Top Tier K9® |K9 and People Training
Home of the Foundation Dog®
The Professional's Choice
(850) 909-2409 (Corporate Number)
Recognized as the World's Greatest Dog Training Company: Disabled Veteran owned
Next Dog Training Class begins October 24th, 2024 Your future begins here. Learn how to apply the World's Greatest training methods and start your journey as a professional dog trainer.
Every Tuesday and Thursday for 7-8 weeks from 10-11:30 EST Live online, certified instructor lead class
Recognized as the world’s greatest dog training company, Top Tier K9® leads the way in pet training, working dog training, and the education of dog trainers and dog owners.
Top Tier K9 Academy for Dog Trainers
Established in 2014, The Top Tier K9 Academy for Dog Trainers is built on the foundation of world-class program and project management processes used to create and implement a scalable learning system designed for people to enter the dog training industry regardless of their previous skills and professions. Proper Instructional Systems Design (ISD) ensures the curriculum, and its delivery is measurable, scalable, expandable and of extreme value to students.
Top Tier K9 Certifications reflect the level of learning achieved by our graduates and their commitment to excellence in the training of dogs and the education of dog owners Top Tier K9 Certified trainers have to prove their skills to earn a certification, not simply pass an online test that is used by the vast majority of all other certifications in the dog training industry. Top Tier K9 Business Training is without peer and provides business startup and management training to help graduates become successful entrepreneurs in their communities.
Students learn every tool and technique necessary to become one of the World's Greatest dog trainers. How to train Pets, Foundation Dogs®, Service Dogs, Protection Dogs and Advanced Security Dogs. Students learn project management, business development, public speaking, and risk management skills to be successful in launching their own dog training business. Top Tier K9 earned the designation as the World's Greatest Dog Training Company and maintains that recognition through constant improvement and quality controls for trainers, dogs, and the owners of those dogs. Students learn how to train dogs for paying customers and how to maintain customer satisfaction creating long term relationships in the growth and quality of your dog training business.
Our bridge training program for business professionals who desire to enter the dog training industry was built through the detailed analysis of the deltas that exist between those industries and the dog training industry and to exploit the strengths, background and abilities of business professionals from every industry, to take advantage of that existing expertise in their current work, and relate those existing skills to becoming a world-class dog trainer and business owner. Doctors, lawyers, system engineers, television producers, chemists, biologists, gym owners, EMTs, police officers, military officers, psychiatrists, mechanics, welders, HVAC professionals, public school teachers and principles have all successfully, without any pervious experience as dog trainers, entered the world of dog training and are successfully engaged in the dog training industry because of the power of the Top Tier K9 Academy for dog trainers and it's staff of master dog trainers and award winning teachers and entrepreneurs. The World's Greatest Dog Training Company.
Teenagers who do not see any value in a public education, who are products of our country's declining education system, experience a true education and become rugged individuals, professional dog trainers successful entrepreneurs through the Top Tier K9 Academy for Dog Trainers. Our youngest franchise was launched by a young lady of 20 years old after completing all of the curriculum available through the Top Tier K9 Academy for Dog Trainers. She started the online classes at 18 years old and launched her own Top Tier K9 franchise just after her 20th birthday.
Pet Training
Our certified locations provide a phased approach to training pets while concurrently training the pets owners. This ensures that the levels of learning are integrated between the pet and the owner allowing the owner to maintain the pet through increased pressure brought about through the proper load management of both.
On leash and off leash obedience for the pet and the proper education of the owner gives the best life possible for the team. Top Tier K9 Certified Locations maintain the standards for training pets and their owners that helped Top Tier K9 win the recognition of being the world's greatest dog training company.
The world's first Virtual Reality (VR) Dog Training Center is an optional educational tool for our certified locations. For pet owners who have access to a VR headset, you can practice training a VR dog in the metaverse while your real dog is being trained at one of our certified locations. This is optional but very powerful for those familiar with the metaverse. Top Tier K9 maintains property in the metaverse and considers the metaverse as one of our most advanced corporate locations.
The training process for the pets melded with the training process for the pet owners was a deep dive for the evaluators that recognized Top Tier K9 as the World's Greatest Dog Training Company. The Pets Plus program that creates learning opportunities beyond basic obedience for the dogs and their owners including advanced obedience, obstacle work, protection training, service dog training, and scent detection training was the icing on the cake.
