Dog Training Elite, one of the nation’s top training franchises with more than 300 territories open across the U.S., is growing in Cincinnati. Diane VanWeelden, along with her husband John and their son Alex, financial advisors and entrepreneurs, opened their Dog Training Elite franchise at the Cincinnati Boat, Sport & Travel show on January 19th. The VanWeeldens will serve Eastern Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Dayton with mobile training sessions that encourage a strong relationship between dog owners and their pets as key obedience and service skills are developed.

“We’ve seen what a difference dogs make in the lives of their owners, so to be able to participate in improving that relationship is really exciting and fun,” Diane said. “What really drew us to Dog Training Elite is all the service dog preparation that they do. We are looking forward to making that impact in a community that needs it so desperately, and making the benefits of service dogs more accessible is really important to us.”

Diane and John have an extensive background in business ownership, with Diane opening her own life coaching practice and John founding VanWeelden Financial Group, but their motivation for starting yet another business was their son’s passion for working with dogs and their desire to make service dogs and training more accessible to the people in their community. Alex grew up with a myriad of pets ranging from lizards to birds to turtles and spent a great deal of time caring for the animals on his grandparents farm, including pigs and goats. Understandably, he has always had a remarkable relationship with dogs. Now, he looks forward to being the lead dog trainer in his family’s new business. Now, they’re launching their first Dog Training Elite franchise, the 6th in the state.

“We’re excited to welcome Diane, John and Alex to the Dog Training Elite system,” said Betsy Feaster, CEO. “Our primary mission is to better the communities we enter with high-quality training that leads to happy, well-behaved dogs, and we can’t wait to see the difference they will make in the greater Cincinnati community.”

Dog Training Elite has seen considerable growth in recent years, and it plans to award another 24 territories this year as it targets growth in California, New York, Oregon and Idaho. With the pet industry expected to reach nearly $500 billion by 2030, the demand for high-quality training and care from pet owners nationwide is only climbing, and Dog Training Elite offers a more knowledgeable, comprehensive solution.

“This expansion is not just about spreading the brand’s footprint — it’s about deepening the impact Dog Training Elite has on communities nationwide, through well-behaved pets and well-trained service and therapy dogs. We’re proud to partner with the VanWeeldens to bring this impact to Cincinnati,” said Feaster. “Unlike many franchise concepts, Dog Training Elite franchisees have an opportunity to follow their passion for dogs and help dog owners in their community, starting a uniquely rewarding business, both emotionally and financially.”

ABOUT DOG TRAINING ELITE

With more than four decades of experience in dog training, Dog Training Elite is one of the country’s leading obedience and specialized training franchises. Offering a comprehensive suite of customizable training programs, Dog Training Elite works with dogs and owners to meet any and all training needs, including therapy dog training and advanced service dog training for PTSD support, psychiatric support, mobility support, autism support, diabetic alert training and an array of other services. In addition to the wide breadth of services offered, Dog Training Elite differentiates itself from competitors through a uniquely human-focused approach to dog training, which focuses on helping owners and their families learn to effectively and consistently support their dog’s training needs. To learn more about franchising with the Franchise 500 Dog Training Elite, visit https://dogtrainingelite.com/franchise