Dog Franchises: 14 Dog Businesses, From $3,620 to $1.5 Million, With Real Numbers
Dog franchises in 2026 run from a $3,620 pet-waste route to daycare builds that top $1.4 million, across eight business models. Every service and mobile model on the list starts under $100,000; the storefronts and facilities start at $100,000 and climb past $1 million. Each figure comes from the brand’s own franchise pages, read in September 2026, or is labeled when it comes from a third-party FDD summary. We are one of the 14, a dog training franchise, and the sort by entry cost puts us second.
The dog franchise you can afford is mostly decided by one question: does the business need a building? The 14 brands below split cleanly. Every route, mobile, and appointment model starts under $100,000. Every storefront and facility model starts at $100,000 or more, and most start above $300,000. The cheapest dog franchise is a pooper-scooper route, and the price of that low entry is a 25% royalty.
Revenue is the other dividing line. Only 6 of the 14 brands publish any revenue figure on their own sites, and the ones that do each measure a different group of units. We run one of the 14, a dog training franchise, and we think training is the strongest business in the service tier. The full list comes first so you can judge that for yourself.
Lowest published entry: a pet-waste route, with a 25% royalty
POOP 911, third-party FDD summary
Where every service and mobile model on the list starts
Each brand’s published Item 7 low end
Brands that publish any revenue figure
Each brand’s own site, September 2026
Best-disclosed average gross: 207 Camp Bow Wow locations open 24+ months
Camp Bow Wow, 2026 FDD, Item 19
U.S. households with a dog in 2025, 53% of all households
APPA, 2026 Dog Report release
U.S. pet industry spending, 2025
APPA, March 2026 release
The 14 dog franchises, sorted by what they cost to open
Sorted by published low-end total investment, cheapest first. Every figure is the brand’s own unless labeled third-party, and each profile names its source.
| Brand | Model | Total investment | Fee | Royalty / fund | Publishes revenue? | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POOP 911 | Weekly yard-cleanup routes | $3,620 – $25,970 (third-party FDD summary) | $0 (third-party) | 25% of monthly sales (third-party) | No | Mobile / home-based |
| Tip Top K9 (that’s us) | In-home and facility dog training | $53,175 – $104,735 (2026 FDD, Item 7) | $48,000 | 6% / $850 per month brand fund | Yes | Mobile / home-based |
| Zoomin Groomin | Grooming vans for dogs and cats | $64,974 – $205,400 | $45,000 | 8% / 2% fund | Yes | Mobile / home-based |
| Scoop Soldiers | Residential and commercial waste routes | $68,600 – $118,800 per territory | $39,500 (third-party) | Not on its site; third-party summaries conflict | Company-owned results on its site | Mobile / home-based |
| DoodyCalls | Waste removal plus pet-area services | $76,450 – $93,850 (2026 FDD) | $39,900 | 7.5% or a monthly minimum / 1.5% fund (third-party) | Yes | Mobile / home-based |
| Hike Doggie | Group dog hikes and walks | $83,100 – $205,400 (third-party, 2026 FDD) | $45,000 ($125,000 for a five-pack) | 8% / 2% + $500/mo ads + $65/wk tech | No | Mobile / home-based |
| Pet Butler | Waste removal plus walking and sitting | $96,325 – $121,486 | $46,000 | 12% / 2% fund (third-party) | No | Mobile / home-based |
| Preppy Pet | Small-kennel daycare and boarding | $100,000 – under $200,000 | $19,900 – $34,500 | 6.5% / not published | No | Facility |
| Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming | Dog bakery, retail, and grooming store | $191,350 – $560,300 (third-party); its site gives a $345,000 midpoint | $49,900 | 7% / 2% fund | No | Storefront |
| Scenthound | Membership wash and hygiene studio | $328,099 – $549,869 | $49,900 first unit | 6% / 1.5% fund | No | Storefront |
| Wagbar | Off-leash dog park with a bar | $470,300 – $1,145,900 | $50,000 | 6% of adjusted gross / 1% fund | No | Facility |
| Wag N’ Wash | Self-wash, grooming, and natural pet food store | $520,520 – $1,357,600 | $49,900 ($35,000 through 2026) | 3% first year, then 4% | Yes | Storefront |
| Dogtopia | Daycare-first facility | $664,355 – $1,478,820 | $49,500 | 7% / not published | No | Facility |
| Camp Bow Wow | Daycare and overnight boarding | $954,606 – $1,229,536 (2026 FDD) | $50,000 ($25,000 for veterans) | Not published | Yes | Facility |
1. POOP 911
Pet waste removal · $3,620 – $25,970 (third-party FDD summary)The lowest entry on the list, with the trade that explains it: a royalty of 25% of monthly sales, several times what any other brand here charges. Its own site shows no Item 7 range and describes "over 250 locations across the US"; a third-party FDD summary counts 207 U.S. locations. Source: poop911.com; Vetted Biz (FDD summary, year not stated).
