- The Woof
- Posts
- Another 5 Emerging Pet Trends That Will Shape 2026
Another 5 Emerging Pet Trends That Will Shape 2026
These trends aren’t loud yet, but they’re where the money is moving.
Collin Armstrong
November 26, 2025
Issue #272
November 26, 2025
Quick Hits:
Last week's piece on emerging pet care trends got a strong response, with a lot of you asking to see more. So here are five more worth watching.
Last Wednesday we covered what's changing in pet care itself - AI triage, gut health, biohacking, longevity. This week is about how pet businesses are evolving to meet these shifts.
We're looking at the rise of preventative care subscriptions, brands winning by going super-niche, creators using their audiences as distribution channels, services moving into the home, and premium gear becoming the new standard.
These aren't trade show talking points. They're structural shifts in how pet businesses operate and compete.
Here's what you need to know.
1. The Rise of Preventative Wellness Memberships 2.0
Pet care is having its One Medical moment.
Instead of one-off vet visits, clinics are moving to subscription-based wellness plans that bundle unlimited exams, routine care, and virtual consults for a flat fee. The approach is gaining traction as a way to drive predictability for providers and affordability for owners.
New vet entrants are explicitly modeling themselves after human concierge care. Petfolk launched with a membership-based clinic model similar to One Medical, including 24/7 telehealth and same-day appointments for subscribers.
Co-founded by a veterinarian and tech entrepreneur, Petfolk raised $40M by pitching the idea that pet parents crave continuity, convenience, and clarity in care.
Petfolk’s Pitch Deck | Image credit: Business Insider/Petfolk
Other young clinic chains are on board.
Sploot Veterinary Care in Denver offers a $299/year "SplootPack" membership that flips the cost equation with unlimited wellness exams and core preventive services, plus steep discounts on dentals and urgent care.
"It's like Amazon Prime for your pet," says, Gil, Sploot's co-founder – after a couple of visits, the membership pays for itself. The predictable pricing draws in budget-conscious Millennials, especially as vet costs have spiked 60% in the past decade.
In a recent Colorado survey, 31% of pet owners under 35 said they're considering switching vets mainly for cost-predictable, modern care.
Even franchised vet groups are embracing the model.
EasyVet clinics offer wellness packages on monthly payment plans, giving pet owners 5–20% savings on routine care.
At Advanced Animal Care of Colorado, the team introduced "Wellness Plans" via Happy Healthy Pets, which is essentially a bolt-on service, tailored by life stage – each plan bundles unlimited wellness exams, dental cleanings, vaccines, and 10% off other services for one monthly fee.
These plans can save clients roughly 25% annually and are deliberately designed to evolve as the pet ages.
NOTE: you have to go through their funnel and fill out basic info + select your vet hospital in order to see any pricing, this what I was able to pull up for me in Austin, TX with an adult dog.
Quite a bit of friction to get to this point unlike many other services that tell you the monthly cost upfront. It’s easy to see which companies are digitally native and understand sleek UI/UX and which are trying to move fast enough to compete and maintain and edge but miss the mark. | Happy Healthy Pets Wellness Plan
Outside the clinic, related models are popping up.
Pet insurance providers now offer wellness add-ons so that routine care is covered just like accidents.
MetLife's pet insurance lets owners tack on a preventive care plan that reimburses annual exams, vaccines, and teeth cleaning.
New hybrids like Paw Protect combine coverage with instant credit – their "InstantPay" system can review a claim 24/7 and pay your vet bill upfront while you're still at the clinic.
Paw Protect’s instant pay for time of service vet billing
Even groomers are launching "SPAW Club" memberships that give VIP clients unlimited nail trims or monthly bath packages for a flat rate.
Why it's happening?
Economics and workforce strains are major drivers. Amid inflation and a national vet shortage, clinics leverage memberships to lock in loyalty and smooth their revenue cycle.
Clients are reeling from post-pandemic price hikes and appreciate any move toward cost certainty.
These programs also align incentives. "We're not trying to get people to come in more," explains Sploot's co-founder. "We're helping them come in for the right reasons… so fewer visits turn into emergencies."
