Final answer:
The independent variable in the experiment is the type of dog food.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the given experiment, the independent variable is a) The type of dog food. The independent variable is the factor that is manipulated or changed by the experimenter to see its effect on the dependent variable.
In this case, the experimenter is testing different flavors of dog food to see which one the dog prefers, so the type of dog food is the independent variable.