A Human Approach

The students are called French Fry, Pinky, Lavender, and Brandy. Despite their adorable names, however, they’re undergoing serious, and sometimes dangerous, lessons: nose work, tracking and protection, becoming service dogs for veterans, and yes—learning obedience skills to be family pets. 

Their school, Top Tier K9 Academy, is best described as a dog training university with multiple colleges, optional majors, and master classes encompassing dozens of aspects of canine training. The CEO and founder, Jeff Minder, wanted to develop a unified curriculum to train dogs and handlers, so he created a standardized instructional method with franchising opportunities. 

The academy teaches specific dog skills tailored to the needs of professionals as well as pet owners, like tracking for law enforcement and obedience for families. The aforementioned nose work is for scent-detecting dogs learning to smell deadly bombs or hidden viruses. In fact, Top Tier K9 provided some of the first dogs capable of sniffing out COVID-19 at the Seattle airport during the early months of the pandemic in 2020.

Minder is a disabled veteran of Desert Storm and father to a disabled son, who is a decorated Iraq veteran. As such, he is passionate about helping all veterans, and his company offers numerous initiatives for vets, like Build or Buy a Battle Buddy and K-9 Warriors for Women. 

Top Tier K9 also collaborates with other charitable organizations and donates countless hours to veterans, providing service or emotional dog training. Never ignoring what Minder calls the “essential human work,” he insists the veterans complete the training with the dogs whenever possible, so owner and dog can create a bond during the training process. 

In 2023, 15 dogs found homes with veterans through Top Tier’s efforts. 

A key component of the academy is putting trainers through rigorous training of their own with multiple certification levels. Everyone who carries the Top Tier K9 name has received a comprehensive, professional education built on proven success with dogs and owners. 

“Timing, motivation, and consistency are the most important elements of dog training,” Minder says. “We train people how to train dogs, and we train dogs using these same principles.” 

The academy teaches specific dog skills tailored to the needs of professionals and pet owners alike, like tracking for law enforcement and obedience for families. Here, Jeff Minder along with intern Dean Weaver, work with three trainers and their dogs: Paige Hagberg with Tapps, the German shepherd; Alexia Barquet with Karma, the black lab; and Alyssa Browning with Reason, the golden retriever. Photography by Erich Martin

Top Tier’s philosophy includes training through rewards and the least amount of corrections.

“I like people, but I love dogs,” Minder says. “Millions of dogs are euthanized annually in the United States, many because of behavior issues. My training can help with many of the dog and human problems.”  

Every time Minder speaks about his training, he includes the words “humans” or “people.” This is because people are an essential part of his approach, where dog owners are trained alongside their furry companions.  

“Pets are not trained until owners are trained as well,” Minder says. 

A former software company developer, Minder knows innovative methods can be an important tool in learning. One educational option offered by Top Tier K9 is the virtual reality dog training program. 

The augmented AI work is a step-by-step comprehensive training center. Humans learn to master giving commands to virtual pets before they come face-to-face with their eager four-legged students. 

In live situations, pet owners can select from one of several course durations. A three-week program, for example, builds communication and obedience and teaches basic commands like healing on a leash or recall.

Since its founding 10 years ago, the organization has expanded to include facilities in 10 locations across seven states. And the list of academy accolades is growing. In June 2024, Top Tier K9 was the focus of the Bloomberg TV show The World’s Greatest! In late August, the State of Florida singled out Top Tier K9 with the “Best of Florida” award. 

Given that more than 60 million Americans have dogs, it appears there is no shortage of pet parents who need help or canines who could benefit from learning to sniff, heal, protect, and hand kiss.