At Doggie Style Pets the customer service experience is what sets us apart from big box and online retailers. Our customers look to us for much needed pet nutritional advice, so it's important to be knowledgeable about the products we're selling and how they can solve different types of problems. We are committed to hosting regular trainings to ensure you are able to speak confidently about our brands:
we were joined by Dr Danielle Bernal, WellPet's Global Vet Nutrition Director. The training went back to the basics, with a focus on making recommendations for each life stage:
Puppy: It's important to note that puppies require tailored nutrition for growth and development. They have 2-3X higher energy requirements vs. adults and therefore need increased protein and fat levels. They also will need additional nutrients for developing immunity, brain & nerve, bones & joints. Research has shown that 74% of owners are extremely/very likely to purchase the same brand when their pet is an adult, so it's our job to start them off with a quality brand ensure a lifetime of wellbeing. Thankfully, a pet parent's engagement with nutrition at the puppy stage is normally high, so they will want to you to tell them everything and give them recommendations.
Adult: Engagement with nutrition generally dips during the adult life stage, so it's important to focus on expanding their basket. The next generation of pet owners are willing to spend more to create a better mealtime experience as long as they can see the benefits. So whether its trading up to a higher quality food, or adding adjacencies such as wet toppers or bowl boosters, they need to understand how their pet will benefit. In the case of Wellness Pet Food they have their "5 Signs of Wellbeing" as a call out on their bags, so use the packaging to talk about the functional benefits for Skin & Coat, Digestion, Energy, Immunity, and Teeth & Bones.
Senior: If you reference the image above, you may be surprised to see the age at which our dogs and cats are considered seniors. Research shows that 55% of dog owners have a dog aged 7+, yet only 8% of pet parents with a senior dog are feeding an age-appropriate diet. Nutritional needs change as a dog ages. Early intervention with more customized nutrition will help reduce the signs of aging and promote optimal health later in life. Education is the key to success in this area, so it's our jobs to educate our customers. A good rule of thumb is age 7. This age is the equivalent of you or I being in our 50s or 60s, where you likely are not able to eat the same diet and are less active than when you are in your 20s. A senior diet will be supercharged with ingredients to support their changing needs.
Later in the presentation Dr. Danielle delves more specifically into Wellness' products and gives some great insights into how they compare to some of the other brands you see on the shelves.
In this training we are joined by Rob Downey, Founder and President of Annamaet Petfoods. Rob is both an academic and an outdoorsman, combining four decades of research in nutrition with hands-on experience with canine athletes. The result is a brand that has been providing optimum nutrition to dogs and cats for over 30 years. Key Takeaways:
Artisanal Production: Family owned and operated. Formulas are slow cooked in small batches.
Real Science in Every Bag: Two nutritionists are on staff with over 100 publications in peer reviewed journals and books. They boast 30+ years of passionate and professional involvement with dogs.
Checks & Balances: Having two staff nutritionists, including a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, provides better checks and balances on creating great formulas.
Top Quality Ingredients: Formulas contain holistic, non-GMO ingredients, as well as meat and fish fit for human consumption. Omega-3's are derived from sustainable algae.
Extensive Testing: Raw materials coming in and finished product before it leaves is tested to prevent potential recalls.
Eco Friendly Packaging: Bags are sustainable with convenient velcro (Aplix) closures.
This week we had a brief training with our account manager from Meowijuana: "Catnip so good it should be illegal"
Here are the key takeaways for the brand:
At Meowijuana they only use premium, organic catnip that is grown in the USA or Canada.
All cat toys (except Get Rocked & Cigar) have refillable catnip pouch, so you can always provide fresh catnip to your feline friend, because who wants stale catnip??
Quality Matters! As with herbs, there are weak strains of catnip and there are stronger ones. Sun, soil, and growing conditions make a difference between “premium catnip” and inferior catnip.
There is NO THC, Hemp or CBD on any of their products.
70-80% of cats have the “Catnip Gene”, Meowijuana’s blends help to increase that number to 90-95% of all cats will respond to Catnip with an added herb(s).
They do not sell to mass or grocery accounts.
In this week's training we were joined by Primal Retail Training Specialist Lexie Fountas. Primal's goal is to help pet owners "Build a Better Bowl" through complete & balanced raw food, recreational raw bones, hydrators, and toppers.
In the training Lexie addresses:
Safety Concerns: Unlike the raw meat found in grocery stores, there is a zero tolerance policy for pathogens in raw pet food. Primal uses High Pressure Processing (HPP) to eliminate the presence of Salmonella, E. Coli and Listeria. They test and hold all of their products before they are shipped to distribution.
Sourcing: Primal rigorously selects and sources their ingredients from vendors who humanely raise, sustainably grow, and responsibly process all of the proteins, certified organic produce, and unrefined food-based vitamins and minerals in their products.
Products: Lexie provides an overview of their products and offers ways we can open up a dialogue with our customers to find out what areas their pet can benefit most from feeding raw and fresh foods. By encouraging "additions" rather than "change" we can slowly introduce supplemental purchases that will keep customers coming back to the store more frequently.Remember – frozen raw is only available in neighborhood pet stores.
Today we had a brief training with Patti Heckman from The Missing Link. Founded in the early 1990’s by Veterinarian, Dr. Robert Collette, The Missing Link has pioneered fresh, high-quality and effective solutions for a range of health needs our pets may have.
We recently began carrying their Smartmouth® Dental Chews which are marketed as the superhero of dental treats, with a 7-in-1 formula that is multifunctional and long-lasting. They clean teeth, reduce plaque and tartar, freshen breath & and provide whole-body health benefits, all in one delicious chew. Here are the most important bullet points of the product:
One single chew supports Dental – Breath – Skin – Joints – Digestion – Heart – Immune Systems
Mechanically cleans teeth with its unique design and unique bristle ridges and enzymatically using Stay-C® (a patented form of Vitamin C).
100% digestible in 8 hours compared to only 65% of our competitors
No Wheat, Corn, Soy, by-products, Artificial colors or flavors. Non-GMO
Made in the USA.
Available in three sizes, appropriate for all adult dogs.
Patti's powerpoint presentation has been made available here.
Vital Essentials is a family-owned company located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that produces high-quality raw frozen and freeze-dried pet food, snacks, and treats. Account Specialist Caryn Miller takes us through their manufacturing, where proteins are USA sourced and processed on freeze dryers which they designed and own. They are the only leading pet food manufacturer that can boast having complete in house control over their freeze drying process.
Another unique part of their production process is that all of their cage-free, wild caught and humanely raised proteins are blast frozen within 45 minutes of being harvested. This preserves the vital nutrients, color and texture of the product. Finally, the freeze drying is done slowly over 48-hours to lock in optimal nutrients without using high heat.
