Natural Hounds franchise
2025 filing · August 22, 2025Shares sales figures
Natural Hounds at a glance
A store selling fresh, handmade, all-natural dog food and related products. At the end of 2025 there were 2 Natural Hounds locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- HoundsIP, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Port Jefferson, New York
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $195K–$463K
- A flagship store
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 2%
- Renewal fee
- $10,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 2
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 2
- States
- 1
- Most in New York
From HoundsIP, LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Natural Hounds among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Natural Hounds | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $328,982 | Costs less than 53% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 2 | Fewer than 82% of franchises |
How much a Natural Hounds franchise costs
Opening a flagship store costs an estimated $195,456 to $462,508. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are equipment package and other required equipment ($81,430 to $195,000) and construction and leasehold improvements ($5,000 to $100,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $5,000 | $100,000 | |
| Lease Deposits – Three Months | $15,556 | $21,875 | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Equipment Package and Other Required Equipment | $81,430 | $195,000 | |
| Signage | $3,500 | $5,000 | |
| Computer, Software and Point of Sales System | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| When Due Grand Opening Marketing | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Insurance Deposits – Three Months | $500 | $1,500 | |
| Travel for Initial Training | $1,000 | $3,100 | |
| Professional Fees | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Licenses and Permits | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Printing, Stationery and Office Supplies | $1,000 | $2,500 | |
| Additional Funds – Three Months | $23,470 | $45,533 | |
| Total | $195,456 | $462,508 | |
Source: HoundsIP, LLC, 2025 filing, page 18
Natural Hounds franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: HoundsIP, LLC, 2025 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 2%. |
| Renewal Fee | $10,000 |
| Additional Employee Initial Training | $500 per person per day |
| Local Store Marketing | Minimum of 1% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: HoundsIP, LLC, 2025 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from pages 13–16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Natural Hounds publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: HoundsIP, LLC, 2025 filing, page 51
How Natural Hounds compares
Of the 88 pet franchises on this site, Natural Hounds is the 44th cheapest to open and the 70th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Natural Hounds | Typical pet brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $195K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $463K | $434K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 6.5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.9% | 2% |
| US locations | 2 | 12 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 71 of 88 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 88 brands in pet franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 (0) | 2 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: HoundsIP, LLC, 2025 filing, page 53
Where Natural Hounds locations are
At the end of 2025, Natural Hounds had locations in 1 state. The most are in New York.
- New York2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Source: HoundsIP, LLC, 2025 filing, page 54
Who owns Natural Hounds?
Natural Hounds franchises are sold by HoundsIP, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From HoundsIP, LLC’s 2025 filing, page 9.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: HoundsIP, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 12, bankruptcy on page 12
Natural Hounds filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from HoundsIP, LLC’s 2025 filing, issued August 22, 2025; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | August 22, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2023 filing | August 7, 2023 | NASAA depository | Replaced by the 2025 filing |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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