Dog Training Elite Taps into the Demand to Train All Dogs in the Growing $261 Billion Pet Industry, Meets Families in Their Homes for Personalized Training

With nearly 70 million American households that own dogs, more and more families are finding themselves in need of dog training. Whether it’s basic obedience, puppy, personal protection, service animal or anxiety training, dogs are often sent to board-and-train facilities or trained by professional trainers, not their owners and family members. However, this often leads to a scenario in which the dog’s positive behaviors disappear when they are no longer working with the original trainer.

“Training isn’t nearly as effective if the owner isn’t involved,” Linton Dowling, Vice President of marketing at Raintree, explained. “We are a people-focused dog training company. The heart of our mission is people and empowering those people to create a better evolution of their dogs.”

By empowering people to take a training journey alongside their dogs and leveraging a mobile model, Dog Training Elite makes niche training processes far more accessible to the general public.

“There is a lot that people want to do with their dogs, and that doesn’t have to be impossible,” Dowling added. “With professional guidance, owners are absolutely capable of training their own dogs for therapy and service animal work, everyday adventures and even weddings. Whatever a client’s life adventure is, we want them to be able to take their dogs with them.”

Gone Are the Days of Disconnected Training Practices

Traditionally, dog training has been viewed as a complicated venture that can only be handled by the most qualified professionals. With this came the rise of board-and-train programs that leave the training up to the professionals.

“Dog training is actually easy. What’s not so easy is the consistency it requires,” Dowling said. “That’s what we provide. We offer a really easy template for owners to follow. It can be customized to the needs of the family and is explained in a way that the person understands. We help our clients identify what was missing, and they fall back in love with their dog in the process.”

This consistency allows dog owners to take control of the training process. Through parallel growth, the dog and its owner tend to strengthen their bond, which is infinitely rewarding. Dogs who have bonded strongly to and have trust in their owners are more likely to seek out additional positive interactions with their humans, which often manifests in what the owners would consider to be good behavior. Better behavior encourages more training, more involvement and ultimately an even stronger dog, positioning the owner to incorporate their pup into as many aspects of their lives as they please.

Dog Training Elite Leverages an Owner-Involved, Positive Reinforcement Training Model

Dog Training Elite uses a balanced training approach that allows the entire family to get involved in a way that fits a range of lifestyles and dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds. The core of the Dog Training Elite approach is positive reinforcement, which is also known as Classical Conditioning or Pavlovian training. This approach has been proven to be more effective and provide longer-lasting results than other training methods.

Positive reinforcement allows an owner to reward desirable behaviors. With consistent practice, the dog will begin to associate appropriate behaviors with outcomes that it desires, and the behaviors will soon become reflexive. 

“A lot of other trainers may take your dog for training, but you’re not involved,” Dowling said. “You don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. We come in with our knowledge and teach you what to look out for, how to hold the leash and how to interact with the dog. We also provide sources of education to help the dog owners continue their own education in-home. People end up really enjoying the process because they get to be a part of it.”

Other differentiators of Dog Training Elite include personalized, environment-specific training plans, a structure that welcomes all members of the household to participate in the training process and support even when training is not “in session.”

The Current Need and How Dog Training Elite Fits With Your Family

In addition to the families who have always owned dogs, many people embraced “pandemic puppies” during the isolation brought on by COVID lockdowns. Families across the country adopted millions of dogs, and many of these dogs are still untrained or may be struggling with anxiety as they begin to experience more separation from their owners or outdoor variables that simply did not exist during their crucial developmental years.

“We’re at a really pivotal point with mental health, medical health and treatments. There is an increased need for dogs to step in and support in these roles,” Dowling said. “In addition to having dogs supporting these needs, we have also seen a spike in separation anxiety for dogs who have never been without their person. We’re seeing more workplaces become dog-friendly, and we want to make this transition easier. Dogs are being integrated into daily life more than they ever have.”

A few of the target consumers that Dog Training Elite works with include millennials, busy families, empty nesters, business owners and those who have support dogs. And because its programs are so customizable, Dog Training Elite partners with families to train up support and service dogs, obedient family dogs and well-behaved dogs that can quickly become an asset to the household. 

“There is a tremendous amount of feeling that comes from having a dog, especially when it’s well-behaved and not causing anxiety or anger in the household,” he added. “With proper training, dogs can be incorporated even more into people’s lives, treatments and goals.”

While one of the key benefits of a professional trainer is support and accountability – keeping owners consistent with training efforts – the time commitment is quite reasonable. When working with Dog Training Elite, owners can expect to see results with the commitment of just 20 minutes of training daily.

Dog Training Elite makes a well-behaved dog and strong dog-owner relationship attainable. By personalizing the process and offering environment-specific training, trainers create a comprehensive learning plan that addresses the unique needs of each dog, preparing the family for long-term success.

“Our goal has always been to become a one-stop-shop for all owners’ training needs,” Dowling explained. “Being able to offer multiple services to our clients is certainly really important. By including the humans, taking on a mobile model and welcoming all training needs, we’re able to be there for our clients throughout their entire journey.”

To find out more information on the investment of a Dog Training Elite Franchise, please visit www.1851franchise.com/dogtrainingelite/info