Dog Booties, Cool Treats and Other Seasonal Products Top Hot Sellers for July

SALT SOX Lavasox, dog booties for hot pavement. Velcro strip around the ankle, thin enough so that dogs can feel the ground. Retail $68 for four booties. — Alison Chandler, Noble Beast, Phoenix, AZ

Because both of our stores are located in coastal New England with lots of tourists, Larry Lobster from TUFFY is always on our best seller list. People want something that represents New England, and they like that it’s durable. Retails for $20.99. — Lisa Degloria, Good Dog Gallery, Portsmouth, NH

Products

• STEVE’S REAL FOOD frozen raw 13.5-pound boxes are always our top seller. We added several new Steve’s customers in July. There’s increasing interest in raw feeding, and it’s the brand we suggest first. It’s a little less expensive than other commercial raw, and the frequent buyer program is fantastic. — Karley Eash, Nilla’s Tub DIY Dog Wash & Health Food Store, Normal, IL
• Sand-Blasted MANZANITA Perches. A closeout, we got the last 500-plus perches, various lengths and diameters. It allowed us to give customers a great deal. It’s normal for us to have 200 to 300 perches on hand at any given time but now, whoa boy, we got a lot. — Paul Lewis, Birds Unlimited, Webster, NY
• MUENSTER Freeze-Dried Bulk Meatballs. We’ve had huge success with these. They’re at the register, and customers are buying them so often they’re asking if they can buy 10-pound bags! — Kelly Hilzendager, Treat Play Love, Grand Forks, ND
• WOOF PET Pupsicles! We brought in all sizes of the ball, treat and molds. They sold so quickly in one location, I didn’t have time to move them to the others. I quickly reordered, then again and again. My own dogs are obsessed. — Ashley Lancaster, Hot Diggity, Hyannis, MA
• We just brought in SUZIE’S CBD for cats, and it’s been working very well for our customers. — Keith Henline, Asheville Pet Supply, Asheville, NC
• UCARI Pet Test Kit that looks at 1,000-plus allergens (environmental and food) for well under $100. After a slowish start, these have been flying off our shelves! How many pet parents come into your store talking about an itchy dog or a dog who isn’t eating? Perfect opportunity to pitch an intolerance test, and you don’t have to send them to a vet or to an online store. — Janet Cesarini, Pupology, Georgetown, TX
• KRIJON HEALTHY DOG CHEWS Beef Cheek Roll. Great hit with the dogs and pet parents because it’s a longer-lasting natural chew. We promoted on our socials. Retails for $8.99. — Anna Burdick, Naturally Dogs and Cats, East Windsor, CT
• ZOOMED’s new Axolotl & Aquatic Newt Food has been really popular! — Paige Elder, Buzz N’ B’s Aquarium & Pet Shop, Erie, PA
• SAINT ROCCO’S TREATS sold very well for us. We sampled them out at our July Yappy Hour and had people calling the next week asking if we carried bigger bags. They smell delicious. Meat Lover, Cheeseburger and Salmon. Big pieces of jerky that dogs love. They come in 3, 8, and 16 ounces. We retail them for $5.99, $12.99 and $22.99. If you haven’t tried these, call the guys at Saint Rocco’s for samples. You won’t regret it! — Diane Marcin, Benny’s Pet Depot, Mechanicsburg, PA
• All lickable treats, particularly EVANGER’S LicKitty Mousse Squeezies at $3.45. — Sherry Cassin, Meow Mini Mart, Weehawken, NJ
• HUGGLEHOUNDS Ruff-Tex Balls at $8 to $14. They are great toys, and customers come back to buy over and over again. They are a big hit in my store, and I try to take advantage of the sales. — Susan Nagel-Ress, Winky’s Pet Boutique, Chester, NJ
• HAPPY HOWIE’S Woof Stix. An affordable chew treat, and a perfect item to put in a WEST PAW Quizl. — Susan Weyrauch, Total Dog Company, New Hope, MN
• GF PET Ice Band dog bandana in all sizes, retailing for $13 to $17. With the extreme heat this summer, owners were looking for ways to make their dogs more comfortable. — Trina Messano, Doggie Cakes, Port Richey, FL
• BAYDOG life jacket. We are located in the Pacific Northwest, so in the summers we tend to sell a lot of them to people who boat, kayak and paddleboard with their dogs. They retail for $49 to $59, depending on size. — Kirsten Puhr, The NW Dog, Poulsbo, WA
• Raw femur bones from a local butcher — they cut them into two sizes, and we get them at a good price. Sell for $6.99 per pound. Great source for bulk bones if you have a butcher near you. — Beth Staley, Happy Dog Barkery, Downers Grove, IL
• WONDERCIDE Flea & Tick spray. It sells for $24.99 for a 16-ounce spray bottle). It kills fleas, ticks and repels mosquitos — what makes it unique is it comes in four scents (Peppermint and Rosemary are our top sellers). You can use on dogs, dog beds, carpet and kids. Last month, they had a bundle with cardboard display that had good information about the product, and we have already sold out and reordered. — Shari Wilkins, Lake Dog and Their People, Eufaula, OK
• Training treats have done well for us this summer. We’ve partnered with some local trainers. HAPPY HOWIE’S treat rolls are doing very well. — Jennifer Moore Baker, Grateful Dog Bakery, North Ridgeville, OH
• July saw a big increase in our baked treats and ice cream, all made in house. We just made sure that every customer was asked if they needed a bakery treat or ice cream. Asking almost always prompted a sale. — Sheila Raebel, Dogma Dog Bakery, Arlington, VA
