CPTProtection · T1 Unlocks a Protection franchise

Certified Protection Trainer

Protection T1 — entry-level protection-WORK specialty (this is protection work, NOT protection sport). 30-day in-person residential. Builds on General L1 foundation. Buck's protection method follows a drive-based style mixed with industry practices and is grounded mainly in MILITARY and POLICE K9 training methods: drive development (prey/hunt → defense/survival), grip and bite development, the OUT as the release/recoverability cue (built on the 5-step obedience foundation — recoverability is non-negotiable), guarding / bark-and-hold, apprehension and the call-off, control and recoverability under stress and pressure, handler protection, decoy/helper safety, and the US-state-specific legal and liability framework for protection dogs (owner vetting, deployment law, negligence exposure). Sport venues (IGP/PSA/Ring) are covered only as external context a trainer should recognize — Buck's does not train for sport bite-work. Graduates earn the right to apply for a protection-discipline franchise (Nicole reviews and provisions). Annual renewal includes a live-helper bite-and-out demonstration.

Apply for CPT 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 CPT — 77 topics across 30 days, 144h 15m of scheduled instruction. Not a sample, not a summary.

Orientation to protection WORK — not sport. Buck's method is drive-based (a reward/prey-drive foundation) mixed with industry practices and grounded mainly in military and police K9 training methods, built on the 5-step obedience foundation with the Out as the non-negotiable release/recoverability cue. The legal, liability, and owner-vetting boundary that governs training a real protection dog. Sport venues (IGP/PSA/Ring/Mondio/KNPV) are recognized as external context only — Buck's does not train for sport bite-work.
- The protection-work landscape: military/police patrol standards, PPD, and where sport fitslecture
- Protection work done right: the legal, liability, and owner-vetting disciplinelecture
- What a proper protection-work program looks like: drive-first, control-equaldiscussion

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.