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THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:

• 📈 Dog walker demand is back on the rise

• 👃 The topic of scent work is exploding

• 🔥 What dog products will be hot in 2025

 📈 DOG WALKER DEMAND IS BACK ON THE RISE

As New Yorkers transition back to office life and business travel picks up, the city's dog walking industry is experiencing a significant surge.

The pandemic saw a notable increase in pet ownership, with many New Yorkers adopting dogs for cuddly companionship during lockdowns.

Now, as routines shift, pet owners are seeking reliable care for their canine companions during the day.

The demand for professional dog walkers has not only rebounded but surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

According to a couple of reports, some dog walking services have seen a 30% increase in bookings compared to previous years.

This uptick is driven by the influx of new pet owners and the hectic schedules of workers returning to their offices.

The surge highlights the essential role dog walkers play in dense city living, offering support to pet owners juggling work plus personal/social commitments.

In major cities like New York, experienced dog walkers are capitalizing on this opportunity.

Some are earning impressive incomes, and many do it as a side hustle — with annual earnings ranging from $60,000 to +$120,000.

Several variables contribute to these level of earnings including the number of clients, frequency of walks, and additional services like pet sitting or overnight care.

The high demand allows dog walkers to fill their schedules quickly, and premium rates are often charged for specialized care or last-minute bookings.

Also NYC ain’t cheap!

The Revival of Business Travel 

Business travel has also fueled the industry's growth.

Professionals resuming travel for conferences and meetings rely on dog walkers not just for daily activity but for extended care and foregoing full stays at a boarding facility.

This includes feeding, administering medication, and providing companionship, ensuring pets remain comfortable and velcro to another human in their owners' absence.

Some NYC pet sitters report a 40% increase in overnight care requests, reflecting this trend.

Services like Rover and Wag! report a surge in new user sign-ups and bookings, streamlining the process of finding and scheduling trustworthy walkers.

As more companies adopt hybrid or full-time office models, reliance on pet care services is likely to continue growing.

Dog walkers are not only meeting a practical need but are stepping into a crucial role for pets who became accustomed to constant companionship during lockdowns.

For those considering a career in dog walking, now appears to be an opportune time.

The combination of high demand and the potential for solid earnings makes it an attractive option for animal lovers seeking flexible work.

Industry analysts predict that the pet care market will continue to expand, with the dog walking sector expected to grow by 7% annually over the next five years.

👃 THE TOPIC OF SCENT WORK IS EXPLODING

In recent years, a smelly trend has emerged among dog owners: teaching their pets scent work.

This surge in interest is not only rooted in the science of canine behavior, but also presents a great business opportunity for professional trainers in the industry to niche down and meet this growing demand.

The Science Behind Scent Work and Better-Behaved Dogs

Scent work taps into a dog's natural instinct to use its powerful sense of smell, which is estimated to be 10,000 to 100,000 times more acute than that of humans.

Engaging in scent-based activities provides mental stimulation essential for a dog's well-being.

A recent study has shown that dogs involved in regular scent work exhibit reduced stress levels, decreased anxiety, and improved overall behavior.

By channeling their energy into scent tasks, dogs are less likely to engage in destructive behaviors born out of boredom or frustration.

A Growing Trend Among Dog Owners

With an increasing number of dog owners seeking ways to give their dog enrichment, scent work has become a popular choice due to its low barrier to entry.

The accessibility of resources has significantly contributed to this trend.

For instance, a YouTube video titled "How to Teach Your Dog Scent Work" has garnered +400,000 views:

This video is made by a dog trainer, so he does a great job in providing step-by-step guidance, making scent training fairly approachable for beginners.

Also, social platforms have made it super easy for other dog owners to display how they’re introducing their dogs to scent work right from their home.

Which allows for an even more informal way of learning how to pick up this new skill set.

@ohsnapitsbeck

Did you know you don’t need a trainer to do nose work at home? It’s a great way to keep your dogs mind active and give them mental stimula... See more

Business Opportunities for Trainers

This growing demand translates into significant business opportunities for professional dog trainers specializing in scent work.

Specialized scent training businesses are generating annual revenues exceeding $150,000, highlighting the profitability of this niche market, especially for solo trainers or small teams.

