CSTScent · T1 Unlocks a Scent franchise

Certified Scent Trainer

Scent T1 — entry-level scent-work specialty. 30-day in-person residential. Builds on General L1 foundation. Foundation odor introduction (birch, anise, clove, cypress), the AKC Scent Work titling pathway (Novice → Advanced → Excellent → Master) and NACSW K9 Nose Work program (ORT odor-recognition test first, then NW1 → NW2 → NW3 in succession; NW3 Elite requires three NW3 titles plus element competency, and the Elite Division then runs on accumulated points — ELT1/ELT2/ELT3/ELT-CH — with a Summit level above that; see nacsw.net rule book). Container / interior / exterior / vehicle / buried searches. Indication training (passive vs aggressive). Handler reading skills. Graduates earn the right to apply for a scent-discipline franchise (Nicole reviews and provisions). Annual renewal includes running a blind interior search with a single hide. AKC/NACSW are the titling venues, not the method. The house imprint is a play/prey-drive arc — towel tosses → residuals → hides — grounded in best-practice detection training (see the program references). The broader venue/odor technique detail is industry-standard detection practice compatible with that method and may be refined by the Training team via the cert CMS.

Apply for CST 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 CST — 91 topics across 30 days, 160h 30m of scheduled instruction. Not a sample, not a summary.

The major scent venues and how they differ. Sport vs working detection. Why scent training inverts the obedience handler relationship — the dog leads, the handler reads.
- The four sport venues — AKC, NACSW, UKC, SDDAlecture
- Sport vs working detection — scope and ethicslecture
- The paradigm shift — the dog owns the criterialecture
- Lab — shadow a titled team, log every COBlab

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.