SBDTGeneral · L2

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.

Apply for SBDT 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: Certified Buck's Dog Trainer (CBDT)
3,000 logged training hours
150 coached cases
24 months at the lower level
Case portfolio sign-off from an active MBDT (Master Buck's Dog Trainer) or Buck/Nicole
Passing performance review from current location's lead trainer

The 30 days, in full

This is the actual syllabus for SBDT — 86 topics across 30 days, 167h of scheduled instruction. Not a sample, not a summary.

Re-orient from 'trainer who runs sessions' to 'clinician who owns outcomes.' The functional behavior assessment becomes the spine of every senior case. Each trainee dissects two of their own failed or stalled L1-era cases.
- The senior clinician model — outcome ownership vs session deliverylecture
- Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) — antecedent, behavior, consequence, functionlecture
- Case-failure audit lab — dissect two of your own stalled casespractical

Kennel ceiling: up to 10 dogsL2 · Senior level

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.

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.