Wanted to pass along this article. The British military working dogs are doing a fundraiser to help out a British charity called Help for Heroes.
Attack dogs get their man in Afghanistan
30 April 2008
The Military Working Dogs Section in Afghanistan has come up with a novel way of raising money for the Help for Heroes charity campaign. The ‘Beat the Dog’ fundraiser event has volunteers paying for the opportunity to see if they can outrun a military attack dog.
The victims, politely referred to as intruders, don a protective bite-suit and helmet before starting their attempt. Under starter’s orders, the victims who have a substantial head start are released. Simultaneously, the Army handler advances and releases their dog. Running in what can only be described as a sumo suit, it is only a matter of time before the dog catches its victim. Hauling them to the floor and having a good chew on their sleeve.
Lieutenant Richard Campbell described the experience: “You just feel this awesome, powerful animal on your arm. Once he has got a hold he is taking you down. I did it for two reasons firstly for charity, and secondly because it is something completely different.”
The competition runs for the duration of 16 Air Assault Brigade’s summer tour and the winner will be the person who gets the furthest along the course before being apprehended and upended by the attack dog.
The event is not only an unusual way of raising money for charity but also provides important training for the dogs.
The Dog Section based in camp Bastion provides handlers and dogs that work in Helmand Province, Kandahar and Kabul. Military Working Dogs are trained in a variety of tasks from searching for arms and explosives to protecting bases, equipment and personnel.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXGxkV5LxTU]
for the original story go here: http://www.army.mod.uk/news/index.htm
I want to bring you guys good video clips. This one is a good news report with interviews of military working dog trainers. Something they mention is that soldiers may have some trepidation on any given patrol or mission. As the trainer in the video puts it “dog’s don’t understand death” and are just out there to work and do their duty.
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9221324129822398499&hl=en]
Thought this was a cool pic, good way to show people from the air K9 is on deck!
Dogs of War Play Key Role in Iraq
by Gloria Hillard(NPR-National Public Radio)
March 3, 2008 · About 1,000 of the military personnel who have served on the front lines of the war in Iraq look quite different from the rest. They are dogs.
Mostly Belgian Malinois and German shepherds, some Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers, these war canines are trained to take bullets for their comrades, detect roadside bombs and sniff out other dangers.
Gloria Hillard, NPR
Parting with one’s dog is the hardest part of serving in the canine unit, says Lance Cpl. Justin Granado, pictured here with Jerry.
They typically serve the Department of Defense for 10 to 13 years, often with longer and more frequent deployments than their handlers. Three have been killed this time around in Iraq, and many more have been seriously wounded. Consequently, they sometimes need a little R and R. Camp Pendleton in southern California is where they get it.
“They deploy and they come back, that’s a rough time for them and they’re stressed out just the way we get stressed out,” explains Marine Sgt. Benjamin Maple, a trainer at Camp Pendleton’s canine unit. At his feet, “Corporal Jerry,” a Belgian Malinois, wags his tail.
Maple has been deployed to Iraq three times. He has seen a lot, he says, but when he talks about his other dog, Star, something changes in his eyes.
“I almost walked on an IED but he was ahead of me, he saved my life. He saved the lives of a couple Marines that were with me,” he says. “That dog has seen more combat, he puts me to shame. I actually named my daughter after him, I just had a baby girl and I got his name tattooed on my arm.”
Challenges of Dog Deployment
Dogs like Star are rotated from handler to handler throughout the years. The breaking of these well-established bonds is the toughest part of being in the canine unit, says Lance Cpl. Justin Granado.
“You come back, and they take you off that dog and put you with another dog, and you spend a lot of time and go through what you go through. It’s tough. He sleeps with you at night, and you do everything together. It’s like taking your best friend away,” he says.
Dogs are not new to battle. Four-legged soldiers and Marines have served the U.S. military in many capacities since World War I. The challenge in Iraq, however, is the weather. Blowing sand and scorching 130-degree heat take a toll on the dogs.
“It gets to the point where a lot of the ‘grunts’ help out,” Maple says. “You’re going on a 10-mile walking patrol, they’ll come up — ‘Hey, we’ll carry some water for your dog.’ ”
Gloria Hillard, NPR
Sgt. Benjamin Maple visits Arco at the kennel. He served in Iraq with Arco for two years and says he hopes to adopt him one day.
Morale Boost
There is more than explosive-detecting practicality to the dog forces. Canines can be morale boosters, Maple says.
“It gives them some kind of remembrance of back home, their dog back home that they haven’t seen. And it makes them a little bit happier,” he says.
The grassy obstacle course of Camp Pendleton’s canine training unit is a far cry from Iraq or even Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, where the dogs undergo training.
Camp Pendleton is simply a peaceful intermediary. And soon the dogs — affectionately assigned ranks above those of their handlers — will return to Iraq.
Maple has a plan for 80-pound Arco, whom he served with in Iraq for two years. If and when the dog, currently recovering from an injury at Pendleton, makes it back from his next trip to the front lines, he says, he will bring the dog home.
If Arco comes up for adoption, as the dogs usually do, Maple says, “I’m going to be the first one calling: ‘Hey, I want that dog.’ ”
For original story go here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87800936
What if your job was to play with dogs all day? People go to the dog competitions, k9 demonstrations, and also see videos of the incredible capabilities our dogs can be utilized for. They see the dogs leaping over six foot walls, jumping out of helicopters, locating narcotics/explosives, and attacking decoys with a fury. What people don’t see are the long frustrating hours it takes to train the dog to be able to develop those skills, and the hard work it took for the handler to be allowed to handle the dog in the first place. They say “I can do that” and sometimes think that being a handler is as easy as checking a box next to the job they want to do when enlisting for the military.
