My Thoughts on DOG CHEF: A Genuine Alternative to Traditional Kibble?

When I got my dog, I researched extensively to find out what the best option for his diet was, to ensure he had good health and a happy life. Through my research, I quickly discovered that veterinarians recommend home-cooked meals: this involves preparing meals for your pet using fresh ingredients.

However, it seemed complex and time-consuming to implement. I therefore alternated between several brands of premium dry food, until I recently discovered the concept of Dog Chef, which cooks real home-quality meals for our dogs and delivers them to our door. I'm sharing my experience over the last three months with this service!

What is Dog Chef?

Source: dogchef.com

👍 I absolutely loved it

• The quality of these meals,
• The time-saving benefits provided by Dog Chef,
• The practical and convenient individual packaging,
• The scheduling of deliveries, ensuring you never miss out,
• The cheaper trial offer,
• The ability to alternate with regular kibble to save a bit on costs.

❌ Areas for Improvement

• It would be good to add a grain-free option for the chicken or pork recipes, for example.
• The fact that the first order automatically initiates a subscription (which can be cancelled immediately without any issues) is not very clear. I was caught off guard!

Source: dogchef.com

How Does Dog Chef Work?

Dog Chef aims to be truly simple and intuitive. The goal is to reduce the mental load associated with managing your dog's meals, while providing them with home-cooked style food.

When you sign up, you will complete a questionnaire about your dog, which will help to customise the amount of food needed for them.

Next, you will have a choice of several balanced recipes. Finally, you can select the date and location for delivery, so you can receive your ingredients exactly where you want (home, work, at a friend's...).

Source: dogchef.com

When you place your first order, you are automatically subscribed to receive a new order once your current order has been consumed. If this does not interest you, you can easily unsubscribe at no cost and quickly afterwards through your Dog Chef account or via the app.

How is my dog's menu determined?

The menu designed for your dog has been created by Dog Chef and reviewed, then approved, by veterinary nutritionists.

The recommended quantities and fragrances will depend on:

• The age of your dog (puppy, adult, senior),
• Whether it is a male or female,
• Its weight,
• Whether it is neutered or not,
• Its daily routine (rather calm, active, sporty),
• Any potential health issues (digestive problems, allergies, etc.).

Source: dogchef.com

Is there a commitment with Dog Chef?

No, Dog Chef is commitment-free. When you place your first order, it initiates a subscription, which you can cancel at any time with a single click from your customer account.

Source: dogchef.com

Where can you find the Dog Chef book?

Dog Chef products are shipped to mainland France (excluding Corsica), Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany.

🌴 If you're going on holiday, you can temporarily change your delivery address or reschedule your delivery. To find out how to do this, be sure to watch this tutorial video that shows you the steps!

How does delivery work at Dog Chef?

You can have your order delivered to a location of your choice: at home, at work, or even to a friend's place who can keep the items cool until you come to collect them.

As this involves the delivery of cooked meals, Dog Chef ensures that there is a strict adherence to the cold chain. The meals are transported in refrigerated vans or insulated containers.

Source: dogchef.com

To ensure that you can receive your order and quickly put it in the fridge, you have the option to choose the day and time slot for your delivery. It's very convenient!

👉 If you’re a subscriber and still have plenty of food left, you can defer your next delivery from your account, as long as it hasn’t been paid for or confirmed by email yet.

Is it possible to order Dog Chef for multiple dogs?

Yes! This even entitles you to a discount. If you wish to add a dog, simply start by creating a profile for your first dog, which will set up your account.

Source: dogchef.com

Once you have an account, you can add a dog by logging in and navigating to the section "MY BOX". On the page that appears, near the title "FAMILY", you will see a button labelled "NEW DOG". By clicking on it, you will gain access to the personalised questionnaire for a new dog.

What to Expect When Ordering from Dog Chef?

When I purchased my first Dog Chef meal plans, I had no idea what the meals I was ordering would look like. Nonetheless, it's always helpful to have some information before placing an order online. So here’s an overview of Dog Chef products!

