Dog Training Elite

Dog Training Elite's total investment of $174K to $203K is tightly ranged — the low variance reflects a service-business model with minimal physical infrastructure requirements. The franchise fee is $45,000. There's no retail space required; trainers work in clients' homes, parks, and occasionally dedicated training facilities.

The royalty at 8% of weekly gross sales is at the high end for the pet services category. For comparison, Woof Gang Bakery charges 7%, Camp Bow Wow 7%, and Bark Busters 7%. The 1% Brand Fund Fee brings the combined burden to 9%. On median revenues of $230K, you pay $20,700 annually in fees. On the $978K top-5 average, you pay $88,000 — which is substantial but represents an 8.8% effective rate on a high-revenue operation.

The weekly payment cycle (Sunday-Saturday sales, due Tuesday via EFT) means the franchisor has essentially daily visibility into your revenues and immediate collection — less flexibility than monthly remittances.

Dog Training Elite's Item 19 covers 63 franchise locations that operated for the full calendar year 2023 (the measurement period). The data is segmented: the top 5 performers averaged $977,911 with a median of $880,119 and revenues ranging from $636K to $1.63M. The middle 53 (84% of the reporting group) averaged $253,954 with a median of $229,801 and revenues ranging from $113K to $586K. The bottom 5 averaged $39,110.

The middle-tier median of $230K is the realistic baseline for a new franchisee in years 1-3. At 9% fees, that's $20,700 to the franchisor annually. The remaining $209K covers trainer wages or contractor costs (typically $15-$25/hour per trainer), vehicle expenses, training supplies, and your own compensation. In markets with strong pet ownership and limited training competition, these numbers work. In saturated markets, the bottom-tier $39K average represents a franchise that failed to generate sustainable revenue.

The 4 affiliate-owned units averaged $548,246 — 2.4x the franchisee median — which may reflect corporate selection of premium markets or different operational resources.

Dog Training Elite's growth is extraordinary: 146 units in 2021, 365 in 2022, 395 in 2023. This 170% growth in two years reflects both genuine consumer demand for dog training services and an aggressive franchisee recruitment program. Systems that grow this fast face execution risk — training quality, corporate support capacity, and franchisee selection can all degrade under rapid expansion pressure.

The system is predominantly franchise-owned with 0 company-owned locations, meaning corporate has less direct operational experience than franchisors that operate their own units. The 30-unit net gain in 2023 is more modest than the explosive 2021-2022 growth, suggesting the system is entering a more mature growth phase.

The 8% royalty combined with a service business that requires skilled labor creates compression at the revenue levels most franchisees are likely to achieve. At $150K in annual revenue (below median), an 8% royalty means $12,000 to the franchisor while you may be earning less than $50K personally after trainer costs and expenses.

Dog training is a fragmented, low-barrier-to-entry market. Certified Professional Dog Trainers (CPDTs) operate independently without franchise fees. The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants certifies trainers who compete with Dog Training Elite without the overhead of an 8% royalty. Your competitive advantage is the brand, the methodology, and access to the franchise network — but in a market where independent trainers can match or exceed your service quality, the brand premium is limited.