Dog Training Elite

Dog Training Elite - Franchise Information

Our Story

Our Founder, John Mestas, has been a dog lover for as long as he can remember! But it wasn’t until 1976 — after a career and life-changing revelation — that John decided he was never going back to the corporate world again. He wanted to dedicate his life to dogs professionally. This was the birth of Arrow Kennels, which he named after his golden retriever (and first obedience trial dog) Arrow.

In addition to offering standard pet boarding services at Arrow Kennels, John gained a great deal of expertise training the dogs who boarded there. Eventually, the training services became the most lucrative and in-demand aspect of the business!

In 2011, Arrow Kennels became Dog Training Elite — an innovative dog training business focused on improving the relationship between dogs and their handlers. Using decades of dog training experience, John and his team of experts began fine-tuning the training method that would eventually make Dog Training Elite a huge success in the coming years.

In 2014, the franchise concept for Dog Training Elite was tested regionally and continued to be tested and improved over the next five years. The success of these early tests culminated in 2019 when the business was franchised nationally for the first time. The concept was an immediate hit and grew to over 40 territories across 8 states by 2021.

In 2020, our Franchise Owners experienced a record-breaking year, posting average gross sales of$786,059 — with the top-performing Franchise Owner taking home a NET PROFIT of $801,1101— All while pursuing his passion of bringing families and their pups closer together.

Brand Description

With 40+ years of experience, Dog Training Elite is America’s fastest-growing dog training franchise! We bring our programs directly to our customers in the convenience of their homes, as we strengthen the relationships between dogs and their handlers.

Since there are no facilities to build, Dog Training Elite Franchise Owners can be open for business and start generating revenue within 4-6 weeks of signing an agreement.

Combine this short launch time with the surging demand for dog training, and Dog Training Elite is able to offer one of the quickest, strongest returns on investment in the pet services industry. No brick-and-mortar and minimal staff help keep the initial investment and operating costs low, leading to incredible profit margins.

Our Franchise Owners love the fact that they can take control over their work-life balance and set their own schedules. They have the ability to hire Trainers to complete the dog training so they can focus their time and energy on growing the business. This is a special opportunity for Franchise Owners looking to make a long-lasting impact in their community and do something meaningful each day while making a substantial living at the same time!

Business Features

1. Semi-Absentee - Dog Training Elite Franchise Owners do not need to take on the role of dog training! With a Lead Trainer in place, Franchise Owners can run the business semi-absentee, focusing their efforts on scaling and overseeing high-level operations.
2. High Revenues with Impressive Margins - Our average gross revenues in 2020 were $786,059 with an average net profit of $337,856. Our top performer brought in $1,484,943 with 54% margins. In other words, our top performer took $801,110 to the bank in 2020!2 This is a unique opportunity to create generational wealth!
3. Home-Based - We perform training sessions in our client’s homes, so there is no need for a physical training facility. Because there is no required buildout, Owners have the ability to get their business up and running in as little as 4-6 weeks from signing their agreement, allowing them to start generating revenue faster. Additionally, no lease is required and employees are minimal, resulting in very attractive margins and next to no overhead.
4. Few Clients Required - With the cost of our most popular training package at $1,800, our Owners only need to add 2- 4 new clients each week to be profitable. One Trainer alone can handle 40-50 dogs per week, so this low volume does not mean an increase in employees. Also, because we have consistent lead flow from the website, Franchise Owners never experience a shortage of dogs to train!
5. Increasing Demand in a Recession-Resistant Industry! - The pet industry has proven time and again to be recession-resistant, and is growing faster than ever right now! Pet adoptions skyrocketed with the onset of COVID-19, increasing by 110%3 in 2020. The demand for our services has never been greater! In fact, we saw system-wide sales growth of 92.6% from 2019 to 2020!
6. Scalable - 80% of Dog Training Elite Owners own multiple territories because there is almost no reason not to! All that is required to grow into another territory is the additional franchise fee, marketing, and a Trainer to cover the area.
7. Giving Back to Pets and Vets - At Dog Training Elite, we strive to make a difference in the lives of dogs and their families in the communities we serve. We have our own non-profit organization, The Malinois Foundation, where we have a mission of healing through canine assistance. We train service dogs for veterans and provide individuals suffering from PTSD, physical disabilities, and other special needs with a dog that can comfort and assist them.

Current Industry Conditions, Advantages, and Projections

We operate within the $95.7 pet industry. This industry has been proven to be recession resilient as historical data shows that even during an economic downturn, people are willing to pay the same amount for their pets’ expenses. As a result, it continues to experience explosive growth and is expected to hit $283 billion by 2023. This consistency is rare and reflects its outstanding strength.6

The growing rate of pet ownership, especially amongst millennials, also continues to increase, further strengthening this industry. These days, more than 70% of all U.S. households own a pet, and 94% of these pet owners consider their pets a member of the family.7

With the onset of COVID-19, the pet industry was uniquely affected in a positive way. Not only did pet adoptions increase by 110%8, but as more pet owners began working from home, many pet owners realized that their dogs were in great need of training services such as those that we provide. Our Target Customer:

Our customers are passionate dog parents who see their four-legged companions as members of their families. They are 30-50 years old, middle to upper class, and would enjoy the conveniences provided by our in-home services to fit into their busy lifestyle.

Ideal Candidate 

Our customers are passionate dog parents who see their four-legged companions as members of their families. They are 30-50 years old, middle to upper class, and would enjoy the conveniences provided by our in-home services to fit into their busy lifestyle.