CSDTService Dog · T1 Unlocks a Service Dog franchise

Certified Service Dog Trainer

Service Dog T1 — the entry-level specialty for service-dog trainers, 30-day in-person residential. Builds on General L1 foundation; this program is exclusively SD-specific content. Heavy emphasis on legal framework (ADA, FHA, ACAA, DOT), task training across disability categories, public access mastery, and the ADI-equivalent Public Access Test. Graduates earn the right to apply for a service-dog-discipline franchise (Nicole reviews and provisions). Annual renewal required; renewal exam is heavier on legal scenario content than any other track.

Apply for CSDT 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 CSDT — 95 topics across 30 days, 150h of scheduled instruction. Not a sample, not a summary.

The federal framework for service dogs in public spaces. The 2 permitted questions. What businesses cannot ask. What protection covers and where it ends.
- ADA Title II vs Title IIIlecture
- The two permitted questionslecture
- The limits — when access can be deniedlecture
- Public-access scenario role-playpractical

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.