It's an expensive wardrobe, but extremely chic and doggish: A Burberry trench coat, Coach jacket and Prada bag are complemented by a Hermes hairbrush and limited-edition perfume.

It's the kind of image that's guaranteed to send any male into a howling frenzy.

Well, any male dog, maybe.

Brand clothing and other luxury goods for pets are clawing their way onto the Japanese market as pet owners look to give their cuddly companions a more fashionable edge over the next dog on the street.

An increase in pet owners in urban areas has been met with a surge in accessories from brand makers, with goods ranging from a Gucci Frisbee to a Chrome Hearts dog lead and Oh My Dog! perfume for pooches.

But, like their counterparts for humans, they don't come cheap.

At 175,000 yen, a Hermes bag for transporting small dogs and cats will take a large bite out of your wallet.

You'll also need to dig deep into your financial resources for the French fashion maker's 27,000 yen shovel, which was originally marketed as a gardening tool that dog owners have adopted to deal with the, well, er, messier end of pet keeping.

Chrome Hearts' dog lead and collar will likely first take you for a walk to the bank manager (from 170,000 yen), while Gucci's Frisbee and ball are both 8,000 yen a throw.

In the food market, meanwhile, Nisshin Pet Food Co. recently unveiled a line of diet and two-course gourmet grub for cats. Among the feline favorites on offer are baby fish with bonito shavings and fish with crab topping.

Market analysts say that sales of pets, pet goods and services are worth 800 billion yen per year and are likely to pass the 1 trillion yen mark in the near future.

With expanding options available in the luxury pet goods market, for example, this figure could be quickly realized.

Sephora in Ginza is one of the stores stocking the Oh My Dog! animal fragrance (7,500 yen) and a pet shampoo from the same maker (4,500 yen). According to an official at the store, the products have been doing a roaring trade since their introduction last December. Sales reportedly have topped 10 million yen.

So, have pet owners in Japan gone barking mad? Not so, according to an official of Sanyo Shokai, whose Ginza store sells the Burberry pet accessories.

Rather, it is simply a change in attitude toward pets in Japan that has led to the demand in luxury clothes for critters, she said.

"The relationship between Japanese and their pets has deepened, and changes in living conditions, for example, have led to a huge increase in people keeping their pets indoors.

"Smaller dogs can be easily carried around, like an accessory, and many owners want to dress them up in style when they take them out," she added.