Bark Busters franchise unit economics
Bark Busters franchisees run home-based dog-behavior training businesses that train dogs in their owners’ homes, inside a territory measured in dogs.
Bark Busters franchise at a glance
In its 2026 FDD Bark Busters reports fiscal 2025 sales for 132 franchised businesses open more than one year, with the highest figure and the spread across sales bands, and no profit or cost data.
Bark Busters franchisees averaged $144,479 of sales in fiscal 2025, with a median of $127,718, according to Item 19 of Bark Busters’ 2026 FDD, issued 16 March 2026. The 132 in that group are 99%* of Bark Busters’ 133 locations. Fees paid to Bark Busters come to about 10%* of sales.
- A Bark Busters franchise costs $77,900 to $117,000 to open, including a $49,500 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Bark Busters charges a royalty of 10% of sales.
- 42% of reporting Bark Busters locations reached the average.
- Work out Bark Busters's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Bark Busters's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- The royalty takes 10% of sales. That is $14,448 at the $144,479 average *. Bark Busters also charges $380 a year of technology and a conference fee of up to $1,250. The owner also spends 3% on local advertising, $4,334 at the average *.
- Territory sells for 50 cents a dog against $1.28 of revenue a dog. At system-average penetration *, an added ZIP code returns its purchase price in 4.7 months.
- The average sits $16,761 above the median and 42% of owners reach it. That is $144,479 against $127,718, with the top business at $655,448, 5.1 times the median *.
- Twenty-four businesses changed hands in three years on a base of 133. Transfers were 10, 9 and 5, or 18% of the system *. Terminations, non-renewals and reacquisitions were zero in every year.
- The whole business opens for $77,900 to $117,000. That is 54% to 81% of one year at the system average *.
How much does a Bark Busters franchise make?
The average Bark Busters unit reported $144,479 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $127,718. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 10% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling territories are below.
Top performers
What separates the top Bark Busters performers
Bark Busters publishes a range for its businesses instead of grouped averages. The highest-selling of the 132 Bark Busters businesses open more than a year reported $655,448 in 2025. The lowest-selling Bark Busters business in that group reported $1,900. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $127,718. The average was $144,479. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The highest-selling Bark Busters business sells 345.0× the lowest-selling one. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $77,900 to $117,000, a 1.5× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Bark Busters fees run about 10% of sales plus $380 of technology and up to $1,250 for the conference. Territory protection depends on a minimum annual sales quota.
Live operating levers
- Accounts.Accounts bill year after year. Track how many you keep as well as how many you win.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 132 of 133 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Ask the franchisor or current owners for cost and profit figures.
Average, middle and the gap between locations
Sales by business, 2025
| Measure | 2025 | Against the median * |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | $655,448 | 5.13× |
| Average | $144,479 | 1.13× |
| Median | $127,718 | 1.00× |
| Lowest | $1,900 | 0.01× |
| Businesses reaching the average | 55 of 132, 42% | n/a |
Every figure is as the brand reported it and the multiples restate each one against the filed median, marked *.
The gap between the median owner and the average is $16,761. That is 15 cents a dog across a territory of 112,500 dogs *. After the brand's 10% royalty, it is worth $15,085 *.
Seventy-seven of 132 businesses sit below the average. That is 58% of them *.
The lowest figure of $1,900 belongs to a business open more than a full year. So the population includes at least one Bark Busters territory open more than a year with sales of 1.5% of the median.
Sales is the only measure here. It is invoiced amounts before refunds, chargebacks and sales tax, and before wages, vehicle costs, royalty or advertising. So the 10% royalty, the 3% local advertising and the owner’s own draw all come out of these numbers.
The figures come from the brand’s own customer system, self-reported and unaudited. That makes the median more useful than the average when sizing your own territory.
Discounts available
- Bark Busters takes 10% off the Initial Franchise Fee and the Training and Territory Fee for qualifying U.S. veterans who served in a conflict zone.
From Item 5 of the Bark Busters 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
Thirteen percent off the top
Fees at the average and median business
| Charge | Rate | At the average, $144,479 | At the median, $127,718 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 10% of gross revenues | $14,448 | $12,772 |
| Local advertising | 3% of gross revenues | $4,334 | $3,832 |
| Technology | $380 to $500 a year | $380 | $380 |
| National conference | Up to $1,250 an attendee, mandatory | $1,250 | $1,250 |
| Total including local advertising | n/a | $20,412 | $18,233 |
| Share of sales including local advertising | n/a | 14.13% | 14.28% |
The rates and fixed fees are as the brand reported it and the dollar figures apply them to the filed average and median sales, marked *.
The royalty is a flat 10% with no tiers and no thresholds. So scale earns the owner exactly the same rate as the $1,900 business. The royalty takes 10 cents of every dollar, at every level of sales.
The 3% advertising spend stays under the owner’s control. It goes to suppliers the owner picks, and the brand runs no national fund requiring a contribution. So that $4,334 buys whatever the owner decides it buys.
Conference attendance is mandatory and costs $1,750 to $4,750 all in. That is $1,250 of fee plus $500 to $3,500 of travel, between 1.2% and 3.3% of average revenue for one week a year.
An audit that finds a 5% understatement is billed at cost plus 10% interest. The bill is payable within seven days of request.
If the brand ends the agreement for a breach, the owner owes $50,000. The owner owes a further $50,000 for each idea or process the brand loses through a violation. The average Bark Busters business has $144,479 of revenue.