Source: dogchef.com

What menus are available?

Dog Chef offers 5 recipes, all free from preservatives and colourings. The flavours are as follows:

• Chicken,
• Beef,
• Pork,
• Duck,
• Fish.

Each meat accounts for around 50% of the meal. Alongside this, vegetables and fruits are added, and sometimes a small amount of grains for dogs that require them. Among the ingredients used to prepare Dog Chef meals, you will find items such as mealworms, carrots, parsnips, celeriac... as well as apples, rice, and oils (sardine oil, vegetable oils).

Source: dogchef.com

What does a Dog Chef meal look like?

The meals are conveniently packaged in hermetic sausage-shaped bags. Each flavour is easily identifiable by the colour of the packaging, which corresponds to it. They should be kept refrigerated and opened only when you are feeding your dog.

Source: dogchef.com

👉 Meals can be kept in the fridge for 7 days and in the freezer for 4 months. To defrost, the easiest method is to take the portion out 24 hours in advance and leave it in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can use a bain-marie or the microwave.

📅 Once a meal has been opened, it should be kept for a maximum of 3 days in the refrigerator!

5 Things to Know About Dog Chef Menus

In the following lines, I will share with you five essential pieces of information about Dog Chef before you place your order!

They are created by veterinarians

All Dog Chef recipes are developed and overseen by qualified veterinary nutritionists. They ensure that the recipes are balanced, particularly with respect to the quantity of vitamins and minerals in each dish.

Source: dogchef.com

👉 They ensure that the hypoallergenic recipes are truly hypoallergenic!

Dog Chef is for All Dogs

No matter what type of dog you have, there is certainly a Dog Chef menu that suits them. I have particularly recommended Dog Chef to people I know who have a puppy or a senior dog, as the menus are tailored for them too!

Source: dogchef.com

Dog Chef Offers Grain-Free Menus

All Dog-Chef meals are gluten-free. Furthermore, the recipe featuring duck has been specifically developed to be grain-free.

Dog Chef offers you hypoallergenic menus

When I ordered for the first time, I was particularly interested in this aspect, as my dog has a tendency to have allergies. I was therefore delighted to see that Dog Chef offers two hypoallergenic recipes (duck and fish).

About the Dog Chef Duck Recipe, gluten-free, hypoallergenic, and grain-free

Source: dogchef.com

You can get a discount if you have multiple dogs!

If you have multiple dogs, Dog Chef automatically applies a discount. To create their profile, simply log in to your account in the "My Box" section, and click on "New Dog".

How much does Dog Chef cost?

The price of Dog Chef depends on your dog's needs, depending on its size and characteristics. For full board, it typically ranges from approximately £1.70 to £4.30 per day, while for half board, the rates are more in the region of £1.10 to £3.50 per day.

Feel free to use the price estimation tool available on the Dog Chef homepage to get a personalised quote!

Source: dogchef.com

What is the price of Dog Chef?

Here are some price indications obtained using the Dog Chef calculator tool:

Are there any shipping fees with Dog Chef?

The shipping costs are free as they are included in the price!

Discover Dog Chef with a 15-day trial at 20% off!

If you've just signed up, Dog Chef is offering you an exceptional discount of 20% on all its menus for 15 days' worth of meals. This discount on your first order is genuinely worthwhile and is applied automatically. You don’t need to do a thing!

Source: dogchef.com

🤑 For example, for a 10-kilogram dog on a full boarding plan, you pay £1.98 per day instead of £2.47, which amounts to a total saving of around £7!

Save money with a permanent 15% discount on full board!

If you choose the full board option, Dog Chef automatically applies a 15% discount on the total price of its food by weight. Personally, I opted for the half-board option as it is more affordable, but I think this choice is really appealing if you have a fussy dog or if you really want to feed them exclusively with home-cooked meals.

Can I gift Dog Chef to someone?

At present, Dog Chef does not yet offer a gift card system. Feel free to check back when you read this experience, as this may have changed!

