Dogs are family for all of us at Instinct Dog Behavior & Training®. It’s that simple principle that guides us as we help dogs and owners happily co-exist every day. Now, we’re looking for franchise partners to help us bring our vision of A Kinder World through Dog Training™ to thousands more dogs and owners across the country.

Help us build a kinder world through dog training, by bringing our brand of positive reinforcement behavior consulting and training to your community. Join forces with over 60 veterinary behaviorists, certified behavior consultants, certified trainers, and animal behavior and care techs who work hard every day to help dogs and humans live happy lives together. And while you do this, you’ll have the backing and support of our professional network (if you have ever been stuck with a case, you’ll know the benefit of this!).

In addition, the pet industry is recession-resistant and is projected to reach almost $100 billion by the end of the decade.

• 68% of U.S. households own a pet. 89.7 million of those pets are dogs
• Spending on pets is rising annually in the U.S
• Consumers spend more on companion animals than nearly any other category
• The pet market has more than tripled in size since 1994, growing from $17 billion to over $60 billion in 2015 in the U.S. alone

An Instinct Dog Behavior & Training® franchise now offers a flexible phased approach to opening a full Instinct facility (offering our signature positive reinforcement board & train camps, private lessons, behavior consulting, and alumni boarding services, all with 24/7 on-site supervision), or an Instinct studio (a much smaller space with a subset of services that you choose, and no overnight services requirement). You will have up to four (4) years to get into your space; this allows you to build a brand and a team with in-home and virtual services prior to taking on the responsibility of a full facility or our studio option.

The Instinct model works anywhere dogs are family members.

• The chance to a make a lasting, positive impact on the lives of thousands of dogs and owners
• Access to a unique brand and sophisticated business model that has the potential to dominate the fragmented, unregulated dog training industry
• Multiple revenue channels (Board & Train, Boarding, Private Training, Puppy Raising), and a new flexible offering that allows you to operate without a facility or studio for up to four (4) years. This allows you to test the market and see which facility type is the right fit for you and your community.
• Consistent recurring revenue through Alumni services
• Sophisticated proprietary technology systems
• Centralized call center to handle all your initial inquiries and consultation bookings
• Best-in-class training and support
• Experienced Franchise Support Team including:
  • Co-CEOs with strong backgrounds in business, operations, and marketing
  • Certified Dog Trainers and Behavior Consultants
  • Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorists
  • Leading Supply Partners
  • Leading Technology providers
  • Prime Markets Available
  • Internal escalation on dog and client issues; get help from seasoned professionals on the difficult situations that arise in any business.

• Veterinarians and Veterinary Behaviorists
• Certified behavior consultants and certified positive reinforcement trainers
• Investors who believe in Instinct’s vision and mission who want to partner with a certified trainer or behavior consultant.

We can help with match-making!

If you are interested in opening an Instinct Dog Behavior & Training facility with a partner – someone who has skills and knowledge complementary to your own, we can help connect you with others in your market who are interested in a similar arrangement.

The investment to open an Instinct Dog Behavior & Training facility varies by the total square footage of your site, design finishes and optional equipment selection, and geographic area.

Investment Range: $132,415 – $887,480, plus $40,000 franchise fee (any additional fees are included in Item 7 of the Franchise Disclosure Document). 

Financing: We have a financing partner who can help with pre-approval for an SBA loan under our Instinct Franchise System. We also now proudly offer the opportunity to finance a portion of the franchise fee for certified behavior consultants and certified trainers.

Royalty Fee: Higher of 8% of gross revenue or a flat fee per payment period.

Complete the Information Request Form

The first step is completing our Information Request Form. After submitting the form, we will be in touch within 72 hours. You can also book a time with Instinct Co-Founder, Brian Burton, for a 30-minute virtual coffee and discovery call.

Virtual Coffee + Discovery Call

During this virtual call, we learn about *your business and career goals*, discuss when we’re a good fit and when we’re not, and layout the process from start to finish so you understand the high-level timelines and costs. That’s it! No pressure to move forward. You decide at each step if you want to take the next one.

Financial Qualification + Loan Approval

If all goes well during the introductory phone call, you’ll undergo the required financial qualification and loan approvals. Approval is based on your current financial circumstances. We will also discuss the phased approach (operating with private lessons and virtuals for up to 4 years before opening a facility or studio), and how that can help with the financial part of the project.

FDD + Business Support Review

The Financial Disclosure Document (FDD) contains all of the legal responsibilities involved in owning an Instinct franchise and defines the relationship between Franchisor (Instinct Dog Training, Inc.) and Franchisee (you). The FDD is the document you will eventually sign in order to become a Franchisee.

We also will do a 90-minute meeting to demo our amazing business support, marketing, and technology solutions that eliminate much of the admin work of running a behavior business and provides KPIs (key performance indicators) for measuring your business progress and success.

FDD Follow-Up

After receiving and reviewing your FDD, we will schedule time to go over any questions you have about the document.

Site Visit

You will come visit us at our flagship Instinct East Harlem facility to spend the day with our Co-CEOs observing daily operations, interacting with some of our Training & Canine Care team members, and reviewing our proprietary technology systems. 

Sign the Agreement

If we feel that you are an incredible Franchisee candidate, we will send you a formal written offer that includes your assigned territory.