2. Tip Top K9 (that’s us)
Dog training · $53,175 – $104,735 (2026 FDD, Item 7)Our franchise, placed by the same sort as everyone else. A home-based launch at the low end, six weeks of hands-on training at our Tulsa headquarters, and an 18-person call center that books and bills. We publish Item 19 revenue for every location open the full year; the figures are in the section on the dog training path below. Source: Tip Top K9 2026 FDD.
3. Zoomin Groomin
Mobile grooming · $64,974 – $205,400The only mobile model on the list with a full-year Item 19 cohort: 145 vans operating all of 2025 averaged $171,789 in gross revenue per van, with a median of $170,979. It grooms cats as well as dogs. Its site lists "310+ vans nationwide" as of July 2026; its Item 20 shows 257 open at the end of 2025. Source: franchise.zoomingroomin.com (2026 filing, issued April 30, 2026).
4. Scoop Soldiers
Pet waste removal · $68,600 – $118,800 per territoryAsks $50,000 in cash and a $200,000 net worth. The results table on its site covers its 13 company-owned outlets in 2023, ranging from $7,442 to $1,113,450 in gross sales; those are the franchisor’s own units, not franchisee results. Its own pages show more than one investment range, and third-party summaries disagree on the royalty, so confirm both in the current FDD. Source: scoopsoldiersfranchise.com (home page range); fee from third-party summaries of its FDD.
5. DoodyCalls
Pet waste removal · $76,450 – $93,850 (2026 FDD)The tightest range in the service tier. It publishes average gross revenue of $365,634 per franchise and $222,114 per territory for calendar 2025, as reported by franchisees operating a full 12 months (April 28, 2026 FDD, Item 19). Source: doodycallsfranchising.com; royalty from a third-party summary of its 2026 FDD.
6. Hike Doggie
Dog walking and hiking · $83,100 – $205,400 (third-party, 2026 FDD)Group adventure hikes for dogs, a young system with a short Item 20 history. Asks $100,000 liquid and a $250,000 net worth, and layers flat monthly and weekly charges on top of the percentage fees. Its financials page does not print a total range; the range here is a third-party quote of its 2026 FDD. Source: hikedoggie.com franchise financials page; franchisedisclosuredocuments.net (range).
7. Pet Butler
Pet waste removal · $96,325 – $121,486The most expensive entry in the waste-removal tier, with walking and sitting as add-on services. A third-party summary of its 2026 FDD counts 38 franchised and 3 company-owned units at the end of 2025. Source: petbutlerfranchise.com startup investments page.
8. Preppy Pet
Daycare and boarding · $100,000 – under $200,000The one facility model that starts near six figures, on a low-cost kennel plan with tiered options. Asks $25,000 or more in cash or credit. Source: preppypet.com franchise page (undated).
9. Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming
Bakery, retail, grooming · $191,350 – $560,300 (third-party); its site gives a $345,000 midpointA retail storefront with grooming bays. Its own cost page gives a single "mid-point startup cost" of $345,000 rather than a range, so the range here is a third-party figure; ask for Item 7. Source: franchise.woofgangbakery.com; 1851 Franchise (range).
