A Pup Above Vs The Farmer’s Dog: What’s The Difference?

Last Updated on February 14, 2025 by Kieran Beckles

Are you ready to ditch kibble in favor of something fresher, but you can’t decide between A Pup Above and The Farmer’s Dog?

We decided to switch to fresh dog food after Skye started to refuse traditional kibble, leading to a bout of stomach issues and mounting vet bills.

When we moved back to California from the UK, we had to start afresh to find a fresh dog food company that our fussy Alaskan Klee Kai dog would consistently eat.

During our research, we came across A Pup Above and The Farmer’s Dog. In this article, we’re going to share our insights into these two brands and our recommendation.

If you’re ready to sign up to The Farmer’s Dog, you can save 50% on your first order when you click the button below.

A Pup Above Vs The Farmer’s Dog: Who Do We Recommend?

Let’s cut right to the chase if you’re ready to uncover our pick. We recommend The Farmer’s Dog because our dogs loved their fresh recipes.

We were feeding Butternut Box in the UK, and The Farmer’s Dog came closest to replicating the success that we had with the British brand and their food.

Copper and Skye consistently finished The Farmer’s Dog in their bowl, which is persuaded us to recommend The Farmer’s Dog ahead of A Pup Above.

The Farmer’s Dog was substantially cheaper than A Pup Above, too. We paid significantly less for their fresh dog food, which also came pre-portioned with a feeding guide on each meal pouch.

My dogs did love A Pup Above’s Whole Food Cubies. We were impressed that A Pup Above offer a fresh food option and a dry food option to cater to pets who prefer one format over the other or like to combine both.

Ultimately, we’d recommend starting with The Farmer’s Dog ahead of A Pup Above if you’ve got a picky eater. But we don’t think you’ll go wrong with either brand should you decide to opt for A Pup Above.

Who Is The Farmer’s Dog?

The Farmer’s Dog is one of the leading dog food companies in the US, having earned a good reputation for satisfying dogs with their range of fresh frozen meals.

We like that The Farmer’s Dog use human-grade ingredients, such as USDA approved meat and vegetables in their recipes, alongside their TFD nutrient blend.

The Farmer’s Dog offers beef, chicken, pork and turkey recipes through their subscription service. It’s a good range to cater to pet parents with picky eaters like my Klee Kai.

To get started, you need to fill out their detailed questionnaire to allow The Farmer’s Dog to tailor their recipes to meet your dog’s specific needs.

I was impressed because The Farmer’s Dog follow through on this element of their service unlike some other brands. Copper and Skye received individual meal pouches with portion guidelines on the front.

Like I mentioned above, my Klee Kai dogs were big fans of The Farmer’s Dog, especially the chicken and beef recipes, which I recommend starting with if you’ve got a fussy pup.

I couldn’t fault their pricing, either. I paid $193 for my subscription to The Farmer’s Dog, which was by far the cheapest of all the fresh dog food companies I’ve reviewed.

Who Is A Pup Above?

A Pup Above is a versatile dog food company that offers fresh dog food meals and whole food cubies to cater to the different preferences of canines.

For this article, I’ll be looking more at their fresh food recipes, but it’s a big plus that you can mix and match or order their dry food. It makes their offerings appealing.

A Pup Above offers the same proteins as The Farmer’s Dog: beef, chicken, pork and turkey. They do give their recipes more creative names than The Farmer’s Dog.

Unlike The Farmer’s Dog, A Pup Above doesn’t customize its recipes to meet your dog’s needs. There’s no sign-up questionnaire, either. They do provide feeding guidelines based on the weight of your dog.

However, I did like that A Pup Above’s fresh recipes include friendly grains and bone broth, which is something that makes them stand apart from a lot of fresh dog food brands in the USA.

You can select between 3lb and 7lb bags depending on your freezer space. A Pup Above allows pet owners to order a specific recipe or you can opt for their sampler pack of all four recipes.

I needed four 7lb bags per month to cover Copper and Skye’s feeding requirements. This cost me $331.96 (or I could save 15% if I subscribed, which reduced the price to $282.17).

With regards to the taste test, Copper and Skye did enjoy A Pup Above’s fresh frozen recipes, although I surprisingly noticed they preferred their dry format even more.

Wrapping Up

So there we go. We’ve reached the end of our article comparing The Farmer’s Dog and A Pup Above.

We’d recommend The Farmer’s Dog based on Skye and Copper’s enjoyment of their recipes and their overall service and price from a pet owner’s perspective.

A Pup Above do a good job but they offer less customization and come in slightly more expensive. But if you’ve already tried The Farmer’s Dog with little success, A Pup Above is worth a try.

If you’re ready to order from The Farmer’s Dog, you can save 50% on your first order when you click this link.