Pet retailers seeking a novel way to promote their businesses might want to consider hosting yoga for dogs, also known as “doga.”
Not only is this a great way to attract attention to a business, adding this service (with the exception of some instructional materials that detail how to go about this) costs absolutely nothing.All you need is an appropriate space and a bunch of yoga-loving people and their dogs.Here are tips to get started.The Inspiration for Yoga for DogsThis currently hot trend was the brainchild of Suzi Teitelman, former director for yoga at Crunch Fitness in New York who is now based in Jacksonville, Fla., where she’s group fitness coordinator for the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club.Teitelman, an almost lifelong yogini, first came up with the idea for doga nine years ago when her own pooches showed an interest in this.

(She currently is mom to three: Coali, Curli and Tucker.) “I was so in love with Coali (a black American cocker spaniel) that I would take him everywhere,” she said. “My dogs would get on the mat with me. So I created sequences for them.”Call it karma (or ‘dogma,’ as the case may be), but the trend exploded. (This is not surprising, considering that holistic services for pets are now extremely popular.) As a result of the interest in doga instruction, Teitelman devised a teacher training DVD with manual, along with online Skype and private training.How Yoga for Dogs Works“Doga involves including dogs in poses you do,” Teitelman explained. “For example, a person inhales and lifts the dog up. Or we pose with the dog on the side of our bodies. We might inhale and lift the dog’s paws, or bottom. We just start moving together.”The health benefits of yoga for dogs are the same as yoga for people.“The dogs can feel you feeling good,” Teitelman said. “When a person is in a good mood, their dog is in a good mood; if we’re relaxed, our dogs are relaxed.”How to Add Yoga for Dogs to a Pet BusinessAs I mentioned at the beginning of this article, this is a very easy, virtually no-cost service one can add to their pet store or other related pet business.You might also consider partnering with other pet-related enterprises, such as an animal shelter, or related organization or business.In addition to teaching this at the health club where she works, Teitelman conducts classes on local beaches, in parks and in lululemons, a worldwide chain of community-minded athletic apparel stores with a location in Jacksonville.Of course, it works best if store proprietors and/or a staff member already practice and have a passion for yoga.If so, the first step would be to acquire training.

(You can contact Teitelman about this through her Web site.)Doga Promotional Tie-In IdeasDepending on your schedule and the amount of interest this generates, you could offer doga classes weekly, monthly or periodically on special occasions, such as in October to celebrate National Pet Wellness Month.Hosting yoga for dogs events would also be a great way to raise money for pet charities, such as an area pet rescue shelter; a terrific public relations move, and a wonderful way to give back to the community. (The average fee per doga class is $10, by the way.)In addition, this would provide great photo ops for a pet store’s blog, Facebook page and/or newsletter.I just have one question: If people do downward facing dog, what do dogs do? Hmm…