Trainers are diversifying their scent services to meet demand, offering group classes, private lessons, online courses, and even organizing scent work competitions.

The average cost for a six-week scent training course ranges from $150 to $300 per dog, and private sessions can command higher rates.

Additionally, there is potential for partnerships with pet product companies to develop and sell specialized scent training kits, and other scent enrichment products.

🔥WHAT DOG PRODUCTS WILL BE HOT IN 2025

Once daylight savings ends we tend to start thinking about the end of the year, and what the next one has in store for us.

We also get curious on trying to guess / estimate what products in the dog space will gain in popularity to see what opportunities might present themselves.

So, in light of that we have some possibly too early guesses on which product categories we think are going to grow into next year and beyond.

Big Hits in 2025

Dental and Oral Care

This category was on our radar back in 2023 when we read an article from Exploding Topics talking about the 91% growth in searches for "pet toothpaste" over the last 5 years.

Remember, a lot of pet insurance plans (and human for that matter) don't cover dental.

For those of you unlucky enough to have to deal with a tooth pull or other oral intervention, you know the bills can be astronomical.

Now that more vets are focusing on dental health, we think toothpastes, wipes, and other products focusing on tooth health will see a bump.

Travel Gear

Also on the rise is the number of owners that now travel with their pets, whether that's in the sky or on the road.

According to the APPAs 2024 state of the industry report, 34% of dog owners have taken their pooch on 3 or more trips in the last year, compared with 26% in 2022.

We are seeing increased interest in products like Tavo's travel systems and other gear that make car or plane trips easier.

We think there is opportunity in catering specifically to travel. Whether that's a service that helps with rental items, or e-commerce specifically for travel.

One strategy could be to find a pet influencer that does a lot of travel and partner with them to create a brand or service.

This influencer co-founder strategy has gained a lot of popularity recently and can give you a huge advantage.

Early Disease Screening

We've previously covered Oncotect, the canine cancer screening kit, but since then we've seen a host of other kits pop up that cover different conditions:

• Checkpup

• Embark

• Wisdom Panel

• Canine HealthCheck

Not too sure what the immediate opportunity is here, so maybe this is more useful for you owners to know that early detection is becoming a lot more available and easy to use.

Collagen Sticks

With a 5-year growth in search of 471%, collagen sticks aren't a new trend, but they are one that continues to climb.

Pawstruck and Natural Farm are two brands leading the way in this product category, with roughly 60k and 50k respectively in monthly traffic on their sites.

DOGGYDEX™

Winner 🏆: BITCOIN

Proudly introducing the DoggyDex™, an index comprised of 10 publicly traded companies whose primary focus is the dog/pet industry.

List of tickers used can be found at the very bottom of the newsletter.

The yellow line-plot in the chart represents these companies above (DoggyDex™) and their combined performance against both the S&P 500 and Bitcoin on a weekly basis.

Pawformance is measured by % gains & losses.

• 😴 Only one word that will wake this dog: Watch this owner sit on the couch next to his sleeping pittie as he says a bunch of words out loud, but only one makes her eyes open.

• 🖼️ Dogs re-create famous artwork: During the lockdown in 2020, the Getty museum announced a quarantine challenge to get people to recreate famous artwork, the dog owner submissions are outstanding.

• ⚾ Dodgers pug is star of parade: As loyal Dodgers fans waited for their team to parade for winning the World Series, a jersey wearing Pug gets hoisted into the air and the crowd erupts, even chanting “the dog” to see more of him.

• $CHWY - Chewy: E-commerce platform for pet supplies

• $IDXX - Idexx Labs: Vet point of care instruments and vet software

• $FRPT - Fresh Pet: Pet food company

• $ELAN - Elanco: Manufactures pet disease prevention products

• $PETS - PetMeds: Online pet pharmacy

• $ZTS - Zoetis: World's largest producer of meds and vaccines for pets and livestock

• $TRUP - Trupanion: Pet insurance company

• $WOOF - Petco Health & Wellness co.: Pet health & wellness company

• $BARK - BarkBox: Subscription service providing dog products, services, and experiences

• $PET - Wag! Group Co.: Tech platform that allows pet owners to connect with industry professionals for services such as, walking, training, etc.