Working Dog Training
The Foundation Dog® program is the best training method to create world-class working dogs by beginning the training with puppies and completing the certification process for Foundation Dogs. A scalable, phased approach to dog training applied to properly selected working line puppies produces dogs that perform protection, scent detection, tracking and tasks of unlimited capacity.
Certified Foundation Dogs are produced and maintained at Top Tier K9 Corporate and many of our certified locations, ready to be finished as protection dogs, service dogs and special security dogs: The special forces dogs of the dog training industry and a critical attribute of our designation as the world's greatest dog training company. Our Litters on the Ground program helps ensure that quality, high level , working line puppies are available for our certified locations to have some of the greatest working dogs on the planet available to their own communities.
Certified Foundation Dogs were the first dogs in the world to hunt for and indicate on the COVID-19 virus, and have been deployed for use in military operations, police K9 work, as service dogs and protection dogs.
Top Tier K9 Franchising
Top Tier K9 Franchising is deigned to give business professionals a bridge to becoming elite dog trainers and to launch their own Top Tier K9 certified location. In addition, the top graduates of the Top Tier K9 Academy for Dog Trainers can apply to become a Top Tier K9 Franchise owner after certifying with the company. Pet training, Foundation Dog Training, Service Dogs and Protection dogs are available through our Franchise system. Top Tier K9 Franchises bring the World's Greatest Dog Training to their local communities. Our franchisees are the only graduates of our Academy for Dog Trainers that maintain an ongoing requirement for continuing education in dog training and business development. The best of the best, the world's greatest, own a Top Tier K9 franchise. (learn more at www.TopTierK9Franchising.com)
New in 2024: Professional Breeder Program
For over 10 years Top Tier K9 has worked to create quality working-line puppies through our Litters on the Ground Program. From proper vetting of dams and sires, health testing, stability testing, testing and exploitation of required drives, proper whelping and care of the puppies, we have developed a replicable process with quality assurance phase gates, to produce stable, healthy, high performance puppies. As of August 1st, 2024, the USA no longer allows importing puppies under the age of 6 months old from other countries. This has already created a massive void in the availability of quality puppies in the USA. Our Top Tier K9 Professional Breeder program provides the education you need to develop a successful breeding program in your own community. Our Foundation Dog Trainer program prepares you to actually train those litters and sell them as service dogs, protection dogs, and special security dogs turning a traditional revenue stream of simply "selling puppies" into a lucrative revenue stream of selling working dogs, Foundation Dogs!
Top Tier K9 in the News and on Television Networks
We teach you how to train dogs for paying customers and as such we teach you every technique and apply it to our methods of ensuring a dog is trained to it's best levels and that the owners are also trained to a level that supports their dog. Positive reinforcement, proper corrections, use of pressure...whatever the dog in front of you needs, we teach you to use the right technique for that specific dog and in support of the owners needs as well. We help you fill your toolbox with every tool and technique known to man, then we teach you when, where, and how to use the right tools at the right time, to the benefit of the dog.
Sept 2024 - Top Tier K9 2024 "Best in Florida" award
June - 2024 Television show World's Greatest!..Dog Training Company: 6/8/2024 (www.WorldsGreatestTelevision.com subscription required) Read Press release
Lt. Col Oliver North interviewing Jeff Minder; Founder of Top Tier K9
"Real American Heroes" interview of Top Tier K9 CEO Jeff Minder by Lt. Col. Oliver North 5/13/2021
Unleashed - Dogs without Limits TV season 2: See some of the graduates of Top Tier K9 Academy for Dog trainers and understand why we are #1. 4/15/2022
Unleashed - Dogs without Limits TV Episode #5 all about Top Tier K9, our
Virus detection program, school, and service dogs that also protect.
4/17/2021
Senator Rick Scott calls for study on Airport use of COVID-19 detection Dogs
Channel 4 News Jacksonville 2/23/2021
Live Interview of Jeff Minder Channel 4 News Jacksonville 2/10/2021
Channel 4 News Jacksonville 2/9/2021
Action News Jacksonville 2/9/2021
Suwannee Times article 11/24/2020
Story about Top Tier K9 6/16/2020
CBS News Miami Florida 6/17/2020
Mike Vasalinda Reports 6/16/2020
CBS News Tallahassee Fl 6/12/2020
Politico COVID-19 Edition 6/1/2020
First Coast News Story Jacksonville Fl 5/19/2020
ABC News Story Tallahassee Fl 4/6/2020
WCTV News Story Tallahassee Florida 4/3/2020
Duane Pickel, instructor at Top Tier K9 was the first to train a dog to find cancer cells
Dog Training Programs
Board and Train for Pets
We offer a 3-4 week board and train program to help ensure that you and your dog are properly trained in communications and basic obedience. Graduates are then ready for our Pets Plus Program (advanced training for the dog and owner) involving any of our advanced programs including protection, scent detection, tracking and advanced obedience.
