America’s Top Dog Training Franchise

Over four decades of experience have gone into our proven training method.

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Our Pet Training Franchise Story

From an early age, our Founder John Mestas knew he wanted to pursue a career working with dogs and helping them live their best lives. With 40+ years of experience as a professional dog trainer and Competitive Training Director, John launched Dog Training Elite using his proven balanced-positive dog training method that is still used today.

In addition to our original obedience training and behavioral modification services, we now offer even more specialized training programs. Thanks to the unique, successful in-home training model perfected by John and his team, what began as a small movement among dog training companies has grown exponentially.

Quotation Marks Quotation Marks

I was working for an international company. I was just another number to them. I thought, 'I don't want to go back to work for somebody.' I decided I wanted to train dogs professionally.

- John Mestas
Founder, Dog Training Elite Franchise

John Mestas

Founder, Dog Training Elite Franchise

pet business franchise

Meet the Founder

Learn how Dog Training Elite founder John Mestas turned his 40-year passion for training dogs into a an award-winning pet care franchise business.

The Dog Training Elite Story

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1976

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1990

Dog Training Elite's training business for sale opened to the general public in 1990.
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2011

Dog Training Elite's training business for sale becomes official in 2011.
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2014

Dog Training Elite's business for sale model is perfected in the year 2014.
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2019

Dog Training Elite's dog training business for sale goes national in the year 2019.
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2020

Dog Training Elite's dog training business for sale is one of the Top Emerging Franchises in 2020.
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2021

Dog Training Elite's dog training business for sale is one of the Top Emerging Franchises in 2021.
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2022

Dog Training Elite's dog training business for sale is one of the Top Emerging Franchises in 2022.
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2023

Dog Training Elite is growing rapidly, with over 55 locations today.
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Present
Day

Dog Training Elite is growing rapidly, with over 55 locations today.

Our Dog Training Services

7 Elite Training Services, 1 Unique Dog Training Franchise Opportunity
Dog Training Elite offers a variety of training services for standard and advanced obedience training needs:

dog obedience training franchise

Obedience Training

pet business franchise

Puppy Services

dog training franchise

Service Dog Training

dog training business

Personal Protection Training

pet franchise

Anxiety and Aggression Training

dog friendly business

Service Dogs for Military/Retired Veterans

dog training companies

Therapy Animal Training

What Makes Us 'Elite' To Our Clients?

Since its inception, Dog Training Elite has distinguished itself as the best dog training experience available to our customers. We have earned a reputation for excellence through our highly personalized training programs, convenience, and emphasis on positivity in our proven dog training methods.

Training Icon Personalized Programs

Our dog trainers meet clients at their homes, conduct a comprehensive assessment, and select a personalized program that will provide the best fit for the clients' needs.

Training Icon Convenient In-Home Services

We train dogs in their own environment, making it easy and more beneficial for both dog owners and their canine companions!

Handshake Icon Superior Customer Service

We provide guidance to all our clients - no matter how long ago their dog graduated from Dog Training Elite!

Collar Icon Exclusive Dog Training Method

Our training is based on the "Classical Conditioning" (a.k.a. "Pavlovian") model. We use a balanced, positive reinforcement dog training method paired with a gentle, non-harmful, electronic collar.

Bark Trick Icon Advanced Training Services

With 7 different dog training courses available, we cover everything from obedience basics to Service Dog and Therapy Animal Training.

See Why Our Customers LOVE Us!

