At-Home Dog Grooming Reached 51% of Owners: What Pet-Care Buyers Should Reconsider
As of September 2026, at-home grooming is a mainstream behavior among US dog owners, and wipe ownership has grown sharply. APPA's 2026 Dog Report states that 51% of dog owners groom at home and that ownership of pet wipes increased 108% year over year. For product buyers, the opportunity is to define the towel job precisely; adjacent wipe growth does not automatically validate a towel SKU.
What does the APPA dog report show?
The American Pet Products Association based the 2026 Dog Report on its 2025 National Pet Owners Survey. Alongside 71 million dog-owning households, the report found declining expenditure on boarding, in-store grooming and mobile grooming while more owners performed routine grooming at home. Veterinary spending represented 29% of dog expenditure and food 27%.
The 108% increase in pet-wipe ownership is a strong adjacent-category signal because it documents demand for convenient pet-care consumables. It does not show how many households want dry disposable pet towels, what sizes they need or how they would use them.
What does Japan's market data add?
Yano Research Institute estimated Japan's fiscal 2025 pet-related market at ¥1.9504 trillion at retail value, up 2.1%, and forecast ¥1.9835 trillion for fiscal 2026. Yano highlighted growth in health-related and etiquette-oriented products used when people take pets outside. This supports closer attention to portable-care routines, but not a specific product-performance claim.
| Pet-market signal | Reported figure | What remains unknown |
|---|---|---|
| US dog-owning households | 71 million, +4% | Need for any specific towel format |
| Owners grooming at home | 51% | Tasks performed and towel units used |
| Pet-wipe ownership | +108% | Transferability from wet wipes to dry towels |
| Japan pet market | ¥1.9504 trillion, +2.1% | Category share for disposable towels |
How should buyers specify a disposable pet towel?
Start with animal size and action. Paw wiping, post-bath drying, rain cleanup and grooming-table use need different coverage and handling. A buyer brief should include species, approximate size range, intended action, material composition, GSM, open size, texture, color, fold, pack count and sales channel.
- Keep pet towel and pet bath-towel formats distinct by coverage need.
- Test the approved sample in the intended routine before production.
- Do not make veterinary, skin-safety, antibacterial or hypoallergenic claims without product-specific evidence.
- For retail packs, confirm artwork, warnings, language, barcode and destination-market requirements.
What do the market figures not prove?
They do not prove that disposable towels are the fastest-growing pet product, that a dry towel replaces a wet wipe, or that a given material is safe for every animal. The figures identify behaviors and adjacent demand; product fit must be validated separately.
Frequently asked questions about disposable pet towels
Does pet-wipe growth predict pet-towel sales?
Not by itself. The products, moisture formats and tasks differ. Use direct buyer research and sample testing.
Can a human towel be relabeled for pets?
A buyer should not assume so. The size, handling, packaging and claims must be reviewed for the intended pet-care use.
Where can buyers review Jaroll's pet range?
See Jaroll's Pet Care solution and confirm whether a pet towel or pet bath-towel specification fits the project.
Research note
Prepared by the Jaroll Editorial Team from the cited public sources and Jaroll's documented product-selection framework. Market figures describe their source markets; they are not Jaroll sales data or product-performance claims. Last reviewed: September 30, 2026.
Sources
- American Pet Products Association, July 22, 2026 — dog-household, at-home grooming, pet-wipe ownership and spending-share figures.
- Yano Research Institute, September 1, 2026 — Japan pet-market size, growth, forecast and etiquette-product context.
- Jaroll Knowledge Base, pet-care application mapping and claim-control records, reviewed September 30, 2026.