How Stocking the Best Bully Sticks in Your Natural Pet Store Can Drive Sales

If you have a dog, then you’ve probably heard the term “bully stick” before. Like other edible chews, bully sticks are great treats for dogs that love gnawing on anything and everything they can get their mouths around. Unlike other edible chews, however, bully sticks are a safer, healthier, and longer-lasting alternative to traditional rawhide chews.

Even better, dogs love bully sticks. They’re easily digestible, provide effective dental care, and will help burn off some of your dog’s excess energy. They’re even a great option for dogs with allergies or sensitivities, as bully sticks are free of artificial chemicals, additives, and other preservatives.

As a natural pet store owner, it’s a no-brainer for you to stock your shelves with these all-natural, delicious, and highly popular dog chews. Not only will these treats help you cater to the unique needs of your customers and their pets, but they’ll also allow you to branch out into the realm of specialty dog products and treats that have the potential to attract an even wider audience to your store.

The Magic of the Bully Stick

Dogs love to chew. They’ll chew on shoes, furniture, branches, or anything else they decide can fit in their mouth. Chewing comes naturally to every breed of dog, but when they’re not given clear boundaries as to what they’re allowed to chew on and what they’re not, you can find yourself in a less than ideal situation.

While there are a multitude of dog toys, treats, and chews that can help keep your dog’s mouth busy and off of your clothing or furniture, not all of them are as safe or healthy as they could be. This is where the bully stick comes in.

Where some chews can potentially cause choking or gastrointestinal obstruction, as reported by the ASPCA, bully sticks are easily digestible and won’t cause your dog any stomach pain from undigested ingredients or materials. On top of that, bully sticks can come in a wide variety of sizes and designs for dogs of all sizes and ages.

To help you see why bully sticks are an invaluable addition to your natural pet store’s inventory, take a look at just a few of the many benefits they can offer your store, your customers, and your customers’ dogs.

Deliciously Nutritious

Unlike the beef hide usually found in rawhide dog chews, bully sticks are made up of just a single ingredient: high-protein, low-fat beef muscle. Not only is this a tasty ingredient that dogs seem to love, but its simplicity means it can be easily broken down in your dog’s stomach, leading to easy digestion.

This kind of beef is also a great source of amino acids, which the American Kennel Club says will “support your dog’s muscles, brain, skin, and coat.” Bully sticks are also a natural source of protein and taurine, which will help your dog’s organs and muscles stay strong and healthy.

It is worth noting, however, that if a bully stick isn’t fully dried, they can have a very strong odor. While this will only make dogs love them that much more, not everyone will be as big a fan of the intense scent. In that case, it’s probably worthwhile for you to stock your store with low-odor or even no-odor bully sticks, like the ones we offer here at The Natural Dog Company, as these keep the smell to a minimum while still providing a flavorful product for dogs.

Even with their tendency to smell, bully sticks are far-and-away one of the very best treats you can give your dog. The beef muscle they’re made of is slow-roasted and smoked in nothing but their own juices and flavors, meaning there’s not a single ounce of added chemicals or artificial ingredients. Just natural, nutritious, and delicious flavors that will drive any dog crazy.

A Long-Lasting Chew

Depending on a dog’s breed, size, and age, the time they’ll want to spend chewing on a toy or treat will vary. Smaller dogs and puppies may not seem aggressive, but can still be enthusiastic chewers with a lot of energy. In the same way, just because a dog is big doesn’t mean they’ll be aggressive chewers.

Every dog is unique, which means every dog is going to want a different kind of chew. Thankfully, bully sticks come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and thicknesses, so there’s an option for every dog out there.

If a dog is an avid chewer, try giving them a braided bully stick. Do they take their time when they chew? Then a straight stick is a good choice. Does a dog need a challenge? Shaped bully sticks are the best bet then, as they’ll provide the dog with a puzzle to solve while they chew.  

Bully sticks can even be given to puppies, as long as they’re able to handle hard dog food or treats. One of the 6-inch, thinner bully sticks will be especially useful during a puppy’s teething stage, where they want to chew on anything and everything.  

On top of all that, bully sticks also last a long time. They’ll stay fresh for up to three years usually, meaning you never have to worry about your inventory spoiling before you have a chance to sell them.

