Instinct Dog Training

The vendor opportunity at Instinct Dog Training

Instinct Dog Training is a personal-services franchise headquartered in New York, with a total footprint of 7 units—6 franchised and 1 company-owned—as disclosed in its 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document. The system grew 200% year-over-year, signaling rapid early-stage expansion. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is small: just 7 locations, all presumably under direct HQ oversight. The royalty rate is 8.0%, and the initial franchise term runs 7 years. Average unit volume (AUV) is not disclosed in the FDD, so vendors cannot benchmark per-location revenue potential from the document alone.

Despite the small unit count, the growth trajectory matters. A 200% YoY increase suggests the franchisor is actively selling new units. Each new franchisee represents a greenfield technology opportunity—no legacy systems to displace, no entrenched vendor relationships to unwind. The absence of mandated tech (see below) means franchisees may have autonomy to choose their own software, or HQ may be evaluating solutions as the system scales. Either scenario creates an opening for vendors who engage early.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2022 FDD lists two executives in Item 1: Brian Burton, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder, and Sarah Fraser, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder. No other officers, directors, or management personnel are named. In a system of this size, both co-CEOs almost certainly control all purchasing decisions, including software. There is no CIO, CTO, VP of Operations, or procurement manager on file. Vendors should expect to pitch directly to the cofounders. The operator footprint in our corpus shows no mapped franchisees, meaning we have no visibility into whether individual operators influence technology decisions at the unit level.

Mandated and current tech stack

Instinct Dog Training does not mandate or recommend any specific technology systems in its 2022 FDD. There are no named POS providers, scheduling platforms, CRM tools, payroll systems, or other operational software disclosed in the document. This is not unusual for a franchise of this size and age—many early-stage franchisors have not yet formalized a technology stack or negotiated system-wide vendor agreements. For software vendors, this means the current tech landscape is a blank slate. The franchisor may be using consumer-grade tools, spreadsheets, or nothing at all. Discovery calls should focus on uncovering what, if anything, is in place today.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the FDD, which typically discloses whether the franchisor designates suppliers, maintains an approved-supplier list, or allows open purchasing, contains no extract in our corpus. The procurement model is therefore unknown. Vendors should clarify during initial conversations whether HQ intends to mandate technology centrally or leave decisions to franchisees.

Renewal terms are spelled out in Item 17. Franchisees must provide notice, be in good standing, sign a new Franchise Agreement, sign a release, pay a renewal fee, and meet the franchisor’s then-current requirements. Critically, the franchisor may modify territory boundaries on renewal, and the new agreement may contain materially different terms than the original—except that renewal fees will not exceed those charged to similarly situated renewing franchisees. The renewal term is 7 years. With the first units likely signed in or around 2021–2022, the earliest renewal windows will open near 2028–2029. However, new-unit openings—driven by the 200% growth rate—create more immediate sales cycles for software vendors.

How to read the Instinct Dog Training FDD

The full 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. It was filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legal and financial disclosures that govern the franchise relationship. For software vendors, the most relevant sections are Item 1 (the franchisor and its executives), Item 8 (procurement restrictions), Item 11 (franchisor assistance, including any technology mandates), and Item 17 (renewal and termination). Because no tech systems are mandated, vendors should read Item 11 carefully to understand what operational support the franchisor does provide—this often hints at gaps a software product could fill.

If you sell software into franchise systems, FranCloud can help you build a ranked target list based on unit growth, tech mandates, and decision-maker access. Reach out to learn more.