21 certifications — 21 ways to grow your business
Seven tracks, three levels each. Start with the General foundation (CBDT) — it unlocks your own Buck's location — then stack specialties, each a new service line you can charge premium rates for. Every program is a 30-day in-person residential at HQ.
And every track climbs the same three-level ladder — each level raises your kennel ceiling, your team, your territory, and your authority. Here's how far it goes.
Three levels — and every level is a bigger business
Every track climbs the same ladder. Each level raises your kennel ceiling, your team, your territory, and your authority — you decide how far you take it.
Certified Buck’s Dog Trainer (CBDT)
The foundation — it turns you from a trainer into an owner.
What it authorizes
- Unlocks eligibility to open your own Buck’s location (the matching franchise type)
- Run up to 5 dogs in your kennel at a time
Earned by: General L1 (CBDT) has no prerequisite. The six specialty T1s require an active CBDT first.
Senior Buck’s Dog Trainer (SBDT)
Twice the kennel, a real team, and the authority to lead and mentor.
Master Buck’s Dog Trainer (MBDT)
Master your craft and lead a region — you don’t just run a location, you develop the trainers around you.
About kennel numbers: 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 separate stages: an online theory gate that earns your cohort invitation, then the in-person four-modality exam you sit at HQ. Every program — every track, every level — uses this same flow.
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
Learning theory (the four quadrants, operant & classical conditioning), marker theory & timing, the tone-based method and its 5-step progression, the correction rule, the e-collar working-level concept, the command canon, tool mechanics (slip / prong / e-collar), ethology, body language, health & welfare, and behavior modification.
- 2Business Operations final
Running a Buck’s location — intake mastery, treatment planning & prognosis, packages & pricing, the licensing model, client comms and hard conversations, kennel operations, staffing, the ERP systems, and compliance & safety.
- 3
The 7 tracks
Start with the General foundation — it unlocks your own location — then stack specialties. Each is a distinct service line you can offer clients.
General
The foundation the whole system is built on: obedience, behavior, board-and-train, and the business of running a Buck’s location. Tools are introduced in the first three days and used every day after, with theory, tools and handling interleaved daily.
You can offer: Board-and-train, private lessons, group classes and day training — and it is the prerequisite for all six specialties.
Agility
Buck’s own agility system — confidence before speed — plus the three major external handling systems, taught so you can continue a client who arrives on one of them. Full obstacle inventory, conditioning and injury prevention, biomechanics, and AKC, USDAA and UKI rule sets.
You can offer: Agility classes, private handling lessons and trial prep. Renewal includes running a novice course at speed.
Trick
Free-shaping mastery, thirty-plus trick foundations, behavior chains, choreography and portfolio filming, mapped onto the AKC Trick Dog ladder from Novice through Elite Performer. The most reinforcement-positive track we teach — compulsion is rarely the right answer here.
You can offer: Trick and freestyle classes and AKC title prep. Renewal is a three-minute routine performed with your own dog.
Behavior Modification
The reactivity and aggression casework most trainers turn away: bite-risk management and the six-level bite scale, threshold work, muzzle conditioning, the Out-and-redirect protocol, working alongside veterinary behaviorists, and writing an honest prognosis.
All 21 programs
General track
Certified Buck's Dog Trainer
The entry credential of the Buck's certification system — a 30-day in-person residential bootcamp. Tools (slip lead, prong, e-collar) are introduced on Days 1-3 and used every day after; theory, tools, and handling interleave daily. Graduates earn the right to apply for a Buck's full-service franchise (Nicole reviews and provisions) and to be hired as a Buck's-branded trainer at any location. The four-modality assessment battery (written, informational oral, behavioral observation, physical practical) is administered in person in Week 4; a self-paced online course with three written finals is the prerequisite that earns the cohort invitation. Cert expires one year after issuance; renewal is an in-person evaluation (in person or in the field) plus an online exam.
Senior Buck's Dog Trainer
Senior Buck's Dog Trainer — the year-2 credential. 30-day in-person residential. Prerequisites: General L1 issued at least 24 months prior, 3,000+ logged training hours post-L1, 150+ documented client cases with outcome tracking, sign-off from an MBDT on case portfolio, and a passing performance review from the trainee's current location. The curriculum assumes complete fluency on foundation skills and tools; this 30 days is about advanced behavior modification depth, group class mastery, B&T pipeline ownership, multi-handler transfer, and mentoring junior trainers. Graduates earn lead-trainer authority at a franchise plus the right to grade L1 candidates. Annual renewal includes a 3-day in-person practical.