All Dogs Unleashed is a dog training, boarding and day care franchise, with services unparalleled in the lucrative pet care industry. By Patty Horansky
All Dogs Unleashed is a dog training, boarding and day care franchise, with services unparalleled in the lucrative pet care industry.
Founded in 2007 and franchised in 2021 by friends Brian Claeys and Travis Lux, the brand sets itself apart from traditional boarding and day care by focusing first on dog training.
According to Claeys, dog boarding and day care businesses are highly competitive but typically don’t offer training. He and Lux were raised around dogs and recognized the potential for a brand devoted to best-in-class training with supplemental revenue acquired through boarding and day care.
“The biggest ticket item for us is the training,” Claeys said.
Claeys decided to be his own boss after he was downsized from the corporate computer world. His father also was an entrepreneur, and the idea came to Claeys from watching a friend train dogs. This all led to him realizing, “I think I could do this, and I think I’d really enjoy it.”
He then called Lux, who was working as a roofer in Texas. Lux was similarly enthused and agreed to join Claeys in building a proven business model based on a new dog-training philosophy.
They traveled and learned from the best trainers worldwide and eventually launched their brand, which uses food, verbal praise and body language to lovingly teach dogs to obey both on and off of a leash.
Unlike most dog trainers who visit pet owners’ homes, Claeys and Lux built a brick-and-mortar facility outside of Dallas, where they could spend two to three weeks training dogs and the dogs’ owners, all while generating additional revenue through boarding and day care.
The brand’s largest facility is located in Carrollton, Texas, and has a staff of 38, including trainers. Many are family and friends who witnessed Claeys and Lux’s enjoyment of working with dogs and saw the pleasure of satisfied owners as profits increased year after year.
At the end of 2023, All Dogs Unleashed had 16 franchisees in 19 locations and are continuing to grow. While the owner-operator model is an option, most franchisees choose to purchase or convert real estate where they also can offer boarding and day care.
According to Claeys, the typical All Dogs Unleashed franchise pulls in three times the revenue of a standard boarding kennel or day care. Its Dallas location earned $4.7 million in 2023, and the franchise in Omaha, Nebraska, netted $1.2 million in its first year after moving into a commercial facility.
“By adding the training, it’s a complete game changer,” Claeys said. “No one’s doing it.”
New owners receive two to three weeks of training at the brand’s headquarters and another two weeks on-site. Support is ongoing and includes stellar online marketing that even generated increased revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Customers who train with All Dogs Unleashed often return for boarding and day care and share their experiences with friends and family who then also become clients. One past client and several of the brand’s own trainers have become franchisees.
“We knew that our customers were going to be our greatest sales reps,” Claeys said.
When seeking franchisees, the brand looks for owners who are willing to work hard and who love people and pets.
“Every interaction is important, every dog is important,” Claeys said.
Patty Horansky