I am so glad I chose to go with DTE. Evan came out to do my assessment with my dog reactive pit bull spartan, and I loved the way he interacted with spartan. He was not pushy trying to get me to sign up with them which was a nice change from other assessments I have had. Ryan and Deidre worked with me and my dog so patiently and not only made him better, but made me better. After our first session, there was already a big difference in Spartans behavior. Today I finished my last one on one session and spartan is an entirely different dog in the best way possible! I could not thank the team enough!
— Collin Kleese
Posted December 9th 2023
google
We recently started having our dog trained so she can be a service animal for our daughter. I was amazed that only a few weeks in I was able to tell our dog (who thinks she has to be attached to us at all times) to stay, and she stayed in one place while I exercised. I was even more amazed when I then went upstairs, took a shower and came back downstairs to find her still in the same place I’d told her to stay. Such a win! The trainers have been so good to explain every part of the process and the why behind everything. They answer all our questions and concerns with so much patience and kindness, no matter how silly they may be. This is making a huge difference for us and our dog.
— Jessica Sappington
Posted November 28th 2023
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After a week our dog, Harley, was obedient to commands like off and come even when faced with distractions like cows and goats. He, being a herd dog, that was huge. Thanks to Daidre and dog training elite program. We are super impressed and grateful.
— Marcine Brown
Posted November 21st 2023
google
It has been a fantastic experience working with Dog Training Elite Utah County to train our now 4-month-old puppy (we started when he was nine weeks old). We have had the pleasure of working with trainers Ryan and Deidre. We have undergone Puppy training (w/ Ryan) and are three weeks into obedience training (w/ Ryan & Deidre). Ryan and Deidre are so well-prepared and patient with my family and me. We can't speak more highly of their training sessions. We are new to dog training and appreciate their time, expertise, and effort. Our puppy is thriving. We took our puppy on his first experience at Petsmart. We walked in, and a dog immediately barked aggressively; dogs were everywhere. In one of our sessions, Ryan taught us how to handle those types of situations to ensure our pup felt secure and to show him how to trust us, and it worked like a dream. We used many of the tools we had learned in training during that trip; he sat, heeled without pulling, and placed so patiently and calmly. We were so proud of our pup. We wouldn't have been able to have the success we did without Ryan, Deidre, and Dog Training Elite. We also want to share what a joy Casey has been to work with. Casey is always so cheerful and patiently answers any questions we have had. If you are in need of a company to help you train your dog, this is the place to go. They are affordable, their customer service is top-notch, and their trainers are exceptional.
— BATM -
Posted November 14th 2023
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We have had a great experience with our Doberman, he was really struggling with reactivity, and just had a lot of puppy energy. Deidre has been an absolute saint. She had so much patience with Jocko & has even boarded our doberman twice & he absolutely adores her! I wouldn’t recommended anyone else! They are absolutely fantastic.
— Gabriela Leite
Posted November 12th 2023
google
When I first got my puppy Phoebe I immediately felt overwhelmed with the puppy scare and not knowing how to train her properly and feeling that I had made a huge mistake not being well prepared. I called up Evan and set up puppy training and by the first appointment felt so relieved that all I was experiencing was normal for a puppy owner. Now, as Phoebe is about to turn 1 year old I am blown away by her confidence, good behavior, and loving demeanor that has been able to blossom because of the training both she and I received through DTE. Both the home puppy classes and the group behavior classes was crucial in getting to build trust with her and now I am so excited with all she's going to accomplish as my Psychiatric Service Dog. I cannot thank DTE (Evan, Ryan, Deidre) enough for all their hard work with me and Phoebe and helping us gain confidence that have gotten us to where we are now and where we'll get in the future! The price of the program can seem really daunting but DTE are some of the most compassionate folks and are willing to work with your situation and your dog (whether you're training a pet or a working dog) is going to be worth it and the confidence you also gain as they're owner and family member is priceless, in my opinion!
— Katelyn Allen
Posted November 10th 2023
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This was such a life saver we appreciate everything the trainers did with our German shepherd! He is a whole new dog from where we started and we are so pleased with him. We cannot thank you enough Daidre and Ryan!!!
— Tristan Keetch
Posted November 8th 2023
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We are very happy to have selected Dog Training Elite to help us train our Mini Dachshund. We selected the combination of private lessons and public in the park training. Kaycee is awesome in answering our questions and helping. Evan came to meet with us and assess our dogs training needs and helped us select our training course. Ryan has conducted the private in-home training, and we are very happy having him help us. Deedre is awesome in the park group training. Our dog Dixie is coming along great, and we are very happy with the results so far. Thanks Mike & Jana
— Michael Hershberger
Posted October 27th 2023
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I highly recommend Dog Training Elite!! Brock has made the most amazing changes in just a week! I couldn’t do this alone! Jake is incredible and patient with my pup. Even though my Lab was crazy… he’s learning how to be an absolute gentleman! I am so impressed with everything at DTE!

