Life is Better With a Labradoodle

Every time we come to Global Pet Expo in Orlando, we make sure we stay on top of the fresh new trends right as they're hitting the pet market. And here's one of the biggest trends we saw at the 2014 expo: breed-specific products for humans.

Why should you tell the world that you love your dog if you can say that you love your Golden Retriever? Why should your guests rest their weary heads on anything besides Pug pillows? From decorative wood signs to cute crew socks, here are some of the new breed-specific gifts you'll soon see on pet store shelves near you.

Just in time for this year's show, SJT Enterprises launched a line of circular decorative wood signs proclaiming that "Life is Better with a ____." Not only do they have more than 100 breeds to fill in that blank, they even have different colors of each breed. So you don't just have to say that "Life is Better with a Lab" — you can say that it's better with a Yellow Lab or a Black Lab. The 10-inch signs are made in and shipped from Ohio and sell for $9.99 at independent retailers.

Wheel House Designs got into the breed-specific game 18 years ago, when a client asked them to make one of their novelty sock designs featuring a Jack Russell Terrier. That soon turned into a Black Lab design, and then a Yellow Lab design, and the rest is history. The company's new line for this year shows off the dog breeds on natural-colored socks, in addition to the gray, black and blue colors it already had. The crew socks — which also include cat breed designs — are available online and at independent retailers for $10.95 per pair.

I Love My Pug Pillow

And one big development in the breed-specific craze that we have to mention has been pet owners asking for products featuring designer dogs like Puggles and Labradoodles, which many of the companies have added to their inventories. Still, that doesn't mean that products starring traditionally beloved breeds like the Shih Tzu and German Shepherd aren't selling like hotcakes, because they definitely are.

We asked iLeesh, which creates mouse pads, coffee mugs and even car air fresheners with breed-specific designs, which breed has been its best seller, and the answer surprised us a little: the Pug.

But, then again, who doesn't love a Pug?

Check out more exciting new dog products at our Global Pet Expo 2014 hub.