The mobile dog grooming service Hydrodog Australia has re- launched its business with a new name and two new business opportunities and brands.

Blue Wheelers is the new name for the established Hydrodog business, with the Blue Wheelers DogFood Direct dog food and treats home delivery service a further brand extension.

A new wash-only service has also been launched,  Dash DogWash.

The three new brands were revealed to franchisees at the recent national conference with more than 70 expressions of interest in business expansion with one or both of the new brand opportunities.

The company’s distinctive Big Blue Dog mobile salon was top of mind when rebranding, and the new name plays on the Aussie heritage of the dog breed blue heelers and also reflects the core business as mobile dog groomers rather than ‘water dog’ which HydroDog represented.

“Franchisees have been aware for many years that a new brand was being developed so there was great anticipation before we unveiled our new look Blue Dog” stated Martin Rose, franchisor.

Marketing manager, Janie Rose said “This will also bring unity to a brand that has meant different things to different people all over Australia. We have several different styles of trailers and various standards of service. We have known for a long time that the future of the business is the Big Blue Dog.”

Blue Wheelers DogFood Direct will be the first national franchise system to deliver dog food and treats to homes across Australia.

“We have developed a strategic alliance with a number of Australian owned pet food manufacturers. Blue Wheelers DogFood Direct will carry many of Australia’s popular brands of Dog Food including Biotic Plus, which has recently been sampled to our HydroDog customer base with an extremely positive response,” said Martin Rose.

Dash DogWash will fill what the Roses see as a much-needed gap in the market place for people who just want a good quality wash without the full clipping and grooming service.

HydroDog’s 200 franchisees nationally wash and groom just five percent of all dogs in Australia. 

“We look at these three new businesses as our babies. It has taken a long process to get to the stage of launching them this past weekend and we could not be happier with the response from our own franchisees” said Martin Rose.

“We anticipate that every HydroDog franchisee will become a Blue Wheeler by early 2014, giving ample time to upgrade their grooming skills and their mobile salon if required.”