Senior Trick Trainer
Senior Trick Trainer — year-2 specialty credential. 30-day in-person residential. Prerequisites: Trick T1 ≥24 months prior, AKC Trick Dog Elite Performer title on at least one dog OR stage/screen credit. Curriculum: choreography depth, multi-dog routines, performance dog development, on-set behavior, prop construction & safety, advanced behavior chains 10+ steps, costume work. Graduates earn lead-instructor authority at a trick franchise and grade T1 candidates.
30 days · in person at HQ · 80% to pass · valid 12 months
Who can sit this program
This is an advanced credential. Admission requires:
- Prior-level certification: Certified Trick Trainer (CTT)
- 1,000 logged training hours
- 30 coached cases
- 24 months at the lower level
- AKC Trick Dog Elite Performer title OR stage/screen credit
The 30 days, in full
This is the actual syllabus for STT — 65 topics across 30 days, 156h 45m of scheduled instruction. Not a sample, not a summary.
The leap from a T1 trick list to a directed 4-5 minute performance piece. Music-driven structure, the beat sheet, and emotional arc.
- Choreography as composition, not a trick listlecture
- The beat sheet and the 8-count gridlab
- Choreography lab — hook + opening phraselab
Twice the kennel, a real team, and the authority to lead and mentor.
- Lead-instructor authority at a Buck’s location
- Mentoring authority over junior candidates
- Double your kennel ceiling — up to 10 dogs 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.
Renewal
Valid 12 months from issuance with a 30-day grace period. Renewal is the same four-modality battery — there is no lighter annual recert.
Apply for STT
Admissions run like a real hire: resume, questionnaire, personality assessment, background check, and an interview before acceptance.
Start your application