How This Pet Product Business Turned a Small Idea into a Movement

…and what pet businesses can learn about brand storytelling from The Sniffer Shop

Some brands sell products.
Others build communities.
But every so often, one brand comes along that does both and changes the way people see an entire corner of the pet industry.

That’s exactly what happened with The Sniffer Shop, a pet business that set out to make scentwork accessible for every dog… and ended up creating a nationwide movement.

From niche activity to nationwide Nosejoy

For years, scentwork in the UK was seen as a niche activity for gundogs and field sport enthusiasts.
It felt exclusive, complicated, and, to most pet owners,  totally out of reach.

But founder Kate, a scentwork trainer, competitor, and trial judge herself, saw things differently.

She knew how transformative scentwork could be for all dogs regardless of breed, size and activity level.

In 2024 The sniffer shop team set out looking at ways to grow their pet product business and sought us out. During our strategy process, we learnt all about the incredible power of scentwork.

Kate spoke passionately about scentwork being a dogs inbuilt super power and how they experience true joy when they are allowed to do activities that use this innate skill.

The big idea: Nosejoy

Every brand has a heartbeat, and it was clear that the teams passion was all about the emotional experience of scentwork for dogs – so we set out to make this the pinnacle of their brand.

And we needed a simple way to describe it. One word that would become a game-changer for this new business.
That word was “Nosejoy.”

Nosejoy summed up everything Kate wanted to share – the magical connection between dogs and their humans through the power of scent.

Instead of framing scentwork as a competition, we reframed it as a joyful, everyday activity any dog could enjoy.

Breaking the mould with creative pet industry branding

Since joy was now at the heart of the brand, we needed to make sure every asset conveyed that feeling.

We created The Sniffer Shop’s Sherlock Sniffer characters to bring in some fun and personality. Each character represented a stage of progress that owners could relate to – from novice sniffer all the way to expert sniffer.

Visually, the brand was bold and refreshingly simple. Posters crossed out words like “obedience” and “sport,” replacing them with the bright, joyful word Nosejoy.
It stopped being simply about performance and it became much more about play.

Pet business rebrand: The results

The impact was immediate.

• Sales increased by 62% following the rebrand and campaign launch
• The beginner-friendly starter kit became their bestselling product within months
  
• Online reach grew by 78%, with a surge of first-time customers discovering scentwork for the first time
• At events like Edition Dog Live, hundreds of new “sniffers” were introduced to the brand through interactive stands and workshops

Even more powerful were the stories. Owners of nervous rescues, senior dogs, and even breeds labelled “hard to train” began sharing how scentwork had transformed their relationships and boosted their dogs’ confidence.

From brand to movement

The Nosejoy campaign worked because it did more than simply sell products – it changed perception of an age old traditional activity.

By shifting the focus from training to connection, The Sniffer Shop invited every dog owner to be part of something bigger.

It’s a perfect example of what happens when your pet business branding and pet brand marketing are built around purpose, not just product.

Every touchpoint: the visuals, the voice, the customer journey, told the same story. And that consistency created something magnetic.

What other pet businesses can learn

If you’re running a pet brand and finding it hard to stand out, take a page from The Sniffer Shop’s book:

• Lead with emotion. Don’t just show what your product does – show what it means.
  
• Remove the barriers. Make your message so clear that your audience instantly gets it.
  
• Create your own language. Just like Nosejoy, find the word or feeling that captures your brand’s purpose.
  
• Think bigger than sales. The strongest pet brands build movements – not just revenue.

When your branding is your marketing

We often say at Finbo Studio that the best branding campaigns don’t need to shout, they start conversations.

The Sniffer Shop’s story proves that.

Their brand identity didn’t just support their marketing – it became their marketing. Every post, product, and event experience carried that same feeling of inclusive, joyful connection.

In less than two years, The Sniffer Shop has gone from from an idea born in the training field into one of the most recognisable names in scentwork.
Their “Nosejoy” campaign has changed perceptions, inspired new audiences, and created a whole community of happy sniffers.