Are you thinking about niching within your dog business?
Whether you’re a dog trainer, ecommerce brand or a dog walker/daycare provider – the opportunity to create a strong community of superfans is HUGE.
Read on for some dog niche ideas to get your cogs turning, and stock up on inspiration from niche dog businesses who are nailing it!
Table of Contents
1. Dog Breed Niches (with examples)
Niching by breed allows you to target a very distinct group of dog owners.
You’ll have greater insights into the problems associated with the breed, the characteristics of the breed, and the opportunity to target less competitive keywords/phrases for SEO.
Examples of dog trainers who’ve niched by breed
Pawsitively Pawesome Pups helps Spaniel owners with a range of services, including 1-2-1 dog training and a Spaniel membership group. Hannah has a blog heaving with targeted information exclusively for Spaniels and Spaniel crosses.
Bombproof Boxer helps boxer owners with their dog training membership.
Land on either of their home pages and it’s immediately clear who they help and how. Through drilling down into their niche, their target markets are certain they’ve landed with a breed expert who’s a top choice!
If you’re thinking about setting up an online course or membership, check out my no-BS guide to marketing your online offers here.
Examples of Ecommerce stores who’ve niched by breed
The Pug Shop ain’t pugging around. They’ve got an entire store targeted at pug lovers, filled with everything a pug owner could ever need.
The Frenchie Shop has gone all out with a whole lotta Frenchie love. From Frenchie products to a jam-packed blog full of tips exclusively for Frenche Bulldog lovers.
Even larger brands, with a bigger target audience, niche down by breed collections. Take a look at Sophie Allport’s Dachshund collection and Tug-E-Nuff’s breed spotlights.
2. Dog Breed Group Niches (with examples)
You don’t have to niche by breed, you can opt for a wider audience and target a breed group – such as Gundogs, Sighthounds, or Herding breeds.
Examples of dog trainers who’ve niched by breed group
Bracken Dog Training is a Gundog specialist. I worked with Alex at Bracken on her web copy and her blogs to create pages targeting her niche, and we’ve done pretty well! She’s ranking on page 1 for Gun Dog Classes both as a global search term and for local searches too.
Alex has three pages focused on Gundog training – her class page which targets high level keywords and two blogs targeting longtail keywords relating to Gundog training. Both her blogs internally link to her Gundog class page and are performing well on organic search.
The Dog’s Point of View focuses on Romanian Rescue Dogs. Meesh provides a range of courses and a membership especially for dogs from Romania and their lovely humans.
Examples of Ecommerce stores who’ve niched by breed group
Redhound for Dogs provides accessories for Sighthounds – to keep them warm, happy and dry. From Whippet jumpers to rain coats for Greyhounds, every Sighthound’s needs are provided for here.
Dog and Field focus their ecommerce store on serving Gundogs and working dogs. From training equipment through to specialist foods and supplements, they bring together everything a work dog owner could seek!
3.Dog Behaviour Niches (with examples)
Alternatively, you could niche by behaviour problems that owners seek help with. From Reactivity to Separation Anxiety to barky dogs – target one clear problem and your marketing and the support you can give becomes a zillion times more focused.
Examples of dog trainers who’ve niched by behaviour
Pippins Dog Training specialises in helping owners and their dogs suffering with separation anxiety. Jo offers 1-2-1 programmes, group programmes and intensive SA training to help people overcome this hugely distressing problem.
Canine Connection Training specialises in training for reactive dogs. Her website is in the process of having a rebrand to really hone in on her niche with the help of myself and Rosie at WUF design. Watch this space to see how to really own your niche!
Examples of Ecommerce stores who’ve niched by behaviour
My Anxious Dog specialises in awareness raising products for owners of anxious, nervous and reactive dogs. Sarah runs educational campaigns and has a free Facebook group to support owners of anxious and reactive dogs.
She also has an affiliate programme to help spread the word and help people find products to support their dogs getting the space they need on walks.
Adaptil specialise in calming aids for nervous dogs – providing a range of products for dogs to support during stressful events such as fireworks, travel and day to day life.
4. Dog Lifestyle Niches (with examples)
Of course, you don’t have to niche by breed or problem – you can niche by dog lifestyle! From Insta enthusiasts seeking the latest dog fashion to dog sports fans addicted to their chosen fancy.
Among dog owners, there are many different hobbies and lifestyle choices that provide a great opportunity to niche down.
Fenzi Dog Sports has niched down entirely on the range of popular dog sports and has courses to suit every arena. From self-study courses to workshops and bootcamps, they have it all.
Ruffwear are the go-to dog brand for outdoorsy dog lovers who love to adventure. They make durable dog wear for hiking, swimming and exploring every terrain and climate.
Albie’s Boutique puts the luxury in every day, for those owners who cherish having beautiful, practical dog wear that’s Insta-licious!
Dorwest wins the holistic petcare niche hands down. Every owner looking for natural supplements and solutions to their dog’s health and wellbeing can find their holistic tonic here.
How to market to your chosen dog niche
- Use images that match your breed/lifestyle niche on your website, socials, and any marketing materials – and your area of expertise will become instantly clear.
- Get specific with your keyword research and find the search terms related to your niche with decent volume and low competition.
- Create blog posts targeting long tail keyphrases associated with your findings.
- Create content pillars for social media that position you as a breed expert, that cover typical breed problems and that celebrate the breed
- Find groups on Facebook and forums such as Quora and Reddit that relate to your niche – show up, engage and add value
Get my guide to finding blog topics your target audience cares about here
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