From Fur to Skin: How The Canine Project Is Raising the Dog Grooming Bar
Reprinted here from The Dogue Magazine:
In a world where dogs strut red carpets, grace glossy covers, and travel in designer totes, it was only a matter of time before someone asked the obvious question: If our skincare is luxe… why isn’t theirs?
Meet the canine project®, the chic new force redefining dog grooming with the kind of human-grade ingredients and high-fashion flair you’d expect from founders who know both beauty counters and animal talent sets like the back of their perfectly moisturized hands.
Co-founders Jan Sprung and Nancy Novograd saw a gap in the market — not just in dog fur care, but in dog skin care. Together, they fused Jan’s luxury beauty expertise with Nancy’s decades of working with four-legged stars. The result? A modern, skin-first dog brand with a bold mission: Care for your dog’s skin the way you care for yours, because dogs’ skin matters™. From their cult-favorite BEST BARKIN’ WIPES to their spa-quality sprays, the canine project is elevating every pup’s beauty routine. And behind the formulas are two lifelong best friends, two very stylish dogs, and an unwavering belief that our pups deserve skincare as thoughtful, gentle, and effective as our own.
This month, we sat down with Jan to learn more about their products, their dogs and the skin-first philosophy behind the canine project.
DOGUE: What inspired you to start the canine project?
Jan: As pet parents, we’ve often found it challenging to find grooming products that meet our standards for quality and safety. Most options on the market are filled with artificial ingredients and lack the luxurious touch we desire for our beloved dogs. We saw a gap in the industry — a need for premium, gentle yet effective skincare solutions tailored specifically for our canine companions.
Between my background in luxury beauty and Nancy’s experience working with animal talent, we knew we had the perfect combination of expertise to address this problem. Together, we founded the canine project— a brand committed to redefining the dog grooming experience. We focus on the skin – not just the fur – to address dogs’ specific skin concerns, with human-grade ingredients formulated at the pH-level for dogs’ skin. Our mission is simple: help people care for their dog’s skin the way they care for their own.
DOGUE: We absolutely love your Best Barkin’ Wipes — they’re perfect for on-the-go and smell amazing. What inspired you to create this original dog wipe?
Jan: Drawing on my knowledge of working with high-quality ingredients and formulating effective and gentle skincare solutions for humans, paired with Nancy’s understanding of animal care and well-being, we set out to create something truly special. Our first dog skincare launch – BEST BARKIN’ WIPES – is a micellar dog wipe that lifts impurities and cleanses skin and coat with clean, simple ingredients. Our patented dispensing system is also truly unique – offering users the convenience of an individually packaged, biodegradable wipe that never dries out and is always ready for use. Pocket-sized and TSA-friendly, they’re designed to go wherever you and your pup go.
DOGUE: Tell us about your other products.
Jan: We offer a full line of premium dog skincare products — all crafted with ultra-gentle, human-grade ingredients that prioritize the health and comfort of our pups. Earlier this year, we launched two new spa-quality, pH-balanced skincare sprays: Daily Re:Fresh, our take on a dog’s daily deodorant — a clean, odor-neutralizing spray that naturally eliminates unpleasant smells while hydrating and soothing the skin. And Beyond The Fur, the ultimate skin rescue. It goes beyond the coat to calm irritation, reduce pain and itch, and support sensitive skin. It’s your dog’s go-to SOS Skin Rescue for itchiness, hot spots, minor wounds, and overall skin discomfort.
DOGUE: Tell us about your own pups.
Jan: We have my dog Cosmo, a 6-year old Havanese, and Nancy’s dog Bailey, a 10-year old pit bull. They’re both cherished members of our agency and our brand family. Cosmo stole heart the instant I first laid eyes on him six years ago. He loves people—especially children—and wins over everyone he meets with his friendly spirit.
Nancy: Bailey has been a joyful part of my life for ten years. She is a gentle soul who lives for car rides (she’s always ready with her driving goggles) and loves to play with her lamb chop toy named “Stuffy.” We first heard about a fundraiser for a rescue organization from a friend of ours and decided to go. After spending some time talking to the volunteers and seeing their work, we left that night deciding we wanted to give a shelter dog a better life. We already had a little Havanese named Buddha, so we knew whoever we adopted needed to be someone Buddha could get along with. That’s when we met Bailey — through Second Chance Rescue. We were told she had been used as a “bait dog,” a heartbreaking label used for dogs dragged into the cruel world of dog-fighting and forced to suffer. The moment we saw her, it was love at first sight. Despite her past, Bailey’s gentle nature shone through, and we knew she was meant to be part of our family. Bringing her home with Buddha felt so right — and now she finally has the safety, love, and home she deserves.
DOGUE: You also have a dog agency. Tell us about that.
Nancy: My agency All-Tame Animals, Inc., is a full-service animal talent agency that provides animals for all forms of media. For over 25 years, our professionally trained animals have appeared on Film and TV, such as Elsbeth, Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, FBI, and Severance, as well as the American Ballet Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera. While we work with every species, I have an exceptional knowledge and love for dogs and horses.
To read more, visit this link to the Dogue Magazine.