• We sold a lot of ZIGnaTURE cans, at 50% off for a manufacturer-supported promotion (to go with dollars off on Zignature dry.) People love a good deal! — Shane Somerville, Paddywack, Mill Creek, WA
• One of our top sellers last month was the LAZY DOG COOKIE CO. Limited-ingredient biscuits. Right now we’re running a “Lazy dog summer sale,” where all Lazy Dog products are on various sales (Buy One, Get One, 20% Off). People appreciate that they are made with limited-, human-grade ingredients and are based right out of Ballston Spa, NY, about 30 minutes away from our location. The biscuit cookies come in six delicious flavors and retail for $10.99. — Corey Heenan, Boutique and Pet Spa, Altamont, NY
• IV SAN BERNARD shampoos and conditioners, $8 to $60. — Kelly Boesel, Blue Ribbon Pets, Ukiah, CA
• Stickers!! We brought stickers into all locations mid-July, and they quickly outsold so many other products! We opted for the more “eccentric” ones, with phrases like “My dog and I talk shit about you.” and “My cat is my fucking best friend.” They are a hit! — Rebecca Nicholson, Yarn and Bone Pet Supply, Milford, DE
• Earth Animal No-Hides were a big seller for July. Many customers off work for vacation and summer travel are looking for safe chews for their pets. Prices range from .99 cents to $14.99 for the large. We have the display with all the flavors on it, plus at the bottom are the two-packs, which some customers prefer. — April Wright, The Dog and Cat, Essex Jct, VT
• TALL TAILS Animated Crab has been our biggest hit all summer. We are located near the Chesapeake Bay, home of the blue crab. Customers are always looking for something “crabby” that says Maryland. $11.50 to $24.99. — Karen Komisar, Sea Dog Pet Boutique, Annapolis, MD
• FROMM 26-pound Chicken A La Veg. It was $10 off for the month, bringing it down to $51.99. — Paula Gorman, Pet Supplies ‘N’ More, Muskego, WI
• Anything puppy related! Training treats, puppy food and harnesses. We sell mainly RC PETS and WONDER WALKER. CLOUD STAR Tricky Trainers are always a solid buy. — Lori Colburn, Nature’s Pet Market Orenco, Hillsboro, OR
• Our milks and stocks were on special for our hydration month, so we sold a LOT of them. Had discounts on all of it. Customers were happy about that, and many stocked up due to the specials. — Diana Farrar, Fifi & Fidos Pet Boutique, San Antonio, TX
• 4LEGZ bulk treats. We just switched from prepackaged to 4Legz do it yourself, and the price is better and seems to be selling good. — George Beebe, Pawki’s, Eastsound, WA
• Reptile ZOOMED lamps and sand substrates. — Patti Zinke, Patti’s Grooming & Pet Center, Alexandria, MN
• BEN & JERRY’S Doggie Desserts — Pontch’s Mix (Peanut Butter & Pretzel Swirls) and Rosie’s Batch (Pumpkin & Mini Cookies). We offered a promotion of 25% off or a free cup with a $30 purchase. It was extremely successful and fun!! — Chad Miller, Pet Wants Rehoboth Beach, Rehoboth Beach, DE
• VITAL ESSENTIALS Raw Bar was one of our best sellers. I didn’t do any promotions. People are always intrigued by the raw bar — some are grossed out by the animal parts, others love it. Even those who do not like it are intrigued and will buy. — Randy Walker, Lakeshore Pet Boutique, Douglas, MI
• Still ordering SUZIE’S CBD products weekly. — Jennifer Baird, Earthwise Pet, Corpus Christi, TX
• RC PET PAWk‘s paw protection from the hot pavement. No promotions. Retail $12.99 for Pawks and $18.99 for Sporty Pawks. Denise Strong, Pawz On Main, Cottonwood, AZ
• In the beginning of July, everything sold great. We celebrated Elsa’s birthday party, so everything was on sale. We also brought in a new treat line, Saint Rocco’s out of Pennsylvania. We handed out samples, and the treats sold awesomely. — Ruth Sturgis, Dog Daze, North Syracuse, NY
• Bocce’s Bakery Food Topper. At $10, they are a great value. — Pam Alerine, Style Mutt, Cleveland, OH
• WOOF Pupsicle sets flew off our shelves. — Shawna Patton, Petropolis, Camarillo, CA
• Our Blueberry Pupsicles for National Blueberry Day were a huge hit! I made over 70 to give away, and all the dogs loved them. Our customers have been asking if we will be selling them, and I thought about it, but ultimately I don’t think I will have the time to keep up with something like that! — Elaina Stanley, Three Happy Hounds, Fernley, NV

Services

• Nursery School for Puppies is extremely popular. It’s a hybrid daycare and training program. They are trained and play in our puppies-only suite, allowing us to take in puppies who have not completed their vaccine series but are still within their social windows. — Jennifer Frankavitz, Four Leggers Pet Supplies & Services, Beverly, MA
• Increased mobile grooming sales. We added additional staff and ran additional promotions. We used area-specific, paid Facebook ads.— Molly Rowland, Molly’s Pampered Paws, Smithville, TN
• Grooming increased due to some groomers in our area giving it up. — Doug Staley, Pet Palace of New City, New City, NY
• Services always dominate for us, with 500 grooming/nail services this month. No specials or discounts. Probably could have doubled that with the amount of people calling for appointments if we could find anyone to hire! We saw nice growth in Stella & Chewy’s, a new brand for us, and continued growth for Steve’s Real Food. The new rubber toys from Tall Tails have been a surprise seller, as we typically do better with plush. — Jamie Schuller, Dog Naturals, Branson, MO