‘Shark Tank’ video: Priority One Canine shows off their skills
While there are many “Shark Tank” pitches we have seen over the years that involve pets, very rarely are there some where the pet is actually the product.
This is the different for Priority One Canine on Friday night’s new episode. They are a company that specializes in training and selling animals for personal security, who know and understand a series of different commands. The pitch that the two founders make in the sneak peek below is fairly straightforward: Police response times can take seven to ten minutes, and having a dog of this variety may be the perfect line of defense. They can protect you in the event of a home invasion, or help to ensure that you do not have one in the first place.
With all of this being said, we feel already like there are some issues that may keep this company from getting an investment. First and foremost, they have to convince the sharks that guard dogs are the sort of business that they really want to be involved with. That may be a tough sell to begin with, regardless of however exceptional their work is.
Next, there is the whole issue of how high this business can be scaled. The prices for their dogs start at $20,000, so unless you are someone who makes an enormous amount of money, this is probably not something you are going to invest in. Not only is it a ton of money, but it also requires time taking care of the dog and ensuring you know all the proper ways for them to be useful.
The one advantage that Priority One may have is that depending on their margins, they may not need to train a whole lot of dogs with these prices to make a substantial amount of money. This is not some product that sells for $5 in a store, and you have to sell tens of thousands of them in order to really make an impact.
In the end, though, we just don’t see how you can scale this to be an enormous brand that sweeps the country, since you have to find trainers who are equally proficient, and enough consumers willing to buy the product. This may just be a case where these two have found a great business for themselves, but it may not be something that is right for an investment.
What do you think about this product, and how do you think it will fare tonight? Share your thoughts now with a comment, and head over here to preview more products that are going to shown off tonight! Also, you can sign up now to get some further TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo via ABC.)
MJ
November 8, 2014 @ 9:19 am
Not surprised they didn’t get an offer but VERY surprised none of the sharks even mentioned the massive risk of lawsuits if the dog, for instance, bites someone they are not supposed to. The dog they brought out was not a dog I would ever want in my house, the dog attacked without any command from the handler and was wearing a shock collar (they attempted to cover it up with the scarf around the dog’s neck). Such a device would typically be used to correct a dog, for instance, for not responding immediately to a command to release a bite. IOW, the dog is not reliable enough to trust it to work without the treat of an electric shock being there.