Posted September 6th 2023
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I am seriously blown away by how effective this training has been for our dog just after 5 weeks. Every trainer we’ve interacted with was extremely nice, informative, and we can tell they really care about our dog! Our dog’s behavior has changed tremendously, he listens to us more than he ever has in the 7 years we’ve had him. My wife and I were sort of nervous to spend this much money on dog training (we spent almost all of the money we have saved) but after seeing the results, we are so happy that we did. 5 stars isn’t enough!
— Mike Mazda
Posted August 27th 2023
google
Dog Training Elite Utah County is without a doubt the best option for dog training, I am so extremely happy with my experience. Before I started training, taking my dog, Finley, out caused me a lot of anxiety because I never knew if or how she was going to react. Then I made the best decision ever and hired them to help me with training and the results are incredible. Evan and Ryan were wonderful and helped me help Finley live her best life. I could not be happier with how well-behaved Finley is, while still being able to show her very goofy side!
— Katie Watson
Posted August 3rd 2023
google
These folks are compassionate and will also be honest with you. They are flexible yet structured. They are fun and serious about what they do. They are personal and professional. You know a thing is full of goodness if it can hold paradox and nuance and adjust to context. I trust them a lot and appreciate what they teach me. I have trained service dogs myself before but I got this new pup and my old methods weren't working with her so I took the leap to get into a beginners mind and learn a new way of doing and thinking about things with these folks and I'm glad to add this to my toolkit for working with my super smart independent pup. This is a passion of mine and they met me with their passion and helped me do far more for myself and my dogs than I was anticipating. It wasn't just helpful and liberating, it was therapeutic to trust them and myself working with my girl. If you put in the work they ask you to do, you will see results. It's the best part of my week. Highly recommend these people (Evan, Ryan, and Deidre) and the organization as a whole as well. Made me want to work for/with them...
— Jill F
Posted July 21st 2023
google
Our cute little puppy was seriously struggling after we brought a new baby home. He was nipping at my older kids, not listening, and totally testing his boundaries. We were very close to re-homing him but decided to try dog training elite. I loved that they did the free in home session and they had so many good reviews. I would 100% recommend to any dog owner!! Simba was an entirely different dog even after just one session. We had Ryan as our trainer the entire time and he was the best. We never felt any judgment on our serious lack of knowledge with dog training and he always checked in to make sure we understood and see if there were questions. You can tell he has a passion for animals and really wanted the best for Simba and our family! I love that once the personal training ends we have group classes and there is an open communication forever that we can call or text with any dog training questions that might come up. It is worth the investment for your pup and I feel like now we can have a well behaved pup that we feel comfortable taking anywhere and can really be part of the family!
— Jennilyn Wihongi
Posted July 11th 2023
google
We are so happy with our experience with Dog Training Elite! We just finished all of our private lessons and the change we have seen in our dog is amazing. We adopted an 5 year old pit bull mix and she lacked basic obedience and was very nervous and reactive with other dogs. In working with the trainers at Dog Training Elite we have helped her learn how to navigate those stressful situations, and we have learned how to handle them as well! We are now confident taking her on walks or to parks, she is now more obedient than most the other dogs we know, and we even recently introduced to her my parent’s German Shepherd (we tried before finding Dog Training Elite without success which was one of the things that lead to us making the investment in training, but I’m telling you, with the tools they give you it’s like night and day)! She is doing so well and I can’t recommend Dog Training Elite enough! We are excited to start group lessons.

Posted June 26th 2023
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Some of the best money I have spent! We have an 18 month old Goldendoodle named Maple. She was not behaving well - pulling on walks, jumping on house guests, barking at strangers on walks. It was to a point where I had to mentally prepare myself for her evening walks. We knew we had an issue that needed to be fixed. After doing some research I found this company. Evan the owner will come to your home for a consultation with your fur baby and recommend the program he thinks suits them best. We purchased the 5 in-house trainings and our trainers name was Ryan. He did such an amazing job and quite honestly I feel like we have a totally different dog. I take her on multiple walks a day, have no anxiety when company comes over. I am blown away with the results. Thank you Evan and Ryan! Appreciate all of your help!
— Jonni Glassman
Posted June 21st 2023
google
Ryan was so helpful at training Coach and wanted to make sure we were successful! He was always willing to stay a few minutes past the end of our lesson to answer any questions, as well as teach us extra tips and tricks for our training. We could not have gotten our amazing results without Ryan and Dog Training Elite. I highly recommend them to everyone!!
— Jackson Gardner
Posted June 4th 2023
google
very informative and helped me in deciding what to do for my dogs :)
— Marie Good
Posted May 26th 2023
google
These guys know there stuff! It has been life changing for our family as first time dog owners. Dallin, Jake and Casey we do helpful and I could tell they really loved working with our labrador retriever. Thank you. Thank you

