Let’s bust a Shark Tank myth right now: Getting a deal on camera doesn’t mean you’ve made it. If you think Mark Cuban’s handshake equals seven figures in the bank, let’s talk about the Shake It Pup story—a classic case of big hype, gritty hustle, and hard lessons for every entrepreneur who’s watched the Tank and thought, That could be me.
Shake It Pup walked onto Season 11 and pitched something most of us hadn’t seen before: flavor shakers for dog food. The pitch had personality, numbers, and even a dog acting as chef. Viewers loved it, the Sharks looked hungry, and business geeks everywhere wanted to know, Is this the next Bombas, or will the buzz fizzle once the lights go out?
If you’re thinking about chasing your own crazy idea onto Shark Tank, you need to hear the whole story—the pitch, the numbers, the chaos after the cameras, and why the dream shut down. I’ve sat in rooms like this. I’ve watched deals bloom and crash. This one’s gritty, and it’s real.
2. Meet the Founders: Two Dog Lovers With a Wild Idea
AJ Crook and Brett Maiolfi were childhood friends. Not the met-at-a-conference type. They were true, couches-and-cartoons buddies, both obsessed with dogs. Their mutual frustration? Dogs eating the same, bland kibble every single day.
Most founders stumble on their idea because of pain points—they did exactly that. AJ and Brett wanted to make meals exciting for dogs and, maybe, easier for picky eaters. From late-night brainstorms to mixing seasonings in their apartment, these guys went hands-on. No fancy office. No huge bankroll. Just a kitchen, some grinders, and ambition.
This isn’t some Silicon Valley origin story. It’s two dog people, scrapping from the bottom, hustling bottle by bottle to prove a simple, slightly weird concept could turn into a business.
3. What Is Shake It Pup?
So, what is Shake It Pup? It’s not dog food—it’s a dog food upgrade. Imagine the parmesan shaker on your dinner table, but filled with flavors made for dogs. Beef, chicken, even peanut butter bacon—each blend is dog-safe, loaded with flavor, and brings some variety to plain old kibble.
The real hook? Dogs get bored with the same food, and owners get frustrated when pets turn their nose up at dinner. Most solutions are expensive or complicated. AJ and Brett found a killer niche: make it fun, make it simple, and let pet parents customize meals on the fly—without switching the main food.
Seasonings are high margin. They’re light to ship and cheap to make—a smart play if you can scale. The flavors aren’t just for taste, either; some had functional benefits like joint support or digestive help. That’s how you add value and separate yourself from the pack. Pun intended.
4. The Shark Tank Pitch: Real Numbers, Real Stakes
Now, the pitch. This is where most companies get wrecked. Some come with fairy tale numbers—Shake It Pup brought real, gritty startup stats.
AJ and Brett wanted $100,000 for 20% equity. That’s a tidy $500,000 valuation. Not wild, but aggressive for a business running out of an apartment. Their first-year sales? $105,000. That’s not vapor. That’s proving the dog parents will pay for something new—especially if it’s fun and solves a real problem.
Margins? High. Every bottle sold meant real cash in their pockets. But everything was made, packed, and shipped by hand. You can only grind so many spices in your kitchen before hitting a wall. Production was their biggest drag. Try launching a food brand from your living room while demand outpaces your equipment—that’s startup chaos most TV pitches don’t show.
The founders came off sharp. They’d done real work—bootstrapping, marketing, and learning on the fly.
5. What Was Shake It Pup Worth? Net Worth and Valuations
Let’s get to the big question—what was Shake It Pup actually worth?
On air, AJ and Brett pegged the company at half a million. After all, they’d proven early sales, grabbed loyal customers, and weren’t buried in debt. It made sense—until you factored in the grind, the bottleneck, and their tiny production capacity.
Mark Cuban came in with $100,000 for 25%, valuing the business at $400,000. That’s classic Shark math. It reflected both the promise and the pain points—I’ve seen founders get too greedy; these guys knew how to play the game and kept the “crazy” in check.
On SharkWorth, experts guessed Shake It Pup’s peak value hit around $585,000—maybe a touch high, but not outlandish if you expected 10% annual growth in e-commerce dog products. But, like any ground-floor brand, value is a moving target unless you can keep scaling. Hype opens doors. Consistent shipping, smart marketing, and ops close them.
6. Did the Deal Close? How the Sharks Reacted
Here’s the dirty little secret about Shark Tank: not every handshake is a done deal. The show is showbiz—what happens after is real life.
Mark Cuban was the winner here, thanks to his track record with Wild Earth, another dog brand. Lori and Kevin made offers too—Kevin wanted 50%, Lori went after royalties (and rarely gets those right for small brands).