10. Scenthound
Dog wash and grooming · $328,099 – $549,869A dogs-only membership model built on routine hygiene rather than full grooming. Its costs page and its FAQ show different ranges ($311,174 to $485,624 on the FAQ), so we cite the costs page. Asks $150,000 liquid and a $500,000 net worth. Source: franchise.scenthound.com/costs-and-fees.
11. Wagbar
Indoor dog park and bar · $470,300 – $1,145,900The one currently franchising dog-bar brand with published figures. A Wagbar blog post reports "16+ franchise territories sold with two locations currently operating," the ratio a buyer should ask about, and its franchise page states that it "does not make earnings claims on this website or in any marketing materials." Source: wagbar.com/franchising; wagbar.com blog.
12. Wag N’ Wash
Dog wash, grooming, retail · $520,520 – $1,357,600Publishes a dated revenue figure: a $1.2 million average unit volume for 11 reporting stores open and operating 12 months as of December 31, 2025, per its 2026 FDD, Item 19. The standard franchise fee is $49,900, discounted to $35,000 for agreements signed by December 31, 2026. Its investment range comes from its FAQ page, last updated in 2025, so confirm it against the current Item 7. Source: wagnwashfranchising.com.
13. Dogtopia
Daycare · $664,355 – $1,478,820The largest daycare-first system on this list at nearly 300 locations. Asks $300,000 liquid and a $1 million net worth. Our full daycare comparison covers it in depth. Source: dogtopia.com investment page.
14. Camp Bow Wow
Daycare and boarding · $954,606 – $1,229,536 (2026 FDD)The best-disclosed revenue on the list: an average gross of $1,089,859.75 across 207 franchised locations open 24 months or more as of December 31, 2025. Asks $500,000 liquid and a $1.2 million net worth. Source: campbowwow.com investment page (2026 FDD).
Figures as published by each brand as of September 2026; every brand refiles its FDD annually and ranges move. Confirm any figure in the brand’s current FDD, Item 7. "Third-party" figures come from franchise-listing services summarizing a brand’s FDD, not from the brand. Where a brand’s own pages disagree, we cite the page that names its FDD year, or its costs page, and note the conflict.
What each price tier actually buys
Under $100,000: a vehicle, a territory, and a phone
Waste removal, walking and hiking, mobile grooming, and dog training. These are route and appointment businesses where revenue recurs weekly or by program, the owner is usually the first employee, and royalties on this list run from 6% to 25%.
$100,000 to $600,000: a storefront or a light facility
A small kennel, a bakery-retail-grooming store, a membership wash studio, or the low end of a dog bar. Lease risk starts here: you are paying rent whether the week was busy or not.
$600,000 and up: a building
Daycare, boarding, and resort brands, most with $300,000 to $500,000 liquid-capital requirements before the first conversation. Our dog daycare comparison covers eleven of them in full.
For the full facility tier, see our dog daycare franchise comparison; for the whole pet industry, cats included, see the best pet franchises comparison.
Dog franchises by business model
Pet waste removal
The cheapest dog franchises, and the least written about. Four brands on the list clean up after dogs on recurring weekly routes: POOP 911, Scoop Soldiers, DoodyCalls, and Pet Butler, with published entries from a $3,620 third-party floor to $96,325. The economics are route density and retention. At the very bottom of the tier, the trade is the royalty: POOP 911’s 25% of monthly sales is several times what anyone else here charges. Scoop Soldiers publishes results for its company-owned outlets only, which are not the same thing as franchisee results.
Dog walking and hiking
Hike Doggie runs group hikes and walks from $83,100. It is a young system, so its Item 20 history is short; ask how many franchisees have completed a full year.
Mobile grooming
Zoomin Groomin brings the grooming salon to the client in a van, from $64,974, and it is the one mobile model with a full-year revenue cohort: 145 vans averaging $171,789 per van in 2025 gross revenue. It grooms cats as well as dogs. One caution from the American Pet Products Association: spending on boarding, salon grooming, and mobile grooming all declined in 2025 as owners sought ways to save.