Takeaway: Pet parents are proving they’re willing to pay monthly fees for peace of mind. Whether you run a vet clinic, grooming salon, or pet dental startup, consider productizing your services into memberships or wellness plans – they boost retention and smooth out revenue.
2. Micro-Verticals Winning on Depth, Not Width
The breakout pet brands of 2025 aren't trying to serve all pet owners – they're obsessing over one specific tribe or need and dominating it.
From bulldog wrinkle care to yak-milk chews for power chewers, these micro-vertical players show that in pet, niche equals stickiness.
Instead of launching a generic dog shampoo, brands like Skout's Honor built an entire line of probiotic grooming products for sensitive-skinned dogs.
By formulating for a distinct problem and marketing with vet validation, Skout's Honor earned die-hard loyalty from grateful pet parents.
Similarly, Squishface created a runaway hit by laser-focusing on wrinkly dogs. Its Wrinkle Wipes and Paste are formulated specifically for bulldogs, pugs, and Frenchies prone to tear stains and skinfold infections.
The payoff?
Raving fans in that niche, strong repeat purchase rates, and little direct competition.
Compelling before & after for very specific use case and pain point for wrinkly dog owners
This pattern plays out across categories.
The Big Damn Dog Co. launched with a laser focus on giant breed dogs (100+ pounds), recognizing that most joint supplements either underdose large dogs or require owners to give a dozen pills daily.
Their Giant Breed Hip & Joint supplement is specifically formulated with potencies and dosages designed for dogs like Great Danes and Mastiffs, addressing joint health needs that standard products ignore.
Even hardware favors micro-verticals.
Tractive, a leader in GPS pet trackers, added an Adventure Mode with virtual fence alerts for off-leash hikers and campers.
The Dexas MudBuster carved out a unique niche as a cup-and-bristle device designed for outdoor adventurers with muddy-pawed dogs – and now owns that space on Amazon and REI's shelves.
Pawstruck's Himalayan Yak Chews exploded by targeting "extreme chewers" with ultra-dense, long-lasting chews made of hardened yak milk cheese.
Why niche beats mass?
Community, trust and very specific pain point solved that’s typically underserved.
Pet owners identify strongly around their pet's tribe or challenge. A niche brand can speak their language and become a go-to resource. That yields stronger community engagement and often a built-in marketing channel via Facebook groups, subreddits, and breed clubs.
As one pet marketing exec notes, "niche pet communities demand specialized products and authentic engagement" – businesses that tailor their approach can build strong loyalty and sustainable growth.
Second, these brands enjoy higher retention and lifetime value.
If you find a probiotic shampoo that finally works for your sensitive skin dog, you're not switching.
Third, micro-vertical brands thrive on UGC and word-of-mouth. When a super-niche product delivers results, it often goes viral in those circles.
Finally, many face less competition and more efficient customer acquisition. Instead of bidding on broad Google keywords against conglomerates, a niche brand can dominate search terms like "pancreatitis dog diet" at lower cost.
Takeaway: Rather than casting a wide net, consider drilling down into a micro-market and serving it obsessively well. Niche brands can achieve community evangelism and retention metrics that broad players only dream of. If your product can prompt one specific subset of pet owners to say, "This was literally made for us," you're on to something.
3. Creator-Led Pet CPG: When Audience Becomes Distribution
The rise of petfluencers isn't just about cute content – it's spawning a new go-to-market model.
Creator-led pet brands are launching with their own built-in audience as a distribution channel. In a CAC-inflated world, a passionate follower base is a massive moat.
Consider Nala, a once-shelter cat turned social media star with over 4M followers. She parlayed her fame into a premium cat food line and best-selling book. Nala became one of the first pet influencers to become an entrepreneur, not just an endorser.
When her food line dropped, her global fan community doubled as her brand's initial customer base.
As for the canine world there’s another Nala known for her footwork, golden retriever Nala and her owner Chris Lindamood built a massive following (7.9M on TikTok, 5M on Instagram) around her viral 'Nala Stomps' – a simple behavior where she dives between Chris's legs and stomps her back paws for scratches.
The dance move became so viral it racked up over 100M views, spawning countless imitators and even inspiring humans to try the stomp.
Chris, a pharmacist who moved to Utah specifically for the dog-friendly trails, turned this into Nala Nutrition, a supplement line for dogs.
