Dog Training Elite Franchise Creates Better Dogs, Business Owners Through a Person-First Culture

By embracing a collaborative, person-focused culture, Dog Training Elite, the national dog training franchise, is leading the industry with a more impactful model. The franchise offers prospective owners a platform to bring more good to their communities, and for many franchisees, the brand’s unique combination of a powerful business model and deeply caring company culture is what draws them in.

“We’re firmly in the people business,” said Kelley Rosequist, director of development at Dog Training Elite. “Dogs are our product, but people are our business. One of the things that’s really important is that our owners like people and are driven to be successful in business. We can provide the leads, but if you’re not able to follow a business plan and work well with your customers, you’re not going to be successful.”

CEO Betsy Feaster echoes this sentiment. Of course, a Dog Training Elite franchise owner cannot be terrified of dogs and successfully run a dog training business, but a general fondness for the dogs themselves is just the start. It’s the Dog Training Elite business model that makes it so successful, and franchisees who can fully commit to the culture of intentional, customized training are most likely to succeed.

“We treat all of our clients and their dogs as individuals,” Feaster said. “One of our major differentiators as a brand is the fact that we offer a specialized training approach, and franchise owners who embrace a range of tools and approaches can capture a larger market share. By adding more training tools, modalities and services, we’re able to adapt to what each client and dog needs and provide a custom service that they’re not going to be able to get elsewhere.”

To support the continued elevation of franchisees’ skills and brand evolution, the Dog Training Elite team is consistently working to provide additional training opportunities and business development resources. Recently, the brand launched a virtual training course that helps owners expand their service offerings.

“The introduction of our Leader of the Pack training course is an exciting update for the Dog Training Elite system,” Rosequist said. “It’s a completely virtual training course that our franchisees can take to learn how to use various training tools with our training department at the corporate level. This enables them to keep adding more services and work with additional clients.”

The culture and support that radiate from the corporate team are crucial contributors to Dog Training Elite’s success, but the relationships built between local owners add even more value to the system. While there are some aspects of the business that are shared across the country, many franchisees find value in collaborating with their fellow owners. 

Often, franchisees will come together to discuss best practices, share experiences or guidance surrounding challenges they have previously faced, or work through any specific local changes that are impacting a certain group of franchisees.

“Within our franchise system, we have our owners broken out into packs; we have nine regional packs across the country,” Feaster explained. “Our owners are able to meet and support one another, and they can help each other problem-solve some of the regional concerns they might be having, whether they’re related to marketing, economic shifts or shifting client priorities.”

Rosequist added that some of the system’s most successful owners are the ones who actively participate in both system-wide training opportunities and conversations with other owners in their area.

As Dog Training Elite continues to grow, targeting additional expansion nationwide and eyeing international growth in the coming years, it is focused on growing with the right people. In addition to the traits required to succeed in any franchise, like a commitment to grow and willingness to follow the proven systems, individuals who succeed with Dog Training Elite are often teachers or mentors who might describe themselves as a “people person.”

“People who best fit within our system really identify with the human side of the work,” Feaster said. “At the end of the day, whether it’s direct community involvement or community support through well-behaved animals, our business is about making things better. Being personable and being able to communicate well is important in these situations and something our culture really values.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit www.1851franchise.com/dogtrainingelite/info.