Dog wash and grooming salons
Scenthound (from $328,099) sells hygiene memberships in a dogs-only studio; Wag N’ Wash (from $520,520) combines self-wash, grooming, and natural pet food retail, and publishes a dated average unit volume of $1.2 million for 11 stores open 12 months.
Dog bakery and retail
Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming pairs a retail bakery with grooming. Its site gives a $345,000 midpoint instead of a range, so ask for the full Item 7.
Indoor dog parks and dog bars
An off-leash park where owners buy a drink while dogs play. Wagbar is the one currently franchising dog-bar brand with published figures, $470,300 to $1,145,900, and it reports two operating locations against "16+ franchise territories sold." The concept’s track record so far is the subject of the next section.
Daycare and boarding
Preppy Pet’s small-kennel plan starts near $100,000; Dogtopia and Camp Bow Wow run from about $664,000 to $1.5 million. These are building businesses with payrolls, and our daycare comparison covers eleven brands in full.
Dog training
Our row on the list, from $53,175. Several other dog training franchisors exist, and the only fair way to compare them is on their FDDs, which is what our dog training franchise comparison does. If you are weighing training without a franchise at all, see how to start a dog training business.
The dog-bar reality check
The concept is real, and so is the interest in it. The track record so far is thin. Bar K, which had expanded from Kansas City to St. Louis and Oklahoma City, announced in July 2025 that all of its locations were closing permanently (KCUR). In June 2026, the owners of MUTTS Canine Cantina permanently closed all of its locations, including the flagship in Uptown Dallas, and CultureMap reported that its franchised Austin location was listed as permanently closed and a planned franchise location in New Braunfels never opened. Pups Pub closed its Tampa and Orlando locations in 2025, according to Hoodline, which reported that the Tampa shutdown followed an appeals court siding with the Florida Department of Health; the company is opening a new location in Clermont, Florida, and has said future franchise locations will lean on outdoor or open-air designs.
No brand publishes the numbers behind the model, but the hard parts are easy to name: alcohol licensing alongside health-department rules for dogs in food and drink spaces, a large footprint with outdoor space, and insurance for dogs playing off-leash around customers. The questions to ask any dog-bar franchisor: how many sold territories are open, how many have closed (Item 20 shows both), and whether your local health code allows the format at all.
Which dog franchises publish revenue
6 of the 14 brands publish some revenue figure on their own sites, and each measures a different group. Camp Bow Wow: an average gross of $1,089,859.75 across 207 franchised locations open 24 months or more. Zoomin Groomin: $171,789 average gross revenue per van across 145 vans operating all of 2025. Wag N’ Wash: a $1.2 million average unit volume for 11 stores open 12 months as of December 31, 2025. DoodyCalls: $365,634 average gross per franchise for franchisees operating a full 12 months in 2025. Scoop Soldiers: a 2023 table of its company-owned outlets, which are not franchisee results. And we publish ours, covered in the section on the dog training path below.
The other 8, POOP 911, Hike Doggie, Pet Butler, Preppy Pet, Woof Gang, Scenthound, Wagbar, and Dogtopia, publish no revenue figure on their sites. A franchisor that makes no Item 19 representation is choosing not to make a claim it would have to stand behind, which is legal and common; it is a reason to ask harder, not proof of a problem. Either way, gross revenue is not profit, and the cohort matters as much as the number. We publish ours and think every franchisor should.
How to pick a dog franchise
Four questions, in this order:
What will your hands be doing all day?
Scooping, walking, grooming, training, or managing staff in a building. The daily work is the job you are buying.
What liquid capital clears the gate?
The service tier asks for tens of thousands. The facility tier commonly asks for $250,000 to $500,000 liquid.
How recurring is the revenue?
Weekly routes, memberships, and training programs repeat. One-off visits have to be won again every time.
