Holding Out For A Hero (Asda Hero Dog Biscuit Selections)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Asda Hero Dog Biscuit Selections
Date:	22/03/09 (312 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, good quality, good for teeth, added vitamins

Disadvantages: You don't always get a varied selection in the boxes

*What is the Asda Hero Dog Biscuit Selection?*
This product is part of the Hero range, which is the own brand offering from supermarket giant Asda. Included in the Hero range is a large variety of both dry and wet foods and also a large selection of treat products for dogs of all ages, from puppies, through to adult dogs and up to the senior citizens of the canine world.

*The product itself*
Plain, basic dog biscuits are something we tend to get through a lot of in our house. First thing in the morning when Grace and Benson get up, they get a couple of little biscuits to tide them over until after they get back from their walk and have their breakfast and each night they always get a small biscuit before bed, aswell as often getting a couple as snacks during the course of the day and when friends call with their dogs, basic biscuits are a good thing to give the dogs to keep them entertained as they're small, all dogs love them and they're pretty much mess free. So for this reason, we generally tend to only get a week worth of biscuits from one box.

Just like everything else, the cost of dog treats are also going up, so I've recently started swapping some of Grace and Benson's normal treats for the shop's own brand, and much cheaper version, to see what they make of them. A couple of weeks a go it was their usual Winalot Shapes biscuits which got swapped with these own brand Asda Hero Dog Biscuits.

They are produced in various shapes and you get a good selection of each within one box which provides a nice bit of variety for your dog and each biscuit has its own added health benefit:

Circle- the yellow circle within the box contains essential fat and natural oils to help keep your dogs skin supple and their fur soft and shiny.

Heart- the pink heart is full of protein to maintain healthy muscles and aid growth.

Wheat sheaf- the pale brown 'odd!' shaped biscuit contains yeast and wholemeal flour which creates a useful source of much needed fibre.

Bone- the white bone biscuit contains real milk and is packed with calcium for strong and healthy bones and teeth.

Oval- the black oval shaped biscuit within the box has charcoal in to aid digestion.

Diamond- the salmon flavoured pink diamond shaped biscuit offers a tasty source of essential fatty acids.

And lastly, the orange Carrot shaped biscuit is fortified with real carrot which provides vitamin A.

Each biscuit is slowly oven baked instead of fried which makes them lower fat than a lot of other dog treats on the market and the hard, crunchy texture of the biscuits helps in keeping teeth clean and gums firm and healthy. They're also fortified with optimum levels of fat and carbohydrates for energy, oils for a healthy coat and a variety of vitamins and also zinc, to assist in general well being. Each biscuit is only around an inch big and they have very little smell to them, which makes them ideal for all ages and sizes of dog and are also a useful treat to take for rewards on dog walks.

*Packaging*
The biscuits come contained inside a mainly green cardboard box which features the product name, a picture of the product within and also a rather gorgeous looking Retriever dog. On the reverse we are told a little bit about the product and are reminded that they are only suitable for adult dogs (those over 12 months old). There is also all the usual information you'd expect to find such as ingredients, nutritional facts, a feeding guide and contact details for Asda. Once empty, the box can be recycled.

*Price & Availability*
Being an own brand product, this Biscuit Selection is obviously only available from Asda stores or from their website if you prefer online shopping. An 800g box will cost you £1.18.

*My opinion*
As I mentioned before, I'm currently switching some of the premium brand treat products I normally buy for my two dogs for the lower priced, but often just as high quality own brand products that supermarkets have to offer, in a bid to save a little bit of cash!

I normally shop in Sainsbury's but again, in a bid to save a little bit of cash, I have started to shop more at the lower priced Asda and the dogs are starting to sample a whole variety of treats from the Asda Hero range with varying success. I decided to pick up a box of these dog biscuits for them to try next.

At £1.18 they're 20p cheaper than their normal brand of Winalot Shapes, which may not sound like a lot but surely every little helps and what's the point of paying more for something when you can get a practically identical alternative cheaper?! Back at home, Grace and Benson were both waiting eagerly and when the time came to sample their new treat, they weren't left disappointed, the Asda Hero biscuits were gobbled up with just as much enthusiasm as the Winalot Shapes are. Grace and Benson really will eat pretty much everything though and I don't think their opinion is fair enough for a dooyoo review anymore so my best friends dog was also drafted in to help with a taste test! Alfie is a Shih Tzu and like most small breeds, he's a rather fussy sod who will only eat something which he likes- he'll eat a Winalot Shape but he's a bit hit and miss with these Hero biscuits, sometimes he'll eat one and other times not, so if you have a fussy dog, they may well turn their nose up at these!

But for my two, I'll definitely continue buying them. I can't find any difference in quality between these and the higher priced Winalot version and judging by the way Grace and Benson demolish them, it's quite clear they can't either! The biscuits are small enough for the dogs to eat in one bite but large enough that just 3 or 4 make a nice sized and fairly substantial snack for them. When I use to buy the Winalot ones there'd often be a fair few broken biscuits and a lot of powder at the bottom of the box but very rarely do I find a broken biscuit in these Asda Hero ones which indicates to me they are probably quite a bit harder and crunchier than the Winalot ones, which is fine by me as it makes them even better for Grace and Bensons teeth and gums.

My one little fault that I do find with them though is that quite often you don't get what I would call a fair, varied selection within the box. Sometimes you may get mainly bone and oval shapes for example and just a couple of the other shapes, and one time we even got a box which contained purely carrot shaped biscuits with just one heart shape, this wasn't really a major problem for me as my dogs do enjoy all the flavours within the box, but you could find it frustrating if your dog doesn't like one flavour and you end up with a box full of them! I'm sure if that was the case though Asda would refund your money or offer you another box, and admittedly we do sometimes get a good, varied selection within the boxes.

All in all, a great value for money product with no real difference when compared to its higher priced competitors. Your dog probably won't even notice the difference!

Summary: A great way to save a little bit of money on an everyday item!