Foundation Dogs®
Top Tier K9 is the creator of the Foundation Dog® system, a program that creates dogs that are ready to be finished as Police K9, Military K9, Service dogs for people with disabilities, special security dogs including virus detection dogs (such as COVID-19) personal and Executive Protection dogs.
Academy for Dog Trainers
Professional Training Programs
We offer two unique paths for dog trainers: Pet training and working dog (Foundation Dog) training. You can do both and if you choose that we recommend completing Pet Training Certification prior to entering Foundation Dog Training but that is not a requirement.
Pet Trainer Program
-
Dog Trainer Class: Live On-line
-
Pet Trainer Certification with Business Development: Live On-Campus
-
Master Pet Trainer with Certification
Foundation Dog® Trainer Program
-
Dog Trainer Class: Live On-line
-
Intro to Foundation Dog® Training: Live online
-
Foundation Dog® Trainer/Litters on the Ground: Live On-line
-
Foundation Dog® Trainer Certification: Live On-Campus
Decoy/Helper Training Program
-
Safe Catch Decoy Training Program On-Campus
-
Safe Catch Decoy Certification Live On-Campus
Internships
Certified Top Tier K9 Pet trainers are eligible for on-campus internships. This is a competitive opportunity
Masters Programs
Service Dog Trainer Program
-
Service Dog Training Program Live On-line
-
Service Dog Training Certification On-Campus
Special Security Dog Trainer Program (Virus Detection)
-
Special Security Dog Training Program: Live On-line
-
Special Security Dog Training Certification: On-Campus
Executive/Family (Protection Dog) Trainer Program
-
Protection Dog Training Program: Live On-line
-
Protection Dog Training Certification: On-Campus
Advanced Business and Project Management Workshops
-
Business Development Workshop On-Campus
-
Project Management Workshop On-Campus
-
Advanced CRM and Public Speaking work shop On-Campus
4 Corporate Locations and Many Franchise Locations:
-
Madison Florida
-
Tallahassee Florida
-
Milton Florida
-
The Metaverse
Madison Florida
Our Madison Florida location is a secure 20 acre campus with over 10,000 sq feet of dog training and boarding facilities including formal classroom settings. Home of the Foundation Dog® program and special seminar center 2409 SW CR 360 Madison Fl. 32340
Tallahassee Florida
Our Tallahassee Florida location is conveniently located next to Cascade Park in downtown Tallahassee consisting of 4,500 sq feet of secure indoor board and train services. This is our Pet and Service Dog Training center and includes formal classroom training opportunities. Directly behind Wyndham hotel with attached Applebee's. 1355 East Lafayette Street, Tallahassee Fl. 32301
Our Milton Florida location is conveniently located directly off Interstate 10 at exit 26 on Gascon Point Rd, just 2 miles south of the interstate. This location provides Pet, Foundation Dog, Service Dog and Protection Dog training. In addition, our Milton Florida location is an R&D center for our Special Security work, supporting our franchisees, and development of our VR systems. Certifications are held at this location 3011 Garcon Point Rd, Milton, FL 32583.
Top Tier K9 - Metaverse
Determining that basic leash management and the proper command structure is critical to a dogs education and happiness, Top Tier K9 launched the world's first Virtual Reality Dog Training Center. Using an Oculus/Meta compliant VR headset, customers can enter Top Tier K9 - Madison Florida's training room and practice commands, rewards and corrections on a virtual dog with the climb, heel, sit, down and come commands (recall).
It is so real it is scary. Become proficient with our Virtual dogs and your real dogs will be saved from your "practice".
Army of Entrepreneurs
Top Tier K9 provides the most comprehensive business development and training programs in the dog training industry. We teach our students how to build a business mindset, plan the launch of their business, communicate effectively with clients, and deliver quality results.
The American dream is to own your own business, to be your own boss. Top Tier K9 helps you achieve that. You learn to train pets and working dogs, you learn to start a pet training and working dog training business and if you desire to become a franchisee, you get on-going support for your business, training and sales efforts.
Do you have what it takes? Do you desire to be your own boss? To rise or fall based on your own abilities. Are you ready to learn what the government run schools will never, ever teach you? Then sign up for the next Pet Trainer class and put a seatbelt on.