7A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1. The opportunity I would like to pursue would be a company that creates nutrient dense sauces/condiments for elderly dogs, underweight dogs, or simply, dogs who do not eat well. The sauce would be poured over the dogs normal dog food.
2. As dogs get older, they loose their taste and appetite. Also, some dogs have such a high metabolism/ high energy that they struggle to put on weight. 
• Who: dogs and their owners
• What: The dogs are unable to maintain their appetite, find the food boring, or simply do not eat well. This causes them to be underweight or miss out on essential nutrients in their day-to-day food.
• Why: As dogs age, they loose their appetite. Also, some dogs (like my own) are such picky eaters/ have too much energy to eat normal food, so additives help get them excited to eat.
3. Testing the boundaries:
• Testing the who: There are others besides dogs and their owners who share this need. Other people who may be interested would be veterinarians, shelter employees, or pet store managers. These individuals see dogs on a daily basis and are aware of their needs. My vet has suggested several says for my dog to put on weight but never has suggested a product that could help. Shelter employees see dogs come in who are severely underweight, and pet store managers need to fulfill their customers needs as they visit the store. 
• Testing the what: The boundaries of the need is that not every dog owner has this need. Some potential questions that could be asks are: How common is it for elderly dogs to loose appetite? How common is it for puppies/ dogs to be underweight? How possible is it to create a sauce out of natural and healthy ingredients? How expensive would production, formulation, testing, and patenting cost? How excited would dog owners be about this product? How difficult is it to pass regulations for dog treats and food? How much protein/vegetable/carbs would need to be included?
• Testing the why: For people who have the need I identified, there is a wide range of 'why's' offered. Though underweight dogs are a pretty common issue, the reasoning for why they are underweight is different on a case by case basis. The 'why' I have identified is relevant to some, but not all, so I believe the market could be even larger than I expect. 
4. Interviews:
• Michelle Jenkins- mother
• Do you have or know a dog that struggles to have an appetite?
• "Your dog, Mable is the skinniest dog I know. My dogs are a little too chunky, but I know dogs who would need this."
• Would you buy condiments for your dog's food?
• "I would buy sauces for the dogs as an occasional treat."
• Do you believe your dog gets all of the nutrients needed?
• "Because of how many snacks they get, they probably are getting too many empty calories and not enough nutrients."
• Do you believe this opportunity is a good idea?
• "Yes, I think many people would buy this for their animals."
• Ruthie Morris- dog groomer
• Do you have or know a dog that struggles to have an appetite?
• "Besides Mable, I see dogs daily who are skinny. It is so sad because you try to mention something to their owners, and usually they are aware and embarrassed about it."
• Would you buy condiments for your dog's food?
• "Piper (her dog) would love it, and she is at a weight where should could put on a few pounds and be healthy."
• Do you believe your dog gets all of the nutrients needed?
• "I think she does; I am very specific with her portions and she has a high quality dry food from Canada, where the regulations are more strict on dog food than in America."
• Do you believe this opportunity is a good idea?
• "I really do; I would recommend this to my clients."
• Borden Hawkins- neighbor
• Do you have or know a dog that struggles to have an appetite?
• "Not right now, my dog actually needs to go on a diet to loose weight. It is harder than you think to not feed them all the chips and treats."
• Would you buy condiments for your dog's food?
• "Probably not. Like I said he is getting pretty fat so I really need to control what he eats."
• Do you believe your dog gets all of the nutrients needed?
• "Yes, and more that he does not need."
• Do you believe this opportunity is a good idea?
• "For stray dogs found on the street that need to gain weight quick, yea this is an awesome idea."
• Lainey Harris- Friend
• Do you have or know a dog that struggles to have an appetite?
• "Bella struggled in the beginning, but I was able to get a handle on it early on and switch up her diet, so now she is a healthy weight."
• Would you buy condiments for your dog's food?
• "Of course, I am crazy about anything for my baby. Last week I bought dog wine; do I need it? no. Did I buy two? yes."
• Do you believe your dog gets all of the nutrients needed?
• "I cook for Bella and she eats a dry food, so yes I believe she gets all of her nutrients."
• Do you believe this opportunity is a good idea?
• "Yes, especially for your dog. I also think this would be cool to see in vet offices, as an easily ready option for building and appetite."
• Christian Neret- Friend
• Do you have or know a dog that struggles to have an appetite?
• "Duke is 15 and he barley eats anymore, it is really sad."
• Would you buy condiments for your dog's food?
• "Yes for sure. Duke would love that."
• Do you believe your dog gets all of the nutrients needed?
• "He used to, but as he aged he lost his appetite and I have seen his ribs become more exposed and noticeable."
• Do you believe this opportunity is a good idea?
• "For sure, I would buy this in every flavor for Duke so he has options. He really does like when we change up what he easts to keep him excited to eat."
5. When completing the first step, it was pretty easy for me to see an opportunity. My dog, Mable, inspired me for this idea because she is really skinny. She always has food available but is the pickiest eater. I end up having to cook for her and add it to her food, but that can be expensive and time consuming. She also gets sick of flavors; for example, if I feed her beef for multiple days she will grow tired of it. In the second step, I thought the most. I had to change my perspective and widen my view of the opportunity to establish the why. In step 3, I found it easier to think of new potential customers, other than just dog owners. I started thinking about vets, groomers, pet stores, etc. This shows the market may be bigger than I originally thought. I really enjoyed interviewing my friends and family. It was very helpful to do the interviews over a period of a few days to gather helpful information. Though I still believe the market is large for this product, I think this product may not be for every dog owner. Overall, I found that people generally would buy my product and that dogs young and old could benefit from the dog sauces.