Dog Training Elite Franchisee Pursues Passion Full Time, Backed By 20 Years of Animal Massage and Akita Training

Before entering the world of franchising, Debbie Zimmermann spent over two decades as a senior supervisor in a manufacturing company's customer service department. She has also spent over two decades working with animals through animal massage and agility training, especially with Akitas. Zimmermann recently decided it was time to transition to pursuing her passion for working with dogs full time as a franchisee with Dog Training Elite in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Although Zimmermann has pursued various ventures before — animal massage, a small secretarial business, art — she has decided it’s time to bet on herself and dream bigger. She found that franchising offered a path to growth that she had previously been too afraid to pursue independently. 

“I’ve always been accused of thinking too little,” she said. “That’s what I enjoy about the franchises. They’re already bringing you in and you’re looking at growing bigger with their help.”

1851 Franchise spoke with Zimmermann about her journey into franchising with Dog Training Elite and her plans for the future.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Debbie Zimmermann: I was a senior supervisor in a manufacturing company for a customer service department before this. Things were pretty good during COVID, but after COVID they started returning back to the old ways and I just decided I’d had enough; I was there for over 20 years. It was time to move on.

I’ve also done animal massage for 20 years and I work with Akitas in agility training. I've had Akitas for about three generations now and I like how stoic they are. They're very majestic. It takes a strong person to deal with an Akita. Each one I’ve had gets me a little bit closer to understanding what Akitas are all about. I am always trying to figure out what I need to do to motivate them, whether it's food or a toy or just being more directional. Having such a difficult breed has actually set me up to work with other dogs.

Even with the animal massage, not all dogs want your hands on them, so you need to be really intuitive and feel like their energy is shifting.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Zimmermann: What first came to mind was McDonald’s and all the fast-food chains. But when I learned more about franchising, I realized almost every company is a franchise. It’s so much easier to go with the franchise model because they’ve already paved the road. 

I’ve always been accused of thinking too little. I run my own secretarial business. I’ve done the animal massage. I’m an artist. I’ve done all these little things and I was too afraid to go bigger. That's what I enjoy about the franchises. They’re already bringing you in and you’re looking at growing bigger with their help.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Zimmermann: I am most excited about working with service dogs and emotional support dogs. As I’m so into the dog world. I hear a lot of people who are upset because they’ve got their service dogs with them and they encounter another person with a service or emotional support dog that is not well behaved.

I understand that our animals are so close to us. They know when you’re upset and they do try to make you feel better, but that doesn’t make them a service dog automatically. I think we’ve got to come up with a way to make it so that people can take their animals with them and those animals are well behaved.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Zimmermann: Everything I touch, I give 110% — I want to change the world. I want to train people to train their dogs so they can take them out with them. I am very excited about serving such a big community in Arkansas.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Zimmermann: People think their problems are unique and they are, but Dog Training Elite is unique because we approach each problem individually. I’m here to help dog owners and I’m not willing to walk away until we get the situation corrected for the dog owner.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Zimmermann: I know it is a scary thought and investing money is scary, but jump; it’s worth it.

I tend to be a jack-of-all-trades type of person, but this is my passion. I wish I had jumped faster, but I was so worried. We all are our own worst enemies and if I just would have done what I tell other people to do, which is put that fear up on the shelf, I’d have been better off sooner because it’s a fun ride and there’s so much out there to learn.

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.