Jeff Minder, a passionate advocate for dog training, launched Top Tier K9 in March 2014 from his home in Tallahassee, Florida. His ambitious goals were to create the #1 dog trainer school in the country within ten years and build a system that could help empty the shelters that euthanize 4.9 million dogs per year that could otherwise be saved through proper training.
Ten years later, Top Tier K9 is recognized as one of the world’s top dog trainer schools and has created new learning systems for dogs and their owners, including the world’s first Virtual Reality Dog Training Center. In 2022, Jeff launched Top Tier K9 franchising and already has franchises in seven states.
When the pandemic hit, Mr. Minder didn’t back down. He used his expertise to prove that a dog could smell COVID-19 virus. In March 2020, Jeff became the first dog trainer in the world to get a dog to hunt for and indicate on the COVID-19 virus. This groundbreaking achievement was spotlighted on several newscasts and a TV series. Mr. Minder was interviewed on the show “Real American Heroes,” hosted by Lt. Col. Oliver North, a testament to his resilience and innovation.
Mr. Minder is a certified project manager (PMP), an award-winning teacher and entrepreneur, a master dog trainer, and an expert at instructional systems design. Top Tier K9 has succeeded because it uses world-class program and project management methods that Mr. Minder built over a decade of teaching project management and business analysis at places such as Lockheed Martin, Motorola, Knowles Atomic Power Lab, and several colleges and universities across the country.
Top Tier K9 – Tallahassee is located at 1355 East Lafayette St., Providing pet training, service dog training, and protection dog training for the Tallahassee community. Other corporate locations include Madison, Florida, and Milton, Florida. Top Tier K9 is hosting the chamber’s June 7, 2024, Access Tallahassee Coffee and Connections gathering, where you will get a demonstration of their service and protection dogs and meet some of the staff that makes Top Tier K9 one of the greatest in the world.
