Company of Animals: Innovation Serves Pets & Profits

After reviewing several products from the Company of Animals, I wanted to know more about what makes this company tick.  I loved everything I had opportunity to review and that level of reliability was a little, well, shocking, so I was excited when I got a chance to speak with Company of Animals Head of Marketing & Business Development Liz McGuinness, someone who knew the organization inside out.

1. I posted news of InterZoo 2010, and came across some interesting stats: The EU is now spending more on pet supplies than North America. I know Company of Animals attended the Expo so what were some of your impressions from the show, and where do you see the market heading in innovation?

The Accessory market over the last five years in terms of training enrichment, dog education, and development has experienced high demand.  People’s attitudes have changed immensely – dog training and behavior is our company background–and in the past we have had to convince people to train their dogs. Now people have changed their tune.

It has taken time for retailers to catch up with this shift.  For instance, Company of Animals has been working for more than ten years with Nina Ottosson.

[DDB: Wow, looks like they invented the curve everyone else is trying to get ahead of!]

2.  How poised will COA be to take advantage of the trends, given the new products you have waiting in the wings?

As long as you produce good products, people will do the selling for you.

[DDB: And I think when a company sets the standard, like this one, they already have the advantage.]

3. Can you tell readers a little about your business model, what you do that others do not, and with your behavior and training center coupled with Dr Mugford’s credentials, do you really have any competition to speak of?

The business was born of the need of a product, developed because of an Irish Wolfhound that Dr. Mugford had as a client. Due to a bad back there was difficulty handling the dog.  A head collar was developed to help handle and train the dog.  This was the first product.

Because there are so many dogs coming through the training center and we devise a product from a particular dog’s needs, this is 100% of what sets the Company apart.  We never tried to make the product fit, but saw natural synergies as situations presented themselves.  No one else does this.

DDB: You quite successfully have set yourselves apart from every other business!

4. What do you think made the biggest bottom line difference for your business over this recession? (Customer service, reputation, brand recognition)

As much as business ethos is providing products that do ultimately help dogs and owners, our commitment has always been to products and services that work.

When one product sells, the Company capitalizes on that by looking at how they can simplify the product  in terms of how the customer looks for a solution: They look for a product that stops certain behaviors. This has kept the Company buoyant [ during this period.]

5.  What are your best sellers so far this year?

Individually, the Pet Corrector has been.  We are a small team so we are always busy coming up with new product refinements and ideas.

The focus now is the rebranding and packaging launch – with a new logo, new style, new color scheme with color-coded packaging that will make products easier to find. Product categories will now be clear to the customer.

6. I understand you have developed 30 products of your own and added some handpicked brands you offer.  Can you tell us a little about the process of determining what products need to be developed?

There are so many ways new product development occurs – a lot does come from training research.  The Company developed a training line because people were using lunge lines [used in working with horses] as a long line for dog walks.

We will be launching a range of new, softer muzzles, less cumbersome in size, take an existing item and make it more comfortable for the dog—and sometimes it’s just a totally different idea.  [For instance] using bamboo material in products was inspired during a trip to Asia when visiting a bear-keeping facility. Bears were seen to be playing with the bamboo, and that was the inspiration for some new items coming to market.

Everything is an opportunity for solutions and it’s generally something people have done at home on a daily basis to solve a problem that gets attention.

7. What’s next for Company of Animals? Any news to announce? Where will people see Dr. Mugford next?

In a field on his tractor, at the Animal Welfare Conference in Prague, always mixing in the ICO Welfare; most of the time is spent in court working on anti legislations, defending dogs in court.

The re-launch and new products is the major focus. Ultimately, the Company is aiming to further establish itself as training and experts in behavior and make that presence known on a larger scale.

With thanks to Liz McGuinness for the generosity of her time and for providing some great insight to the Company of Animals and what sets them apart from the crowd.

Dog trainer friends and shelters find these products valuable as part of training reinforcement at home, like using the long line for recalls, and the humane no bark collars for corrections.  Many of these training aides have helped keep some new dog owners sane and kept dogs in their homes.

The smart games they sell from Nina Ottosson are really hot now, and it’s not a fad – it keeps the really smart dogs minds occupied and out of trouble, while some are now using this line to help old dogs keep their brain function healthy and less prone to decline.

DDB reviewed the Pet Corrector that interrupts a nuisance behavior, like barking and jumping up, long enough to redirect it.  Useful, and it works! You can check out all the products mentioned here and the other 26 or more at the Company of Animals brand new website.