The dog is the unit
Revenue against territory dog population
| Measure | At 100,000 dogs | At 112,500 dogs | At 125,000 dogs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average sales a dog * | $1.44 | $1.28 | $1.16 |
| Median sales a dog * | $1.28 | $1.14 | $1.02 |
| Highest business, a dog * | $6.55 | $5.83 | $5.24 |
| Price of an extra dog | $0.50, one time | ||
The revenue figures and the 100,000 to 125,000 dog range are as the brand reported it and the per-dog figures divide one by the other, marked *.
An extra ZIP code with 5,000 dogs in it costs $2,500. At the average share of dogs reached, it is worth $6,421 of sales *. The $2,500 price equals 4.7 months of those sales.
The original territory costs about 61 cents a dog. That is $69,000 for roughly 112,500 dogs *, so expansion land is priced below the founding land.
The top business earns $5.83 a dog against a system median of $1.14 *. The same size of territory produces five times the sales at one owner as at another.
Expansion runs through the brand’s sole discretion. Additional ZIP codes are available when the brand agrees and territory boundaries stay fixed regardless of how the dog population changes. So the 50-cent price applies only when permission arrives.
Territory protection is conditional on meeting a minimum annual sales quota. Falling short lets the brand shrink the territory, terminate on 30 days’ notice or decline renewal. So the quota is the number that keeps the map intact.
Who stays, who sells
Franchised outlets, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Ceased, other | End | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 128 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 131 | 10 |
| 2024 | 131 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 133 | 9 |
| 2025 | 133 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 133 | 5 |
| Three years | n/a | 13 | 0 | 8 | n/a | 24 |
Every figure is as the brand reported it, with terminations, non-renewals and reacquisitions at zero in all three years.
Twenty-four transfers against a base of 133 is 18% of the system in three years *. That is a resale market deep enough that buying an existing territory is a live alternative to the $69,000 of founding fees.
Openings halved from 6 to 3 while closures held at 3. So 2025 finished exactly where it started. The system is holding its size.
Terminations, non-renewals and reacquisitions were zero across all three years. Every exit came through the “ceased operations, other reasons” column, owners leaving on their own terms.
A buyer pays 15% of the sale price, capped at $20,000, plus $7,500 of training and $1,000 of legal reimbursement. On a business doing the median $127,718, the transfer fee cap is 15.7% of a year of sales.
The term is five years with one five-year option. That is shorter than most in this library, with a $1,000 successor fee and a brand right of first refusal on the territory at expiry or default.
Questions we get asked
Questions an owner asks
How much does a Bark Busters franchise make?
Bark Busters franchisees averaged $144,479 of sales in fiscal 2025, with a median of $127,718, according to Item 19 of Bark Busters’ 2026 FDD, issued 16 March 2026. The 132 in that group are 99%* of Bark Busters’ 133 locations. Fees paid to Bark Busters come to about 10%* of sales.
What does a Bark Busters business bill?
In 2025, sales across 132 businesses open more than a year averaged $144,479 with a median of $127,718. The highest was $655,448 and the lowest $1,900. Fifty-five of the 132, or 42%, reached the average.
What fees does Bark Busters charge?
Bark Busters charges a flat 10% royalty on gross revenues, paid on the 1st and 16th of each month, and requires a 3% local advertising spend the owner directs themselves. Add $380 a year of technology and a mandatory conference at up to $1,250 an attendee. On our reading the fees paid to the brand are the 10% royalty plus those fixed fees; the 3% local advertising is spent by the owner.
How is territory measured at Bark Busters?
It is defined by the number of dogs. A standard territory is a set of ZIP codes containing roughly 100,000 to 125,000 targeted dogs, sized from dog-owning household data and average dogs per household. Extra ZIP codes cost 50 cents for each targeted dog in them.
Is the Bark Busters territory exclusive?
It is protected. The brand will keep its own locations and other franchises out of it so long as you meet a minimum annual sales quota. Falling short of that quota lets the brand reduce or remove the territory, terminate on 30 days' notice, or decline renewal.
How much does a Bark Busters franchise cost to open?
A Bark Busters franchise costs $77,900 to $117,000 to open, of which $69,000 goes to the brand as a $49,500 franchise fee and a $19,500 training and territory fee. It is home-based, so there is no build-out. Qualifying US veterans receive a 10% discount on both fees. The brand may finance up to $30,000 at prime plus 3% over 36 months at its discretion.
Is buying an existing territory worth considering at Bark Busters?
Twenty-four businesses changed hands over 2023 to 2025 against a system of 133, so the resale market is active. A transfer costs the buyer 15% of the sale price capped at $20,000, plus $7,500 of training and $1,000 of legal reimbursement.
Where does the profit data sit at Bark Busters?
Sales is the only measure filed. Expenses, margins and owner earnings are absent, so build your own model from the revenue figures down. Take 10% to the brand and 3% to local advertising, then vehicle, insurance, inventory and your own time.
Which two numbers should run monthly at Bark Busters?
Track revenue a dog against $1.28. Then track the running sales quota, because it is what keeps other franchises out of your ZIP codes.
- The filing gives no profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- The filing breaks out no cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
- The filing shows no ramp. The filing does not show how a new location builds up, so the first-year curve has to be assumed.
Questions worth putting to Bark Busters
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- Which factors does Bark Busters see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Bark Busters locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →What is a dog worth in your territory?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around $1.28 of revenue a dog, a 10% royalty that comes off every dollar and the sales quota that decides whether your map stays yours.
Talk to Averanthe franchise library, all 447 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Bark Busters reads against the rest of the dog training group: Sit Means Sit · Zoom Room. The dog training guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- What should I be looking at every week?It lists the handful of numbers that move before the P&L does.
- Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?It explains what each role owns and when the next hire pays for itself.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Bark Busters North America, LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are marked with an asterisk where they appear. The figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Bark Busters® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Bark Busters North America, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 16 March 2026.