Barker and Barker has been manufacturing it's own natural and low fat products for dogs since 1976, when they were first used at Crufts. The company was originally created in the belief that there was a real gap in the market for truly healthy products for all dog breeds - products that follow the needs of a dogs 'natural' diet.
Today there are many products available that appeal to the owner and not the dog. In actual fact dogs have different digestive and nutritional needs and for this reason we develop our products with the dogs health in mind. There are no artificial additives or cereal in any of our products. We do not add any carb loaded ingredients such as oats, corn, wheat, rice or grains. Despite what you may read elsewhere these things do not form part of a canine diet in the wild and are not necessary to maintain good health. In fact it is now clearly understood that a carb rich diet has been the primary cause in the explosion of human type diseases in our dog population such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and various cancers (60% of dogs in the UK are now thought to be obese!). These diseases have never been recorded in wild dogs. There are some quality food options out there that contain a high single source meat protein mixed with bone, vegetable and herbs to make a complete meal. We prefer feeding 'complete' BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) to our dogs with occasional bones and chicken carcasses as meal replacements. If you look around there are now some decent quality 'grain free/low carb/high protein' alternatives in wet or dry form (tinned or kibble) if you don't favour raw.
Whilst on the subject of where food originates, we recommend you steer clear of dog food or treats either manufactured in China or which contain Chinese ingredients. There are many companies in the UK that 'dress up' inferior food and treats in 'UK' packaging but the ingredients will have been grown & processed in China potentially using many hundreds of toxic substances which are banned in the UK & EU. We never use ingredients from China and all of our products are manufactured by us in our own factory in the UK.
We are also committed to never using generic meat, fish or vegetable 'meal' which basically contain all the 'waste' parts of the core products. We only use top quality ingredients intended for the human food chain that are quality assured and that are guaranteed to be produced to the highest food safety standards.
Consequently when you give your dog one of our products you can be sure that it is going to be naturally healthy, naturally low in fat, full of goodness and most importantly they will be nutritionally in-line with a dog's natural diet (high protein, low carb with no cereal and nothing artificial added).
Barker and Barker has always been a family run business with a high commitment to customer service and top quality natural products. It was originally setup by experienced dog trainers and behaviourists over 35 years ago. Today the new owners have extended the Company's committment to canine 'health and nutrition' by using only top quality, traceable, all natural ingredients, as well as introducing updated manufacturing and product testing standards. There are a wealth of new ideas for product improvements and new products that we expect to bring to market regularly, in particular in the supplement range.
The company is now based on the beautiful south coast of England, in Dorset, where we have our sales, packaging and manufacturing facilities.
Barker & Barker products are stocked countrywide through a network of quality independant pet stores, vets, dog trainers and training groups. Ask your local vet, dog trainer or pet store to get in touch if they don't already stock our products and we'll help them take on the products for you.
"We promise that your pet's health and well being will always be the primary focus in the continued development of our products ".
Remember we want to move forward together so if you have any comments or suggestions for improving any element of the products or service then please get in touch at either sales@barkerandbarkertreats.co.uk or telephone the Sales Office direct on 01202 233492.
We look forward to hearing from you.
The Team at Barker & Barker