The founders said yes to Mark. Great TV, but later, the deal quietly fizzled during due diligence. Happens all the time. Some say Mark lost interest; others think the systems and margins weren’t tight enough. Either way, no Shark money actually hit the account. TV magic, but no new capital.
Why? Sometimes it’s about numbers. Sometimes it’s fit. Sometimes the post-pitch chaos exposes cracks no one saw under the lights.
7. What Happened After the Cameras Stopped Rolling?
Now for the part every founder should study. Shark Tank exposure is rocket fuel—if your ship is ready. Shake It Pup wasn’t.
When the episode aired, web traffic exploded. Sales soared. Pet parents flooded the site and social feeds. But when the wave hit, Shake It Pup started to stall. Orders piled up, inventory got tight, and the grind of hand-filling bottles stretched the founders thin.
They pushed hard. They tried to automate and grow. But there wasn’t enough capital, infrastructure, or bench strength to move from scrappy startup to scalable brand. That’s the brutal truth: TV attention isn’t a business model—it’s just an accelerator. Most companies can’t keep up when the hype fades and you’re right back to late nights and manual labor.
8. Where Is Shake It Pup Now? The Fall and the Rebrand
This is where the story takes a turn few people see in the Shark Tank highlight reels. Shake It Pup just couldn’t climb out of startup mode—even after the rebrand.
In July 2021, AJ Crook left. The run had taken its toll. Brett pushed on and tried to give the dream a long tail, shifting to Snap Wag, which he’d launched years earlier. The product was mostly the same. But the spark? Gone.
Snap Wag limped along with the same core idea: shake-on dog food flavor. But momentum slipped away. The website went dark. Social stopped. By late 2021, the whole thing was offline.
No Shark deal, no buyout, no miracle turnaround. By May 2025, Shake It Pup and Snap Wag were both history. This is the reality—the grind, the pivots, and sometimes the dead ends.
9. Lessons from a Shark Tank Rollercoaster
Shake It Pup isn’t just another failed pitch—it’s a street-smart masterclass. Here’s what every entrepreneur can learn:
- Hype is a sugar rush—not a growth strategy:
Shark Tank will blow up your inbox, but it won’t fix your systems or fill your warehouse. If you can’t fulfill, your backlogs become your noose. - Margins matter, but scaling matters more:
High margin is great on paper. If you can’t mass-produce, you’ll drown in demand. Invest in ops, not just a flashy website. - Don’t count the Shark’s money until it’s wired:
Handshakes make for great TV, but most deals unravel in due diligence. Don’t plan your future on promises. - Founders burnout is real:
Running a business isn’t a sprint. Wear every hat too long, and you’ll lose your will—or your teammate. - If you’re gonna pivot, bring something new:
Rebranding works if there’s evolution. Snap Wag never found a new angle, so it disappeared into the noise.
Chasing the Tank spotlight? Be ready for the after-party hangover. Practice your pitch, sure. But more important—build real systems, plan for scale, and don’t let the hype run the business.
FAQs
1. Is Shake It Pup still in business?
No, Shake It Pup—and its rebrand Snap Wag—shut down in 2024. No site, no product, just a lesson on how tough direct-to-consumer really is.
2. Did Mark Cuban’s deal actually go through?
No. Mark Cuban made a deal on TV, but nothing closed after the show. It happens more often than you think.
3. Why did Shake It Pup rebrand as Snap Wag?
After losing steam, Brett Maiolfi rebranded using his pre-existing Snap Wag brand to try to revive the idea. It wasn’t enough to keep going.
4. How much money did Shake It Pup make on Shark Tank?
They reported $105,000 in their first year and saw a sales spike post-show—but never disclosed exact take-home after the episode.
5. Where can I buy Shake It Pup dog seasoning now?
You can’t. Both Shake It Pup and Snap Wag are discontinued. No official website or retailer sells them anymore.
6. What happened to the founders after Shark Tank?
AJ Crook left in 2021. Brett Maiolfi ran with Snap Wag for a bit before closing shop completely.
7. Are there similar products to Shake It Pup?
Other companies have started offering dog food toppers and flavorings—but none with the same Shark Tank spotlight.
8. Why do so many Shark Tank companies fail after the show?
Shark Tank pours on the pressure. If your systems, margins, or mindset aren’t dialed—fast growth will break you before it makes you.
So, next time you see a deal go down in the Tank, ask yourself: “Will they still be around a year from now?” The Shake It Pup story is proof—success is more grind than glamour. If you want to win, focus on what happens after the cameras cut. That’s the real Shark Tank game.”
