MATAgility · T3

Master Agility Trainer

Master Agility Trainer — apex agility credential. 30-day in-person residential. Prerequisites: Agility T2 ≥36 months prior (5 years total since T1), MACH/ADCH on multiple dogs OR competition at AKC Nationals / USDAA Nationals / equivalent, 12 months mentorship under existing MAT, capstone (published case study or research-grade write-up). Curriculum: national team coaching, judging-track eligibility, course design authority, biomechanics research, multi-discipline integration, agility program governance. Buck's home-grown system remains the house primary at every tier; a master coaches a client in whatever system they run without converting them, but the house method they steward and teach is Buck's own.

Apply for MAT Cohort dates

30 days · in person at HQ · 80% to pass · valid 12 months

A Buck’s trainer handling multiple dogs at once

Who can sit this program

This is an advanced credential. Admission requires:

Prior-level certification: Senior Agility Trainer (SAT)
2,500 logged training hours
300 coached cases
36 months at the lower level
12 months mentoring a junior candidate
MACH/ADCH on multiple dogs OR Nationals competition

The 30 days, in full

This is the actual syllabus for MAT — 69 topics across 30 days, 168h 45m of scheduled instruction. Not a sample, not a summary.

What separates a master coach from a senior trainer: systems thinking, season-long periodization, and diagnosing a national-level dyad rather than teaching obstacles.
- The MAT scope of authority and the master-coach mindsetlecture
- Season-long periodization for the competition doglecture
- Dyad diagnostic lab — film breakdown of three elite teamslab

Kennel ceiling: up to 20 dogsT3 · Master level

Master your craft and lead a region — you don’t just run a location, you develop the trainers around you.

Public teaching of Buck’s methodology
Helper-of-record / judging authority at industry events (Protection & Scent)
The expectation to mentor, coach, and give hands-on support to other Buck’s trainers across your region
The pool we promote regional cohort-hub instructors from
Run up to 20 dogs in your kennel at a time

Your certification level sets the maximum number of dogs your kennel may hold at once — 5 at L1, 10 at L2, 20 at L3. You tell us how many you actually want to run within that ceiling. The number is a capacity limit set by your level, not a guarantee that a set number of dogs will be provided or booked.

How you're tested

Two stages: an online theory gate (three written finals) that earns your cohort invitation, then the in-person four-modality exam you sit at HQ — you pass all four to certify.

Stage 1 · before your cohort

Online theory gate

Once you're invited, you complete a self-paced online course and pass three written finals. Passing all three is the prerequisite that unlocks your cohort — it proves you're theory-ready. It is not a substitute for the in-person exam.

1Dog Theory final
2Business Operations final
3Advanced Trainer Knowledge final

Pass all three → you earn your cohort invitation.

Stage 2 · at your 30-day cohort

In-person four-modality exam

The certification itself is earned entirely in person. All four modalities — including the written — are sat at HQ. You pass all four to certify, and annual renewal runs the same battery.

1Written
Pass 80%
2Informational Oral
Pass 14 / 20
3Behavioral Observation
Pass 14 / 20
4Physical Practical
Pass 4 of 5 stations

Pass all four → you're certified.