(Published in Oct. 2008)

For The Not-So Gun-Shy
Sporting dog products have appeal beyond the hunting club members.
By Scott and Ann Springer
 
The days of the sporting dog being kept in a kennel or outside all day are mostly gone.
 
"Now the hunting dog is also the family pet," says David Oine, the director of sales for Mendota Products, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minn.
 
Despite tough economic times, the hunting products market has not only remained steady, it has also continued to grow. "This is a solid category," Oine says. "The average owner spends $650 million annually on products for his or her hunting dog."
 
This spending and growth is due to an increasing number of non-hunting consumers that use hunting products to train their dogs, Oine says.
 
"People with hunting breeds that may not be hunters themselves are taking their dogs to field trials because they like the socialization and the training it provides," Oine says.
 
Product Trends and Innovations
As the category has grown in popularity, so has the range of products offered to canine owning consumers, says Steve Kelley, the national sales manager for Sport Dog, a division of Radio Systems Corporation, a manufacturer based in Knoxville, Tenn.
 
Training products form the basis of any retailer's sporting dog section. "These products have really progressed over the years as people look for products that are more humane," Oine says.
 
Training used to be done primarily by professionals, but now most people prefer to do the majority of the training on their own, Oine says. "We had to shift with this trend and create more consumer-friendly packaging and provide more information with our training products for the average consumer," Oine says.
 
Collars, for example, have come a long way from traditional orange nylon. Today, consumers can choose between slip leads, lighted collars, and harnesses, among other options, Kelley says.
 
Check cords and leads, along with scented dummies and lanyards, continue to be staples in training of hunting companions, Kelley says.
 
Keeping dogs safe is a top priority for owners. That's why such as canine bug sprays and heavy-duty, brightly colored collars and are always top sellers in the sporting dog category, says Jana Minar, the store manager at The Mercantile, in Bridgeport, Neb.
 
Other safety gear that has hit the market in recent years includes neoprene vests, life jackets, and booties to protect the animal's paws from tears and briars, Kelley says. First-aid gels formulated to heal cuts are also boosting sales in this segment, he adds.
 
Kennels covered in camouflage keep dogs comfortable, safe, and warm as they travel to the outlying areas for a day on the hunt, Minar says.
 
Supplements have also grown in popularity in this category, Oine says. "In the field dogs burn off a lot of sodium and potassium," he says. "For every mile you're walking, they're running 10."
 
Technical Tutorial
Electronic products for hunting dogs continue to generate a lot of interest. Howeve, improvements in technology have now led to even smaller products, Kelley says. "Transmitters and power receivers are much smaller," Kelley adds.
 
Electronic training collars have advanced from featuring one setting to featuring multiple settings. Some collars feature remote control. "If a dog is out 100 or 200 yards from you and is not responding to the command, you can give the dog a slight tone to break its attention and get it to return to you," Oine says.
 
Many sporting dog owners purchase wireless fences that build boundaries in a yard, in a forest, or just about anywhere, says Robin Fisher, the buyer for D & B Supply, a retailer in Caldwell, Idaho. They're top sellers during hunting season and as gifts for the holidays and Father's Day, she adds.
 
Customers love the flexibility that technology affords them, but Fisher points out that many customers don't like to read the instructions or spend much time fussing over the installation of these gadgets.
 
"The deeper the technology the product offers, the more the customer has to read and do research to be able to use it," Fisher says. Fisher commonly helps customers overcome their hesitancy to use these high-end products. For more advanced training, she refers to them to the manufacturer's help desk. 
 
Competing in This Category Many independent retail pet stores can compete successfully with big box and specialty hunting stores by taking a few necessary steps.    First, inventory should be grouped together to draw attention to the category. "Use the knowledge of manufacturers in the category to assist you in creating a foundation of core products to start from," Oine suggests.

Next, retailers should research what will sell the best in a given area and stock their shelves accordingly. "We buy what customers come in asking for," Minar says. "We don't have a lot of room to carry a lot of products."  

Fisher agrees that customer requests have led to some great discoveries of products to stock. "When customers call us and say, ‘Have you heard of this type of product?' we seek out those products," Fisher says. "It gives us that personal touch that the bigger stores might not offer."
 
Finally, displays have to be efficient and effective to appeal to a select group of clientele in a store that has limited square footage, Minar advises. "We don't mix our hunting inventory in with everything else," Minar adds.
 
Oine says an effective display doesn't require much space. "This can be done in as little as six feet or as much as 18," Oine says. He recommends that a sporting dog section be built with the following items: first, collars and leads; second, dummies and scents; third, apparel items; and finally, a reference section with books and DVDs.
 
For added appeal, retailers might hang signage above or on the section to alert customers that these products are available, Oine says.