Dog Training Franchise Family Opens Denver Location! Dog Training Elite

July 17, 2020

It's a great time to be a dog owner in Denver, now that the Ballard family has officially opened the doors of their dog training franchise! Sarah and Bert Ballard, along with their 18-year-old daughter and Training Director, Adria, hosted their official Grand Opening over the Fourth of July weekend.

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Conducting demonstrations of the proprietary, balanced positive training method used exclusively by Dog Training Elite trainers, the Ballards, along with their canine co-workers Oso, Binh An, and Snickerdoodle, interacted at a safe social distance with dog owners at local parks, farmer's markets, and even a Cabela's sporting goods store! Sarah Ballard happily reports that they were able to get the ball rolling on 20 free in-home evaluations for prospective customers- all in a single weekend!

The family, who aim to open five Denver-area dog training franchise locations in total, was pleased by the enthusiasm with which they were welcomed on their opening weekend, as well as thrilled to be returning to the Mile High City after living in California for several years, where Bert and Sarah were both Communications professors at Malibu's Pepperdine University. "We are so very excited to be a part of the community," Bert says. "For our family, it is a return to where we grew up and where two of our children were born!"

As an overwhelmingly dog-friendly state, Colorado is an excellent place to launch a dog training franchise. With an estimated 158,000 dogs living in 99,000 households across the Denver Metro area, there are officially more four-legged fur babies living in the Mile High City than there are actual children. This astounding statistic, combined with the fact that Americans spent a whopping $95.7 billion on their pets in 2019, is proof positive that a dog training franchise like Dog Training Elite is an ideal business opportunity for pet-loving entrepreneurs like the Ballards.

For Bert, Sarah, and Adria, however, the real draw of the Dog Training Elite franchise was the opportunity to give back to members of their community. Our Franchise Owners are able to accomplish this not only by providing training for service dogs through the 40-year tried, true, and humane training approach, but also through their work with The Malinois Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides trained service dogs to military veterans, first responders, women survivors, and children with medical challenges. "We look forward to working with our clients to bring out the confidence in their dogs and to increase peace and enjoyment with their dogs in their homes and in the community," Adria says, adding, "We are also excited to provide service dog training for families and individuals who need the life-giving support and care a four-legged friend provides while improving access and quality of life. In addition, we look forward to training with people for their dogs to become therapy dogs so they and their dogs can provide love and support to our community." The Denver franchise, in particular, specializes in working with clients with EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome), POTS (Postural Tachycardia Syndrome), and MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome).

The Ballards, who officially signed their franchise agreement to become part of the Dog Training Elite franchise family in March, were able to complete training, move to Denver, and open in just three short months. Though the COVID-19 shutdowns impacted their initial training schedule, as they mentioned in their interview in May, Sarah, Bert, and Adria were able to overcome these challenges and remain on track to begin conducting evaluations and training classes this summer as well as remain on track to open by July 4th, as they had originally planned.

Now, as more and more people prepare to return to work and school after months at home, the Ballards' dog training franchise will be helping the most cherished members of families across Denver to cope with the adjustment. Sarah, Bert, and Adria are already meeting with Denver-area families either in safe in-home appointments with social distancing measures in place, or in group training sessions taking place outdoors in local parks. Using a non-harmful e-collar to help remind dogs to follow commands, the Ballards teach their customers a variety of techniques to keep dogs happy and well-mannered. Additionally, fun tricks, such as sitting on top of a fire hydrant or perching on a high ledge of a wall, can be taught using the balanced positive method that is exclusive to our dog training franchise. All in all, a dog owner who participates in the training packages and approaches the Ballards and Dog Training Elite offer should expect to come away with a fun experience that was useful at strengthening ties with their pooch, improving manners and safety, as well as learning a few new things!

In addition to getting to work together as a family, with their dogs and their three younger children playing integral roles in the business, the Ballards are able to combine their passion for teaching with their entrepreneurial goals, making for a fulfilling, emotionally-rewarding career. "At heart, we are educators and we are excited to support businesses, schools, and local non-profits through education on service and therapy dogs," says Bert about the family's new role in the community.

We look forward to seeing all the great things the Ballard family will accomplish now that they've brought their dog training franchise to Denver!

Need more information on how to invest in a Dog Training Elite franchise of your own? Visit our franchise website to learn more. Want to schedule a FREE in-home evaluation for training your own four-legged friend in the Denver area? Contact the Ballards at 720-826-4(DOG) (4364) or email them at [email protected].

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