The playbook is identical - massive engaged audience, authentic daily content showing their adventures, then a product launch that feels like a natural extension of the brand people already love.
Maxine the Corgi's owner Bryan built a 4M+ follower audience, then co-founded Little Chonk, selling dog carrier backpacks. They launched via a TikTok drop that sold out in 4 minutes.
In year one, Little Chonk did seven figures in sales with $0 in paid marketing.
Bryan converted a chunk of Maxine's fanbase directly into customers, leveraging years of trust and UGC.
Even celebrities are entering pet via this route.
Cesar Millan's latest venture, a pet lifestyle brand with Xcel and K9 Wear, will span toys, apparel, and grooming. He also recently announced a new dog supplement line called BetterDog.
Comedian Kevin Hart launched his own premium dog food brand "Hartfelt" this year. And Snoop Dogg made waves with Snoop Doggie Doggs, a line of pet accessories and apparel that debuted direct-to-consumer and immediately landed in Walmart.
What's the secret sauce?
For one, built-in trust and engagement.
Pet creators often have engagement rates of 5–10%+ per post, dwarfing the roughly 1–2% typical for human influencers.
When that creator recommends or launches a product, fans listen. Second, UGC flywheels.
Fans produce content using the creator's product, which the creator can share, further amplifying reach without paid spend.
Third, creator brands can leverage traditional retail's hunger for differentiation. Retailers are eager to stock buzzy creator lines to draw shoppers.
Takeaway: If you have or can partner with a pet creator who commands an audience, you've got distribution on Day 1.
Focus on product quality. The celebrity halo won't overcome a bad product twice – and let the creator's content machine fuel customer acquisition. In 2025 & 2026's pet market, attention is currency, and petfluencers-turned-founders are cashing in big.
4. Home-Centric Pet Services: "Pet Care Comes to You"
Across veterinary, grooming, fitness, and beyond, a convenience revolution is unfolding with mobile and in-home services that eliminate the pet parent's biggest hassle altogether.
Post-pandemic lifestyles normalized everything coming to the home – and pet care is racing to catch up.
One poignant arena is end-of-life care.
Companies like Lap of Love grew into a nationwide network of over 135 veterinarians across 30+ states providing in-home euthanasia.
This year saw the launch of Honor Pet in Los Angeles, which offers gentle at-home euthanasia at around $500 and opened a first-of-its-kind "Comfort Center" with private, home-like rooms where families can say goodbye.
Venture-backed CodaPet has built a marketplace model enabling local vets to offer in-home euthanasia. In just two years, CodaPet expanded from one city to 100+ cities nationwide with over 160 vets.
But the trend doesn't stop at vet care.
Perhaps the splashiest new entrants are mobile dog gyms. In multiple U.S. cities, entrepreneurs have outfitted vans with dog treadmills and agility equipment.
In Wisconsin, a startup called Alt Dog Run operates a large truck with two non-motorized slatmill treadmills.
Sessions typically cost $10–30 for 5–20 minutes of running.
Mobile dog gyms are popping up everywhere, from RunBuddy Mobile in Phoenix to startups in NYC and Austin bringing climate-controlled treadmills to urban apartment dwellers.
Mobile grooming has gained steady traction.
Companies like Aussie Pet Mobile operate 400+ mobile grooming vans and cite the U.S. mobile grooming market at roughly $2B and rising fast. Training and behavior services are getting the home treatment too.
Even pet rehab is going mobile, with services like Veterinary Kinetics offering in-home laser therapy and therapeutic exercises.
Why now?
The pandemic trained consumers to expect uber-convenience.
At the same time, many pet service providers began seeking more flexible work models outside of brick-and-mortar settings. There's also an element of pet wellness advancement – many pets simply do better in a familiar home environment.
Takeaway: Convenience is king, and there's white space to bring more pet services into the on-demand home economy.
Consumers are demonstrating they'll pay for in-home experiences. This can lower customer acquisition friction and increase frequency.
However, operational excellence is crucial – routing, scheduling, and maintaining quality across mobile units can make or break the model.
5. High-Performance Is the New Pet Aesthetic
As more people venture outdoors with their dogs, a new kind of pet product is booming – high-performance gear modeled after human outdoor and tactical equipment.