Posted May 21st 2023
facebook
We love Evan and Dog Training Elite more than words can explain!! I have been astounded by the support system that this group has to offer. We have an especially difficult and aggressive dog that we are in the process of training. After just one in-home lesson, Evan has dropped what he is doing to come to our home and teach us training tricks… TWICE!! I have never worked with a company/program of any kind that cares for their clients the way that Evan does. He always says, “we’ve got your back” and I know that he means it. I would recommend DTE to anyone, there’s no one else I would rather have train my dog.
— Tali Skabelund
Posted May 13th 2023
google
We've tried dog training before with a different company but gave up due to no results. When we tried DTE we were skeptical but even just the free hour-long consultation with Evan showed us this place cared more than the other. We also noticed results after the first session. We worked with Deidre, Ryan and Evan to train our dog as a service dog for PTSD clients we work with. They are a great team and each of them know how to cheer you on and encourage more from you and the dog. Plus, they focus on building confidence and, when you're the only handler/dog in a public space with good behavior it really goes to show how much hard work the team and us put in. We could not recommend these guys more!
— Zachery Linscott
Posted April 29th 2023
google

Meet Our World-Class Team

John Mestas

President & Founder

  • Professional and experienced dog seminar instructor with over 40 years of dog training experience.
  • Developed the training systems utilized by Dog Training Elite professionals.
  • Served on the boards of Utah Valley Kennel Club, Great Salt Lake Retriever Club and Northern Utah Retriever Club
  • Worked with guide dog puppies for the blind in San Rafael, California
  • Trained with renowned trainers such as Bill Totten, President of the Professional Retriever Trainers Association

Kelley Rosequist

CEO

  • Has been working in Office Management, Corporate Training and Human Resources for over 10 years.
  • An integral part of the initial training program and grand opening launch events.
  • Helps Franchise Owners wherever needed, from simply picking up the phone and answering questions to going out and being physically present to provide additional support.

Aiden Rosequist

COO

  • Has been training dogs for 17 years. Aiden trains dogs for obedience, personal protection, and service dog training.
  • Recognized by the American Kennel Club as a certified instructor for AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen and Community Canine testing.
  • Specializes in advanced service dog modalities, obedience and personal protection training, and building client relationships.
  • As a Dog Training Elite Franchise Owner himself, he can relate to other Owners on a deeper level and speak to experience on the challenges he has faced and how he has been able to overcome them.

Certifications & Recognition

Malinois Badge

The Malinois Foundation

At Dog Training Elite, we believe that Service Dogs save lives. It is our mission to make these life-saving companions available to our Veterans, First Responders, Women Survivors, and Children with Medical Needs.

Whether it be for PTSD, Mobility Support, or Special Needs, Dog Training Elite works alongside the Malinois Foundation to heal and empower these individuals with a specialized service animal, a partner in life, and a new best friend.

About the Malinois Foundation Learn More

Dog Training Elite - Canine Good Citizen Evaluator Dog Training Elite - AKC STar Puppy Instructor Dog Training Elite - AKC Community Canine Dog Training Elite - PRTA Pro Dog Training Elite - IACP Member

Hear From Our Franchise Owners

Learn More About Our Dog Training Business For Sale Experience And Passion Have Made Our Pet Franchise A Proven Business Success!

Starting a dog training business for sale is simple with Dog Training Elite.

A childhood love of dogs led Dog Training Elite's founder to create a pet training franchise that offers a proven, balanced and positive training method. Our dog training business for sale looks out for man’s best friend, but treats our Owners right, too. We combine a love of dogs with a successful business model and support for every single Franchise Owner.

End your search for the best dog training franchise for sale. Contact Dog Training Elite today to learn more about available franchising opportunities.

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