CBMTBehavior Modification · T1 Unlocks a Behavior Modification franchise

Certified Behavior Modification Trainer

Behavior Modification T1 — entry-level specialty for trainers working with reactive and aggressive dogs. 30-day in-person residential. Builds on General L1. Heavy emphasis on bite-risk management, the 6-level bite scale, Buck's Out-and-redirect + BAT 2.0 / CAT protocols, threshold management, muzzle conditioning, working with vet behaviorists, and honest prognosis writing. The four-modality assessment includes a bite-ladder practical (graded ability to read and respond at each escalation level). Graduates earn the right to apply for a behavior-modification-discipline franchise (Nicole reviews and provisions). Annual renewal includes a high-stakes practical with reactive case dogs.

Apply for CBMT 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

Specialty entry requires the General foundation first:

Active General L1 (CBDT) certification

The 30 days, in full

This is the actual syllabus for CBMT — 91 topics across 30 days, 158h 15m of scheduled instruction. Not a sample, not a summary.

The first and most consequential diagnostic call a reactive trainer makes. Reactivity is a behavior pattern driven by over-arousal; aggression is a functional category defined by intent to create distance or do harm. Mislabeling sets the wrong treatment plan, the wrong prognosis, and the wrong safety protocol.
- Defining reactivity and aggression operationally, not emotionallylecture
- The diagnostic question: what does the dog want when this happens?lecture
- Why most "aggressive" dogs are reactive — and why that label matterslecture
- Classification practical — 12 case profiles with videolab

Kennel ceiling: up to 5 dogsT1 · Foundation level

The foundation — it turns you from a trainer into an owner.

Unlocks eligibility to open your own Buck’s location (the matching franchise type)
Run up to 5 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.