Source: dogchef.com

It is still possible to gift Dog Chef menus, but this will be done by giving the recipient the equivalent amount of money directly!

What do customers think of Dog Chef?

Reading customer reviews gives you an insight into the quality of an online service and helps you know what to expect when placing an order. To save you time, I've put together a summary of the reviews available online about Dog Chef.

About Google

Dog Chef highlights its numerous positive Google reviews on the homepage of its website. The average rating is very good, standing at 4.5 out of 5, based on a total of 811 reviews to date.

Source: google.com

Let's explore together what Dog Chef's customers have to say:

• The punctuality of the delivery,
• The practicality of the portions,
• The quality of the food,
• The clarity of the instructions,
• The good digestibility of the food,

Positive review from a Dog Chef customer posted on Google

❌ They enjoyed it less

• Occasional issues with breaks in the cold chain that may occur,
• Relatively high prices.

Mixed reviews from customers about Dog Chef posted on Google

On Facebook

The company DogChef also displays customer reviews from Facebook on its website, where the average rating is 4.9 out of 5. This rating is based on 963 reviews.

Source: facebook.com

Customers who have tried it are generally delighted with the appeal of the product. Their dogs often show a keen desire to eat this food, which is a joy to witness. As a result, they are willing to pay a premium for products of such quality.

The freshness of meals is also valued, along with the fact that they do not contribute to weight gain.

Source: Facebook.com

Some customers have, however, experienced difficulties. There may be occasional issues with dosage or delivery, but the responsiveness of customer service has been highlighted by several clients.

About Trustpilot

It is now possible to read over 300 reviews on the independent review platform Trustpilot. The average rating is very positive, standing at 4.8 out of 5, with very few reviews rated 1, 2, or 3 stars.

Source: Trustpilot.co.uk

Regardless of the platform, the reviews are generally positive. Only a small minority have reported issues, which can occasionally happen when ordering online. In such cases, Dog Chef's customer service is ready to assist!

Dog Chef on Social Media

Dog Chef places great importance on its presence on social media, and regularly shares its news as well as tips for dog owners. You can find the brand on:

• Facebook,
• Instagram.

👉 I also invite you to take a look at the Dog Chef YouTube channel, which offers plenty of video tutorials to train your dog and understand their behaviour. It's fascinating!

How to teach your dog not to pull on the lead?

Source: YouTube.com

Is Dog Chef Really Reliable?

Dog Chef is the brand of the Belgian company Fresh Chef SRL, which is based in Brussels. The project was launched in 2017, by its two founders: Alexis d'Oultremont and Alexandre Cardon.

The company has enjoyed significant success since then and currently employs over a hundred people, producing more than 40 tonnes of food each week. It has an average of 20,000 subscribed customers.

It is therefore a trustworthy company, committed to providing quality products and ensuring customer satisfaction. To achieve this, it can be contacted by telephone, through a live chat, and via email.

The company also takes the time to personally respond to individuals who leave reviews on Google and Facebook, which demonstrates its commitment to customers.

✅ Given this information, you can confidently order from Dog Chef. Although it is a foreign brand, Belgium is close to France, and the service aims to be impeccable.

My Verdict on Dog Chef ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It has been over three months since I started testing Dog Chef with my dog, and I am now ready to share my experience with these meals. I invite you to read my account in the following sections!

Source: Instagram (@ruffoniofficial, @reallifeandheels, @seppethegolden)

Was it easy to order from the Dog Chef website?

The guided questionnaire is incredibly useful and provides all the necessary information for creating my dog's personalised profile.

Personally, I have a 5-year-old male Shetland Sheepdog who is neutered and quite calm. He is quite sensitive in terms of digestion, and my vet advised me to feed him home-cooked meals, but I didn't have the time to set that up.

Dog Chef has allowed me to save a considerable amount of time, as the first order takes about ten minutes and then all that's left to do is wait for the delivery.

