2024 Pet Trends to Watch
We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding animal behavior and better ways to parent the pets we care for. It wasn’t so long ago that people viewed pets as property – animals they owned rather than furred, feathered or scaled members of the family. Now pet health info, dog behavior articles, animal nutrition and fascinating pet tech innovations top the trending news almost every week. You can see a lot of that science and invention going to good, practical use reflected in the 2023 Pet Innovation Awards.
So, what’s on the horizon for pets, pet parents, and pet trends? I’d like to share some of my predictions about which fascinating new trends you should keep an eye on in 2024.
1. Work-from-home pet parents will be looking for positive help
Despite the push to get people back in their offices, the work-from-home trend is here to stay. The pandemic proved that a huge number of work roles can be managed quite effectively from a home or traveling office, and in the United States, 4.7 million people work remotely at least half the time.
Remote workers face unique pet dilemmas:
Distractions and interruptions. Whether it’s a playful paw on the keyboard or a canine companion barking at the window or getting pesky for attention, it can be a struggle to maintain focus on mundane work tasks.
Separation anxiety. Some super-bonded pets got used to their owner’s omni-presence during work hours, leading to separation anxiety when they are left alone.
Guilt over missed walks and undone pet tasks. Just because you are home in your comfy clothes doesn’t mean work isn’t hectic. It can be hard not to feel guilty when your dog runs wagging to the door or your cat jumps up to be petted every time you get up to refill your coffee or take a bathroom break.
WFH pet parents will be intrigued by products that help make their home offices both pet-safe and pet-friendly. Dog trainers and animal behaviorists can expect questions from pet parents about how to establish WFH boundaries and prevent separation anxiety, while still keeping their pet happy.
2. Pet ‘perks’ will be elevated to ‘employee benefit’
Employers know that one reason employees are reluctant to return to the office is the cost of child and pet daycare and medical care (??). Pizza lunches, Casual Fridays, and reduced gym memberships just aren’t enough to attract and retain talent any more.
Businesses large and small now recognize that the family pet is exactly that – family– and are considering pet-centric employee perks like pet insurance (a $9.4 billion dollar industry in the US in 2022), bring-your-pet-to-work days, pet-friendly offices, or support of local animal welfare organizations as a company cause. We’ll be hearing more and more about pets in the office in 2024 and beyond.
3. Holistic approaches to pet health will continue to grow
As the bond between pets and their owners deepens (and the cost of traditional veterinary care increases), 2024 promises a growing interest in holistic approaches to pet care.
Rather than treating health issues as they arise, many pet parents will be interested in building an enriched home environment that fosters a healthier life for their pets. There will be a growing number of pet products and services that focus on the overall wellbeing of animals. Here are just a few:
Pet companies like bSerene are offering solutions that create a calming environment.
Skout’s Honor Pet Supply Co. cares as much about what we put on our pet’s bodies as well as what we put in them.
OxyPet is even giving pets a water upgrade, offering bottled oxygenated water that has been shown to amp up the immune system.
Some pet parents will also be looking a little more closely at services or courses in pet massage, chakra balancing, Reiki healing, and more, and both holistic and traditional pet professionals will be fielding questions about holistic practices.
4. Sustainability make people pause and ask before hitting “buy”
Mindless consumption, waste, and overuse of non-sustainable resources are trending out! Thoughtful pet purchases are in. You should expect to see a growing boom of truly sustainable products.
There are more and more brands marketing environmentally friendly products and green manufacturing practices. Here are just three that intrigue me —
The dooloop (yes, lowercase!) is a simple little device made from recycled and recyclable non-toxic BPS-free plastic that keeps that dog-poop bag out of your hands but under control.
P.L.A.Y pet lifestyle products are made from sustainable materials and are rugged so (unless you have a super-chewer) should last a long, long while, too!
Sweet Goodbye for Pets offers a diverse product line of eco-friendly pet burial and cremation kits that have been thoughtfully designed to accommodate pets of all sizes, breeds, and the personal preferences of devoted pet parents.
5. Pet parents increasingly value their partnership with Mother Nature.
Pet-loving households are looking even more closely at what we’re putting in our shopping carts and on the dinner table. We’re seeing, and will continue to see, increased scrutiny of the ingredients in pet food. Words like “human-grade,” “limited ingredient,” “environmentally friendly packaging,” and earth-friendly certifications will become even more common in pet marketing. You’ll be seeing more options for freeze-dried, dehydrated and raw foods, and maybe even some new options.
That also means an increasing number of Google searches on pet nutrition and lots of questions to pet business owners and veterinary professionals about what all these terms really mean. We’re also learning to be a bit skeptical about green-washing, so pet parents will be looking for answers.
Some companies doing pet food differently include Portland Pet Food Company, The Honest Kitchen and Vital Essentials. If you’ve found a pet food company whose quality and sustainability efforts you admire, let me know!
6. Pet tech and artificial intelligence (AI) come together
The integration of pet tech and AI is already revolutionizing pet care, with the proliferation of smart pet devices taking center stage. Increasingly sensitive smart collars and AI-enhanced home devices will monitor various health metrics, track activity levels, and provide real-time insights into our pets' well-being. GPS trackers will become smaller and more affordable, helping us locate lost pets more quickly.
Pet owners will have a wealth of data available from the apps that track the data from these many smart collars, feeding bowls, and more. This real-time information (shareable with your veterinarian!) will not only help your vet diagnose illness and provide proactive healthcare advice, but will also strengthen the bond between pet parents and their furry companions by offering a more personal and comprehensive understanding of our pets' health and behavior.
7. Subscriptions and memberships
Pet-centered mail-order subscription boxes and pet service memberships continue to grow in popularity.
Everyone loves quality pet stuff, and we all enjoy receiving something special in the mail, so pet subscription boxes, like Dog Mom Lifestyles, add a bit of unexpected joy each month, and autopayments take a bit of the sting out of the indulgence. After all, our pets are worth it!
Pet parents also recognize that pet care is an ongoing responsibility, so they are increasingly accepting of ongoing memberships with pet sitters, groomers, dog walkers, and dog trainers. When a dog owner finds a great groomer, and a cat parent finds that perfect pet sitter, they want to be sure they have dibs on their services. Advanced online scheduling, instead of last-minute phone calls, is becoming more common. Even pet photographers are finding that a photography package with sessions that stretch over a puppy’s first year are popular!
I can see the benefits of a dog training subscription or membership for regularly scheduled training sessions over a few months, or even a year, too. It gets my brain buzzing about the opportunities I could offer people who want to build a vibrant, fun, and actively learning life together with their dog(s)!
There you have it! My 2024 pet trends to watch
That’s my short guide to what we can expect in the world of pets in 2024 and beyond! It certainly has me thinking about what the future holds for my clients.
I’d love to know what you think might make a great dog training membership. If you wanted to do something fun and exciting with your dog over the course of a few months, what would it be? Would you love ongoing classes (in person or virtual) for a lifelong partnership in pet therapy, a dog sport, or some other bonding experience?
If you have a puppy or are thinking about bringing one into your life, would you enjoy knowing you and your puppy could continue to meet with your trainer once a month, even after your 5 initial puppy classes wrapped up? Would you want a program that rolls right into sessions to handle those terrible teens, or that sets you both up for something new?
Let me know what you think!! Leave a comment below.
