Chief Training Officer
Blaze Maugeri
20+ years training. Working-dog handler. Lead instructor for the trainer-certification residencies. Off-leash obedience specialist.
Why I train
I have been training dogs my entire adult life, and the work has only gotten more interesting the longer I do it.
My personal dogs are working dogs — Barricade is twelve months old and helps me with daily training reps with client dogs. Blackout is younger and is being trained for water rescue and retrieval. They are not pets; they are part of how I keep my own skills sharp every single day.
At Buck's I lead the training side of operations — running the board-and-train roster, supervising the team on case work, and bringing new trainers up through the cert pathway. The 30-day residency cohorts are where the methodology gets handed off to the next operator. That is a big part of what I do.
My signature work is on dogs that need the next level — off-leash reliability in real environments, working-dog candidate evaluation, and the cases where a handler is ready to be coached into a real trainer of their own dog. The relationship-building piece is where most of the actual transformation happens.
Areas of focus
Off-leash obedience
The Transformational program is mine to run. Real off-leash means reliable in a parking lot, on a hiking trail, around prey-drive triggers — not just in the kitchen.
Working dog development
Police K9, detection, water rescue, protection sport. Candidate evaluation, drive-channeling, task-specific training. Different work than family-pet rehab, same standards.
Trainer development
I run the 30-day residency cohorts with Nicole. The handoff of the methodology to new trainers is the multiplier on the whole brand. We do not certify trainers we would not put on our own client dogs.
Want Blaze on your dog's case?
Tell us about your dog. We will route the case to the right trainer based on the work — Blaze takes off-leash, working-dog, and high-drive cases. First 30-minute call is free.