Source: Instagram (@cavalouis_, @marli_thedachshund, @schipperke_chef)

How Did the Dog Chef Meal Delivery Go?

The delivery was carried out by a specialised courier, as it was consistently a refrigerated van. I appreciated being able to choose the exact date and time for the delivery, allowing me to organise my schedule accordingly.

During the holidays, it is also really convenient to be able to postpone your delivery or have it delivered to your residence. Personally, I prefer to give my dog only dry food during the holidays as it is more practical.

Source: Instagram (@schipperke_chef, @taiga_husky_siberien, @maisondepaws)

Are Dog Chef menus as high-quality as they claim to be?

It's quite simple: my dog loves Dog Chef meals! There is never a crumb left in the bowl, even though I give him a half-portion by mixing it with premium kibble.

I've never had an issue with spoiled products, and the meals smell delightful... far better than standard dog food in tins!

As my dog is sensitive, I provide him with a hypoallergenic, grain-free duck menu, complemented by premium grain-free kibble. He tolerates these foods very well.

Source: Facebook.com

I find it a bit disappointing that there is only the duck menu that is both hypoallergenic and grain-free. It would be great to offer another option to alternate!

Is the subscription worth it?

The subscription service is incredibly convenient. It allows you to never run out of food without having to think about it. Since it is flexible and commitment-free, you can easily postpone or cancel your next delivery. For me, it's truly an easy and hassle-free solution.

The only issue is that it automatically activates with the first order, and although it can be immediately cancelled from the customer account, I would have preferred it to be more clearly indicated.

Source: Instagram (@dogchef_fr)

✅ To sum up, I am really pleased with the meals I receive for my dog from Dog Chef. They are well-balanced and my pooch is in great health! I can't wait for them to offer more hypoallergenic and grain-free recipes to diversify his daily menu. 😊

FAQ about Dog Chef: I answer YOUR questions!

Finally, here are some frequently asked questions about Dog Chef that have been posted online, along with their answers! 😊

What do veterinarians think of Dog Chef? 👩‍⚕️

Most veterinarians encourage dog owners to feed their pets homemade meals, which are better for their short and long-term health. Dog Chef offers fresh and balanced meals, which is a great option if you don't have the time to cook for your pet.

Is there a referral system at Dog Chef?

Yes! This allows for great discounts and doing a good deed. Indeed, every referral unlocks the following bonuses:

• - 30% off the first order of the referral,
• £30 discount for each person referred,
• £5 donated to a shelter by Dog Chef.

Source: Dogchef.com

👉 Sponsoring is very straightforward: you just need to retrieve the code available in your Dog Chef account. If you can't find this code, the referee can simply mention your name and email address when placing their order to benefit from the discount and secure your €30 discount!

How to get a Dog Chef discount code? 🤑

At the moment, the code WOUF30 gives you 30% off your first order. If this code is no longer valid when you try it, you can still enjoy the welcome offer of -20% that applies automatically!

There is also a referral offer which allows you to earn 30% off if you are referred, or €30 if you refer someone else.

How to contact Dog Chef by phone? 📞

You can call Dog Chef on 03 39 88 00 54 (or +33339880054) for free during the following hours:

• On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 am to 6 pm,
• On Wednesday from 8 am to 4 pm,
• On Saturday and on public holidays from 9 am to 4 pm.

💬 If you prefer to contact Dog Chef in writing, you can also use:

• The live chat on the website, by clicking on this link,
• Your regular email, by sending an email to: hello@dogchef.com.

The Dog Chef telephone advisors

Source: Dogchef.com

How to Cancel Your Dog Chef Subscription?

To cancel your subscription, simply log in to your account on the Dog Chef website and submit a cancellation request.

If you would rather just postpone, that is also possible by clicking on the postpone option.

👉 If this seems complicated, please feel free to contact Dog Chef directly using one of the methods above.

I hope that my experience and the research I've conducted on Dog Chef have helped you to find the perfect food for your dog! Please feel free to get in touch or leave a comment if you have any feedback or questions. 😉