Natural Source of Dental Care

Keeping a dog’s teeth clean and healthy is one of the most important things a pet owner can do. With most adult dogs experiencing some level of Periodontal disease, it’s vital for pet owners to go the extra mile in their pet’s dental care and upkeep in order to avoid that painful disease.

However, very few dogs tend to enjoy having their teeth brushed, which can make routine dental care feel like a chore. While bully sticks and other dog chews aren’t substitutes for regular teeth cleanings, bully sticks are still useful tools for supporting healthy teeth and gums. The chewing and gnawing required to get through the treat will scrape away any plaque buildup, strengthen the jaw, and help keep the dog’s mouth clean and their teeth healthy.

Dogs Love Them!

Finally, and most importantly, bully sticks are a must-have for your natural pet store because, quite simply, the dogs love them. Like, really, really love them. The natural ingredient and flavoring, the smell, the durability; everything that makes a bully stick what it is are designed to be specifically appealing to dogs everywhere.

They’re great treats and rewards, and while they’re not exactly low in calories, they’re far healthier than your traditional dog treat and come packed with all kinds of healthy nutrients that will keep dogs and their owners happy.

The Perks of Stocking Specialty Products

Thanks to competition from big-box retailers and huge online shops, the brick-and-mortar natural pet store has more than its fair share of competition to deal with. While this competition may not be able to offer the same kind of uniquely tailored experience your natural pet store can, they can often offer the cheapest prices and highest convenience, two features that many consumers place incredible value in.

Still, your natural pet store has the expertise and empathy that the competition can only dream of. The key to your store’s success, then, has to be about the personalized customer service and specialty products you can offer that the competition cannot.

For example, bully sticks can be purchased from any number of online pet stores, but your natural pet store has the unique advantage of being able to sell locally-sourced products and independent brands that customers won’t be able to find anywhere else. This will help convince consumers to shop with you instead of the competition.

To illustrate this point, here’s a breakdown of how valuable it is for your natural pet store to stock the very best bully sticks and other specialty products.

Diversify Your Inventory

Selling big-name products and brands in your store is an unavoidable necessity. Most consumers are comfortable with what they’re familiar with, so it would be a mistake to not offer them some of the more popular products they’re going to recognize. However, that can’t be all you offer.

You want your natural pet store to be a welcoming and productive environment for your customers, and while that does mean stocking your shelves with the biggest brands, it also means you need to offer items that your customers won’t find elsewhere. Stocking the best bully sticks is a great way to do this.

You already know how much dogs love bully sticks, so your store should absolutely have plenty of them in stock at all times. Thick ones, thin ones, braided ones, curled ones; every kind of bully stick you can find will be another valuable addition to your diverse and eclectic inventory.

Opportunities for Upselling

One of the best things your natural pet store can do to improve your profits is to upsell your customers on the specialized products you offer. Most pet owners want the best treats, equipment, and food for their dog, but they might not have the education and expertise needed to pinpoint what products they should be looking for. This is where your store can come in.

If you just got a shipment of fresh bully sticks, then set them up at the front of the store so everyone who walks in will get to see them, and more importantly, get to see how excited their dogs will be about them.

For example, imagine a customer walks into your store looking for dog treats. Your store obviously has plenty of dog treats to pick from. Rather than direct them to the brand name products, however, you could direct their attention towards your bully stick selection and offer to educate them on the unique health benefits a bully stick can offer their dog. This way, you’ll be upselling the customer on a better product that won’t only be a better fit for their needs, but will also help your store make more money.

Bully Sticks and the Natural Pet Store

As a natural pet store, it’s your job to provide pet owners with the highest quality natural products for their dogs. This can mean purchasing wholesale dog treats from a trusted, local distributor, or it can mean finding the best brands of bully sticks and spotlighting them at the front of your store.

Your store and its customers deserve the very best products, so it’s always worthwhile to go the extra mile and seek out the highest quality bully sticks and other specialty products. You want your store to be a trustworthy and reliable outlet for all of your customer’s pet care needs, and stocking your shelves with high-quality, all-natural bully sticks is a great way to do just that.