FranchiseVerdict
Dog Training Elite logo
FV-00770·MODERATEExcellent86

Dog Training Elite

Personal Services - Pet CareFranchising since 2015Website
Investment
$188K – $297K
55th pct Pet Care
Avg revenue
62nd pct Pet Care
Royalty
8.0%
58th pct Pet Care
Units
419
98th pct Pet Care
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $188K – $297K including a $110K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
  • No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
  • Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 56/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 38 loans (below the industry average).

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
Dog Training Elite Franchising, LLC
Parent company
DTE Demo Dog, LLC
Incorporated in
Utah
HQ
2909 S. Dobson Rd., #15, Mesa, AZ 85202
Auditor
Kezos & Dunlavy
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$3.6M
vs $3.0M prior year

Yale framework · single-unit ROIC

Returns Analysis

Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.

The model · Yale framework

What would one Dog Training Elite unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
Item 19 not disclosed — typing your own estimate
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: automotive
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $188K–$297K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $22K–$50K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

43%

In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$120K
EBITDA margin
16.0%
Total invested
$278K
Payback
28 mo
Unit-level only. A multi-unit portfolio gives up roughly 5–15% of this to shared services (corporate G&A) before reaching the ~10-unit break-even Yale describes.

Overview

About

Dog Training Elite franchisees operate professional canine training facilities offering obedience, behavioral modification, and specialized training services. Daily operations include client consultations, hands-on dog training sessions, kennel management, and staff supervision. Revenue is generated through training program fees, boarding, retail product sales, and corporate/group training contracts.

CEO
John Mestas
Founded
2014
FDD year
2025
States available
36

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$188K – $297K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$22K – $50K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$110K
Royalty
8.0%
Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
Ad fund
1.0%
typical 3–5%
Total fee load
9.0%
vs 9–13% typical

Item 19

Financial Performance

This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
419
Opened
21
Last reporting year
Closed
0
Turnover rate
0.0%
Company-owned
0
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
100%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
+5.3%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
+14.8%
Compounded over last 3 years
2023
419+21
Franchised units
2024
398
Franchised units
2025
365
Franchised units

Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.

Item 20 · 21 states with active franchisees

The Territory Map

Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator — not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).

AK
ME
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
NJ
PA
DE
MD
DC
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UT
CO
AZ
NM
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
MO
AR
LA
WI
IL
MS
TN
MI
IN
KY
AL
OH
WV
GA
VA
NC
SC
FL
HI
Registered · 21 states
Not registered

States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.

Government records

SBA Loan Data

Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.

Total loans
38
Loan volume
Avg loan
Default rate
0.0%
vs <3% typical · system-wide
5-yr default

FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17

Risk & Legal

56
Risk · 0-100
MODERATE56 / 100

Undisclosed financials, internal governance litigation, multiple franchisor enforcement actions, and minimal growth create meaningful uncertainty around unit economics and franchisor stability.

Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 rating

  1. 01MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure (avg revenue/net income) prevents ROI validation against $187k-$297k investment
  2. 02HIGHInternal litigation involving breach of fiduciary duty and fund misappropriation suggests governance instability at franchisor level
  3. 03MINORThree franchisor-initiated lawsuits indicate enforcement challenges and potential franchisee compliance/profitability issues
  4. 04MINORSlow unit growth (5.3% YoY) with 419 total units suggests market saturation or franchisee satisfaction concerns
  5. 05MED8% royalty on undisclosed revenue creates opacity—actual net margins unknown relative to $110k franchise fee
  6. 06HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE, which in FDD context may indicate past financial distress warnings

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal

Contract & Territory Detail

Territory
Population-based
Protected territory
Yes
Initial term
10 years
Renewal term
10 years
Online sales rights
Restricted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Not allowed
Litigation count
4
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can buy back on resale
Mandatory arbitration
Yes
Jury trial waiver
Yes
Non-compete
3 yrs
Post-termination restriction
Owner-operator
Required
Governing law
Utah

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
87 hrs
On-the-job training
129 hrs
POS system
Chase merchant mobile Point of Sale System
Operating tech stack

Item 20

Franchisee Contacts

Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.

Franchisee contacts

28 numbers

Locked
(605) 773-••••
SD
(805) 488-••••
CA
(360) 902-••••
WA

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

Dog Training Elite · FDD (2025) PDF

Single-page checkout · instant download · CSV export of contacts available separately above