Dog Training EliteFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Dog Training Elite franchise requires a total initial investment of $188K – $297K, including a $110K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $497K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 100.0% charge-off rate across 19 loans[1]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $188K – $297K
- 49th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- $497K
- 26th pct Pet Services
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 50th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 419
- 86th pct Pet Services
- SBA default
- 100.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Pet Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
100.0% of SBA loans charged off across 19 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Bottom line
- Total investment $188K – $297K including a $110K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $497K/year.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 75/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 100.0% across 19 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Dog Training Elite Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- DTE Demo Dog, LLC
- CEO title
- Co-Founder, CEO
- John Mestas
- CEO experience
- 30 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- UT
- HQ
- 2909 S. Dobson Rd., #15, Mesa, AZ 85202
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.6M
- vs $3.0M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
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
- Headquarters
- AZ
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 36
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $110K | $110K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $22K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $55K | $137K |
| Total initial investment | $188K | $297K |
Source: Dog Training Elite 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$70K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
25%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $188K – $297K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $22K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $110K – $110K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $325 |
| Training fee | $750 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $497K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 69 units
- vs category median 12 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $40K→$953K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 0 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 75 Pet Services brands
vs Pet Services averages
How Dog Training Elite Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 419
- Opened
- 21
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- 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
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 6
- Transfer rate
- 1.4%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
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).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 19
- Loan volume
- $2.6M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 100.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 0.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 100.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 7
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Dog Training Elite's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 6 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 10 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 5-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 100.0% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 1 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Undisclosed financials, internal governance litigation, multiple franchisor enforcement actions, and minimal growth create meaningful uncertainty around unit economics and franchisor stability.
Litigation (Item 3)
Dog Training Elite Franchising LLC involved in 5 litigation matters: (1) Internal arbitration dispute with managing members and officers regarding breach of fiduciary duties and contract violations (settled June 2025, dismissed with prejudice October 2025); (2) Franchisor v. Condorman, Inc. and Neal Mestas for trade secret misappropriation (D. Arizona, dismissed without prejudice April 2025); (3) Franchisor v. Condorman, Inc. and Neal Mestas for breach of franchise agreement (D. Utah, dismissed without prejudice February 2025 for failure to serve); (4) Franchisor v. Ballard entities for breach of contract and failure to pay royalties/tech fees (D. Utah, pending litigation); (5) Franchisor named as nominal respondent in internal member dispute arbitration.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure (avg revenue/net income) prevents ROI validation against $187k-$297k investment
- 02HIGHInternal litigation involving breach of fiduciary duty and fund misappropriation suggests governance instability at franchisor level
- 03MINORThree franchisor-initiated lawsuits indicate enforcement challenges and potential franchisee compliance/profitability issues
- 04MINORSlow unit growth (5.3% YoY) with 419 total units suggests market saturation or franchisee satisfaction concerns
- 05MED8% royalty on undisclosed revenue creates opacity—actual net margins unknown relative to $110k franchise fee
- 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
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Population-based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 175,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 90 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Mesa, Arizona |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 4 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Dog Training Elite Franchising LLC involved in 5 litigation matters: (1) Internal arbitration dispute with managing members and officers regarding breach of fiduciary duties and contract violations (settled June 2025, dismissed with prejudice October 2025); (2) Franchisor v. Condorman, Inc. and Neal Mestas for trade secret misappropriation (D. Arizona, dismissed without prejudice April 2025); (3) Franchisor v. Condorman, Inc. and Neal Mestas for breach of franchise agreement (D. Utah, dismissed without prejudice February 2025 for failure to serve); (4) Franchisor v. Ballard entities for breach of contract and failure to pay royalties/tech fees (D. Utah, pending litigation); (5) Franchisor named as nominal respondent in internal member dispute arbitration.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 87 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 129 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant and franchisor location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 5 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Chase merchant mobile Point of Sale System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Chase merchant mobile Point of Sale System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
28 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Dog Training Elite · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Dog Training Elite franchise?
The total investment to open a Dog Training Elite franchise ranges from $188K – $297K, with an initial franchise fee of $110K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Dog Training Elite franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Dog Training Elite FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $497K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Dog Training Elite's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Dog Training Elite has a charge-off rate of 100.0% across 19 loans, meaning 100.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Dog Training Elite franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Dog Training Elite has 419 total units in the United States, including 365 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 21 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Dog Training Elite a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Dog Training Elite as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 75 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.