One of the best things about attending the Global Pet Expo is that I get to see trends in the pet industry. The most noticeable trends occur in the dog product category. For example, one year two vendors have beautiful new dog carriers, and then the next year every vendor has beautiful new dog carriers. A couple of vendors having luck with wheat-free treats? You can bet you’ll see them everywhere the following year. The nice part of that is that the pet industry is definitely influenced by consumer trends. This year in the dog world, I was delighted to witness three definitive trends:
1) More and more suppliers are making interesting, high quality toys that are designed to stand up to the more aggressive chewers. Several years ago, aggressive chewer toy lines consisted essentially of rubber bones and balls, not terribly interesting. This time around, I saw toys in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and many had interesting knobs or textures which I believe will really appeal to dogs who like to gnaw.
Flatties (a.k.a. Roadkill – and no, I’m not making that up) are definitely another trend in the world of dog toys. These are essentially stuffed toys with the Manufacturing Engineer Salary California stuffing removed. They still have squeakers, but since they’re flat, dogs have a much harder time tearing the toy apart in their quest for the squeaker.
Toys without squeakers are also cropping up. Squeakers squeak at a level similar to prey – hence the reason most dogs instinctively feel a need to play “hunt the squeaker” with all squeaky toys. Petlane’s favorite new non-squeaky toys are the ones that have a place to put an empty water bottle in. Then, instead of squeaking, the dog makes this wonderful crinkling sounds that dogs seem to love.
2) Pet suppliers are definitely becoming more environmentally aware. There is a definite trend towards using (when possible), fabric scraps, recycled materials, all-natural treats, and (for those willing to pay the price) a line of plush dog toys made from 100% organic cotton (the dog still tears the toy up in 5 minutes, but you can feel good that he’s not ingesting pesticides in the process). I was particularly impressed by a shampoo company (one that we are hoping to add to our line in fall) who bottles their shampoos in biodegradable (even in landfill) bottles.
3) This last innovation (it’s not widespread enough yet for me to really call it a trend) was especially fun for me to see. Petlane has known for several years that pets can see certain colors. Dogs respond well to blue, green, and yellow while cats do better with the blues and purples. Once we learned this, we immediately started designing products in the colors pets see. And I think we’re having an impact!
One vendor had a full wall of toys, all done in green and blue, with a headline that read something to the effect of “Designed in the colors dogs see!” It’s a pleasure to see the pet Industrial Development Painting really starting to cater to the needs of pets.

One of the best things about attending the Global Pet Expo is that I get to see trends in the pet industry. The most noticeable trends occur in the dog product category. For example, one year two vendors have beautiful new dog carriers, and then the next year every vendor has beautiful new dog carriers. A couple of vendors having luck with wheat-free treats? You can bet you’ll see them everywhere the following year. The nice part of that is that the pet industry is definitely influenced by consumer trends. This year in the dog world, I was delighted to witness three definitive trends:
1) More and more suppliers are making interesting, high quality toys that are designed to stand up to the more aggressive chewers. Several years ago, aggressive chewer toy lines consisted essentially of rubber bones and balls, not terribly interesting. This time around, I saw toys in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and many had interesting knobs or textures which I believe will really appeal to dogs who like to gnaw.
Flatties (a.k.a. Roadkill – and no, I’m not making that up) are definitely another trend in the world of dog toys. These are essentially stuffed toys with the Manufacturing Engineer Salary California stuffing removed. They still have squeakers, but since they’re flat, dogs have a much harder time tearing the toy apart in their quest for the squeaker.
Toys without squeakers are also cropping up. Squeakers squeak at a level similar to prey – hence the reason most dogs instinctively feel a need to play “hunt the squeaker” with all squeaky toys. Petlane’s favorite new non-squeaky toys are the ones that have a place to put an empty water bottle in. Then, instead of squeaking, the dog makes this wonderful crinkling sounds that dogs seem to love.
2) Pet suppliers are definitely becoming more environmentally aware. There is a definite trend towards using (when possible), fabric scraps, recycled materials, all-natural treats, and (for those willing to pay the price) a line of plush dog toys made from 100% organic cotton (the dog still tears the toy up in 5 minutes, but you can feel good that he’s not ingesting pesticides in the process). I was particularly impressed by a shampoo company (one that we are hoping to add to our line in fall) who bottles their shampoos in biodegradable (even in landfill) bottles.
3) This last innovation (it’s not widespread enough yet for me to really call it a trend) was especially fun for me to see. Petlane has known for several years that pets can see certain colors. Dogs respond well to blue, green, and yellow while cats do better with the blues and purples. Once we learned this, we immediately started designing products in the colors pets see. And I think we’re having an impact!
One vendor had a full wall of toys, all done in green and blue, with a headline that read something to the effect of “Designed in the colors dogs see!” It’s a pleasure to see the pet Industrial Development Painting really starting to cater to the needs of pets.