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This article was produced in partnership with A Pup Above. We received a free sample of Cubies in exchange for an honest review.
The dog food world is rapidly adapting, and there are more options available than ever for feeding your dog appealing, high-quality food. While some pet parents have shifted to new options like fresh and freeze-dried diets, others have opted to stay with dry food and kibble for a number of reasons—convenience being one of the strongest.
Popular fresh-dog-food maker A Pup Above has seen the dilemma evolve: growing numbers of busy pet parents wanted the nutrient profile of fresh food but needed the ease of scoop-and-serve foods. Plus some fresh-food-loving dogs (like their Chief Pup Officer Lola) miss food with diverse textures—particularly crunchiness.
With both of these insights in mind, they developed Cubies: a dried dog food that’s shaped how it sounds. We tested and reviewed the food that’s bringing a crunch to gently cooked dog food.
What Are Cubies?
Cubies are a dry dog food based on A Pup Above’s gently-cooked fresh food recipes, but with the addition of natural binders like eggs and pork plasma to help them hold their shape through the company’s proprietary Nutridry process.
The Nutridry process is meant to gently dry food to preserve nutrients and flavor instead of baking or extruding it (like many traditional kibbles do). The result is a fresh-food recipe that’s been converted to a scoop-and-serve dry food.
Cubies are ready for testing!
Cubies can be used as a topper for fresh or gently-cooked food, or as a full meal on their own. There are four different recipes available:
For pet parents who want to try different flavors to see which their pup likes best, or for dogs who tire of proteins quickly, there are multipack options.
A Pup Above’s Cubies distinguish themselves from other dry dog foods in a couple key ways, emphasizing the advantages for both pets and pet parents:
1) Gentle processing.
A Pup Above’s Cubies are processed with their trademarked Nutridry process, in which whole foods are mixed and cooked at a temperature below 190 degrees for at least three hours. Unlike freeze-dried foods, Cubies don’t require rehydration, and unlike fresh and raw food, they don’t need to be refrigerated or frozen. Cubies have the shelf stability of traditional dry food, without the extrusion cooking process.
2) Convenient feeding.
Cubies are remarkably convenient to store and serve, with the shelf stability of a traditional kibble. We think this is a huge value-add for pet parents who want whole foods and gently cooked options but don’t want to refrigerate or re-hydrate food routinely.
3) Intentional ingredients and transparent sourcing.
Though the cooking method of food is important, the most important component of any dog food is its ingredients. Most foods offer nutritional facts, but A Pup Above goes a step further by offering transparency around the sourcing of their ingredients. You can enter your package’s lot number in their tracker to find out where the ingredients in your pup’s batch were sourced.
A Pup Above also documents why each ingredient is included in their recipes; you can hover over anything on the list to see what function it serves in a dog’s diet.
A sample sourcing report for a Turkey Pawella recipe.
Rover Test Pup Enzo Reviews Cubies
Our Cubies arrived in a recyclable cardboard box, similar to a large cereal box. We were pleased to find the plastic liner is resealable, made from BPA-free materials, and can be recycled via Terracycle.
A Pup Above offers Cubies in two sizes: two pounds and four pounds, with the larger size offering a slightly cheaper rate per pound. You can also choose to subscribe to receive Cubies on a cadence, with frequency options from one to eight weeks.
Enzo examines a bag of Cubies with enthusiasm.
Our test pup, Cattle Dog–Border Collie mix Enzo, was intrigued as soon as the Cubies package was opened and sniffed at it with a lot of enthusiasm. To my nose, the food smelled fresher than typical kibble, but it wasn’t as fragrant as wet or fresh food we’ve tried in the past. The smell was reminiscent of rabbit food, and I was able to see bits of whole foods in the small chunks of food, unlike with traditional kibble.
We did a little taste test to see which recipe Enzo would prefer. He doesn’t have the most discerning palate, so he ended up eating the foods very logically—from left to right. He actually snuck a bite before I even gave the go-ahead, which was a good sign.
After checking with her parents, I offered some Cubies to a dog we were pet sitting, Millie, who is historically an extremely picky eater (she’d turned down treats I’d offered earlier in the day). She ate the pork recipe without hesitation.
Enzo eats Cubies in the logical order.
Though we didn’t fully switch Enzo over to the Cubies since he enjoys his existing food, we think they are a great topper for changing things up a bit when he’s being stubborn about eating. They are also an excellent high-value treat as we embark on training him to not chase squirrels. Though he has a somewhat sensitive stomach, we have not run into any digestive issues with the Cubies.
Conclusion: Cubies Are High-Appeal Dry Food or High-Value Treats
We think A Pup Above has done a great job bringing some of the most appealing benefits of fresh food into a more convenient dry food format—and our test pups agree. We like Cubies for pet parents who are drawn to the value propositions of transparent sourcing and high-quality ingredients but can’t make the switch for practical reasons.
It’s worth noting, however, that A Pup Above’s Cubies are not a low-cost option. In our experience, the price is in the ballpark of many fresh foods at $26.75 per pound, which tracks with the company’s vision for Cubies as a dry version of their fresh lines. The same nutrition and carefully sourced ingredients cost a pretty penny, but we think pet parents for whom price isn’t an obstacle will appreciate the new convenience. For others, Cubies might make a better high-value training treat or meal-topper—as we plan to use them for Enzo.
Overall, we think A Pup Above’s Cubies are a good option for pet parents who
- want the convenience of a kibble with the quality standards of newer fresh alternatives
- have picky pups who enjoy crunch, a variety of proteins, or strong flavors
- care about transparent ingredient sourcing
- are looking for a crunchy meal topper or a high-value treat
Cubies may not be for all households, though, and among those who may want to look elsewhere are pet parents who
- are budget-conscious and are looking for a lower-cost kibble
- have pups who need hydration through a wet or fresh food