In 2025, the coolest dog on the trail is decked out in a modular hiking harness, doggy goggles, and booties that look straight out of an REI catalog.
Several upstart brands are leading this charge.
Säker Canine has been called the "Arc'teryx of dog gear" by customers.
They produce crash-tested, alpine-ready dog harnesses using technical materials more common in mountaineering gear.
One of their latest harness models, the Muse™, is modular and multi-purpose, built of water-resistant ripstop fabric and rated to withstand over 3,300 lbs of force.
Then there's Rex Specs, the now-famous maker of canine goggles.
These patented goggles with interchangeable UV-protective lenses started in the skijoring and K9 unit communities but have crossed over to general consumers who take their dogs on dusty hikes, motorcycle rides, or snowshoeing.
Rex Specs is the definitive brand for dog eye protection, used by military and police K9 teams as well as hunters and adventurers.
Hurtta has a cult following for its extreme-weather dog jackets tested in Arctic conditions. Kurgo built its name on car safety harnesses and was acquired by Radio Systems in 2018 to capitalize on the adventure trend.
Why the surge?
Outdoor recreation with dogs has exploded.
One industry survey found that 64% of owners took more walks and outdoor excursions with their dogs during the pandemic, and that trend persisted.
Service and working dog roles are also more visible and celebrated.
This has created a bleed-over effect where pet owners want their dog to have professional-grade kit.
Gear has become part of pet owner identity projection – having your dog in a hardcore Ruffwear or Säker harness signals you're a certain kind of owner.
Pet parents are willing to pay premium prices for demonstrably better performance or safety.
If a $150 harness can prevent your dog from escaping, or an $80 jacket can keep your short-haired dog warm on winter hikes, many find that worth it.
Takeaway: The bar for pet gear quality is rising, and there's clear appetite for pet humanization in the performance sense – gear that is as good as human equipment. If you're developing products, consider whether you can incorporate real technical innovation.
Customers will pay for it.
Also, align your brand with a purpose or community – whether it's mountaineering dogs, agility competitors, or K9 officers. Those passionate niches become your evangelists.
In the pet hardgoods space, utilitarian is the new premium.
NOTE: I always thought there was space for a brand like Outdoor Voices in the pet space. One that just encourages people to go “do things” get out and explore, doesn’t lean into any discipline too hardcore, more about an approach to life.
Closing Thought
From preventative care subscriptions to purpose-built products, these five trends underscore a common theme – the maturation and specialization of the pet industry.
Pet parents are becoming more sophisticated and demanding. They expect pet services to be as convenient as human ones, pet products as high-quality as human gear, and pet brands to speak directly to their unique needs or values.
For founders and operators, the opportunity is to go beyond generic pet solutions and deliver the next generation of targeted, experience-rich offerings.
Part II's trends might not grab as many headlines as AI litter boxes, but they are quietly reshaping pet business models and customer expectations.
In a market projected to approach $500B globally by 2030, carving out a forward-thinking niche could be the key to thriving in the years ahead.
“Dog hike” has quietly turned into a real breakout keyword.
Over the last five years the baseline sits in that 30–50K range, but you can see a clear inflection starting in 2024. The trajectory line tilts up and we get that big spike in 2025 where volume nearly doubles before settling back at ~51K searches last month — still ~29% higher YoY.
That suggests this isn’t a one-off viral moment; it’s a structural shift toward people thinking about dogs as hiking companions rather than just neighborhood-walk pets.
There’s also a light seasonal pattern (spring/summer bumps), but the overall slope is what matters: “dog hike” has graduated from niche query to mainstream behavior signal.
For operators, this chart basically screams “adventure dog TAM is growing.”
Rising search interest means more people are actively planning dog-inclusive trails, trips, and weekends — which downstream fuels demand for everything from performance harnesses and booties to travel beds, trail snacks, hydration gear, GPS collars, and even dog-friendly Airbnb filters and guided hike services.
Content plays are obvious too…local “best dog hikes near X” and safety checklists are riding a real, not imagined, search wave.
If you’re building in pet travel, outdoor gear, or destination experiences, this curve is your permission slip to lean harder into the adventure narrative — the consumers are already searching for it.
See you Friday!
