterly disinterested.
This might have to do with the high amount of gravy used in this formula. It’s mostly gravy with a few chunks of meat. But the meat is made with great protein sources like duck, chicken, quail, and fish. This recipe has a low carbohydrate content, providing your dog with the vital protein and fat needed to be healthy.
Another drawback of this food is the high price. Compared to feeding your dog a dry food blend, the canned food isn’t cost-effective. Still, we could get past the price if our dogs really loved it. Since they don’t, we’ll stick to something more affordable that pleases the dogs.
- Low carbohydrate content
- Very expensive for the amount
- Contains a lot of gravy
- Not all of our dogs were interested
10. Taste of the Wild Ancient Prairie with Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food
Taking a different approach from the numerous grain-free formulas offered by Taste of the Wild, the Ancient Prairie with Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food features healthy grains and diverse protein sources. However, the grains are harder for most dogs to digest, so dogs with stomach sensitivities should avoid this recipe.
With a minimum of 32% crude protein, this blend packs plenty to keep your pup functioning in peak condition. The protein comes from diverse sources, such as buffalo, pork, chicken, bison, and venison. However, that’s probably part of why this food has such a strong, unpleasant odor.
The worst thing we noticed was the weight gain it caused in our dogs. After starting on this food, we saw our dogs gaining several pounds each in a very short time. So, despite the diverse protein, we didn’t find enough to like about this food to recommend it.
- Packed with diverse protein
- More difficult to digest than the grain-free formulas
- Has an unpleasant odor
- Caused our dogs to gain weight
Buyer’s Guide – Choosing the Best Taste of the Wild Dog Foods
In this short buyer’s guide, we will share the most important factors to remember when picking a new food for your dog. If you prioritize these elements, you’ll pick the right food for your dog every time.
Protein Content
Dogs need a lot of protein. Look for a recipe with a minimum protein content of 28% or higher. We’ve seen plenty of blends with 32% minimum protein, which is even better. We generally look for the formula with the highest protein levels for our dogs.
Protein Sources
The crude protein value isn’t the only important factor; you must also look at the protein sources used. Low-quality protein sources make low-quality food.
You want to find a formula that uses real, whole-food ingredients. Look for a blend with a whole protein source listed as the main ingredient. Examples include roast duck, deboned beef, venison, buffalo, and more.
Essential Nutrients
Growing dogs need a lot more than just protein though. That’s why we always look for blends packed with other essential nutrients to boost our dogs’ health.
Look for nutrients like DHA that boost brain health or omega fatty acids that keep your dogs’ skin and coat healthy. You’ll also want to see prebiotics for digestive health and antioxidants to keep their immune systems in top shape.
The Canine Test
Of course, none of that matters if your dog won’t eat the food, which is why the canine test is the most important factor when picking a new food for your dog.
Try feeding some of it to your dog mixed in with their current food. If they seem to reject it, you’ll need to pick a different formula. But if they seem receptive, you’ll want to repeat the process the next day using more of the new food.
Regardless of how many healthy nutrients are packed into dog food, they don’t do any good unless they make it into your dog’s stomach!
Conclusion
ConclusionWhile trying out these dog foods and writing the corresponding reviews, we saw how our canines react to many formulas. Some were universally loved; others didn’t get the same warm reception. At the end of the day, three Taste of the Wild dog foods impressed us enough to bear mentioning.
The Wild High Prairie Grain-Free formula was our favorite. It models how our dogs’ ancestors ate, using high-quality whole-food protein sources, starting with buffalo. It has 32% minimum crude protein, plus loads of other healthy nutrients to keep your dogs in tip-top shape.
The Pacific Stream Grain-Free food was our runner-up. It’s an excellent option for dogs that have gotten tired of the same old food since it’s made with salmon instead of chicken. This also makes it a great choice for dogs with allergies.
If you’re looking for puppy food, our top choice is the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula. Not only is it made with multiple high-quality protein sources, but it’s also loaded with antioxidants, prebiotics, DHA, omega fatty acids, and chelated minerals, providing everything a growing puppy needs.