Does the brand publish Item 19?
If it does, read the cohort definition. If it does not, ask why, and call franchisees from Item 20.
Our two-minute fit quiz runs the same logic against your own answers.
If the ladder points you at a service business, here is why we would pick dog training
The service tier is where most first-time dog franchise owners can actually get in. Within it, we think training is the strongest business: you work with dogs rather than just around them, clients buy programs rather than one-off visits, and the skill compounds as your reputation grows. Tip Top K9 is the dog training option on this list.
Low-end total investment, home-based launch (2026 FDD, Item 7)
Hands-on training at our Tulsa HQ, ten hours a day
People in the call center that books and bills for you
Royalty, plus an $850 monthly brand fund
Total initial investment is $53,175 to $104,735, including the $48,000 franchise fee, and the low end is a home-based launch with no lease. You do not need a dog training background: initial training runs six weeks at our Tulsa headquarters, ten hours a day, with working dogs and paying clients. You open in a protected territory, and an 18-person call center answers the phone, books the lessons, and takes the payments, so your hours go to the dogs. After launch, you get weekly touchpoints from a corporate team whose leaders have built and run units, and a path to add trainers and a facility as demand grows.
And you can check the results before you invest. In 2025, the average gross revenue for home-based units was $401,339, with 4 of 7 home-based locations meeting or exceeding the average. Across the whole system, including locations that have added facilities: In 2025, the average gross revenue for the TTK9 system was $612,190, with 9 of 19 franchisees meeting or exceeding the average. Gross revenue is not profit: royalty, brand fund, staff, vehicles, and every other cost come out of it. Franchise Business Review, which surveys franchisees independently, named us to its Top Low-Cost Franchises list in 2025 and 2026 and its Top Franchises list for 2026.
“Before Tip Top K9 I went to college and had a boring desk job. Working with the dogs and being on my feet is amazing. I’m very hands-on and now I just bought my second location and am as excited as ever!”
If a scooping route or a daycare suits you better, buy that. We are built for the owner who wants to work with dogs, not just around them. The dog training franchise guide walks the model in full.
*Gross revenue figures are for Tip Top K9 locations open the full year of 2025, per the 2026 FDD, Item 19; investment range per Item 7. Not a projection of individual results. See the FDD for the only approved financial performance representations. (2025 results · 2026 disclosure)
The downsides of dog franchises
Royalties come off every dollar.
On this list they run from 3% to 25% of revenue, before brand funds and flat monthly charges. The cheapest entry carries the highest royalty.
Route and mobile work is physical.
Scooping, walking, grooming, and training happen outdoors or on the road, in every season, and the owner usually does the work at first.
Facility leases ignore slow months.
A building is a fixed cost from the day you sign, and a full building is a hard ceiling on revenue.
Some consumer spending softened.
The American Pet Products Association reports that spending on boarding, salon grooming, and mobile grooming all declined in 2025 as owners sought ways to save.
Young systems have short track records.
A brand founded in the last few years has little Item 20 history to show you how its franchisees fare over time.
Most brands will not show you revenue.
Only 6 of the 14 brands here publish any revenue figure on their own sites. The rest give you nothing to check before you request the FDD.
Due-diligence checklist
Read Item 7 for the investment range, Item 19 for revenue and the cohort it covers, Item 20 for openings, closures, and transfers, and Item 21 for the franchisor’s own financials.
For young systems, compare territories sold with units actually open.
Call five franchisees from the Item 20 list, including one who left.
For facility and dog-bar concepts, get the local zoning and health-code answer before you sign a lease.
Dog franchise FAQ
What are the best dog franchises to buy?
What dog franchise can I start with $10,000?
How much does it cost to buy a Dogtopia?
What is the cheapest dog franchise?
Are dog franchises profitable?
What does a Tip Top K9 franchise cost and gross?
Your next step.
If a $53,000 dog business beats a $1 million building, here are our numbers.
Request the information packet for the full Item 7 investment breakdown, our Item 19 results, and what the six weeks of training cover.