Being a dog handler is a huge amount of responsibility. Caring for your dog is not a nine to five job, it is a 24/7 job. You are now responsible for your life as well as theirs. That means you need to feed it, take it out everyday to get exercise, clean their room(kennel) for them, make sure they eat, and many more not so glamorous tasks to keep them efficient and healthy. You need to truly have a love for the animal to be a good handler because you will be with them all day and night.
Each branch has their own requirements and they tend to change but what doesn’t change is the strict filtering process each one goes through to select handlers. Although the selection process may vary a little in the Army, Navy, and Air Force the overall process is similar. You have to have been in the military police field for a certain period of time showing you are a capable and responsible military policeman/woman. Then it has to get approved on multiple levels including the units kennelmaster, the unit command, and Lackland Air Force Base headquarters which is where the dog handlers course takes place. It requires mental and physical strength so that is taken into consideration as well.
The Marine Corps selection process is very strict as well but they choose their handlers straight out of the military police school. Meaning you don’t have to prove yourself as a military policeman/woman first. This allows you to be a handler much faster but the process is a lot more strict. Overall the Marines are a lot smaller branch than the others so very few military police students are actually allowed to become handlers because there are only a limited number of dog teams.
Chances are you will be competing against others to get a dog handler position so everything is taken into account. Your physical fitness scores, your shooting qualification scores, your test scores, conduct, your performance during class compared to others, and your background prior to the Marines. You are also required to stand in front of a board of senior ranking instructors who ask you military knowledge and personal questions. You may also be asked to write an essay as to why you should be selected.
No matter which branch it takes hard work to get selected but the payoff is worth it. Going through the dog handlers course and then becoming a dog handler has such tremendous advantages. So many that I will not list them here. But there is one major benefit that I will mention. You will be partnered with a soon to be new best friend and develop a bond stronger than you have with any other dog before. The bond is strong because you count on eachother not just for attention but for eachother’s lives. 
I was sent this great piece from a member of a group called Soldiers Angels, a volunteer support organization whose motto is “May No Soldier Go Unloved.” She felt so proud of the troops and their dogs she wanted to express her affection in words.
MWD…Military Working Dog
by Sandra Allen
Dedicated to the brave military dogs and their human partners, heroes all.
Because of you terrorism will never win. To all who have fallen, you are missed.
MWD…Military Working Dog
Three little words to describe an elite soldier,
An American K-9 soldier.
MWD…three little words
To describe the exuberant, joyful streak toward a target
The courage under fire,
The pure power in motion,
The gentleness when all is well,
The puppy dance when a mission is over.
Military Working Dog…three little words
To describe a soldier who ignores injury when the voice he loves calls to him to go.
Not to find safety,
But to find danger,
So that those he claims as his own can live free.
Because that’s what it means to be an American soldier.
And if he should become one of the fallen
Or if his partner makes the ultimate sacrifice,
They will mourn deeply for eachother because a part of their heart has died too.
But there is a bigger part of each one that has come alive on their journeys together
Because they mirror the greatness in eachother.
And that can only be celebrated.
Military Working Dog…
Three little words
Here are some tribute videos sent to me. Enjoy.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=HWXi6f4T_X0&feature=related]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbMbsPeZuTA]
Imagine if your job was to let dogs bite you all day. As handlers we are trained to not only handle our working dogs but to also help train eachother’s. That includes decoying for each other to help our dog’s build their drive which in turn builds their confidence which makes them better working dogs. To some, decoying looks easy, just stand there and let the dog bite you. Well a good decoy can take a dog’s confidence through the roof and turn a dog into a fantastic working dog. A bad decoy can create bad habits in a dog, hinder it’s confidence, injure a dog and even shut it down completely keeping it from developing it’s drive and confidence. Decoying is one of the most crucial and important aspects of developing the patrol certified working dog.
A decoy can use different kinds of gear to maximize a dog’s drive. There is the bite sleeve, the bite suit top which only covers the top half of the body, the bite suit bottom which covers your legs, hidden sleeves which decoys put under there clothing and much more. This gear protects the decoy from actually getting bit but from time to time some dogs are so powerful that their jaws will sometimes get through, or sometimes the gear has a small tear and a dog will get through.
Axel keeps a sharp eye on a “suspect” during aggression training Sept. 19 at a deployed location in Southwest Asia. Axel is a 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron military working dog. The military working dogs are trained several times a week to keep their skills sharp. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Tia Schroeder)
It can look dangerous but once you learn how to decoy it can be a lot of fun. In fact, there are people out there who are professional decoys where all they do is decoy for dogs. A good decoy is high in demand because they are as pivotal to developing the dog as the handler is. A bad decoy can not not only injure a dog but they can get injured as well.
When these dogs are released to attack the bite isn’t the biggest concern, it’s how hard the dog will hit the decoy, or the dog’s drive for the bite. Some dogs hit so hard that I have heard of shoulders being dislocated or some other injury take place. It can feel like you just got hit by a small train. It may sound dangerous but once you learn how to properly “catch” a dog it can be a lot of fun. Watching a dog come after you like a speedy bullet can be a rush for the decoy, but the biggest rush is for the dog about to get what he loves doing, the bite.
The goals are to maximize the dogs drive for the bite, teach it how to bite properly, and also bite when a real life situation presents itself. So if a handler needs to send his dog on a criminal, insurgent, or someone being unruly and the dog performs well, they can thank themselves as well as the decoys.
This video is a fantastic compilation of decoy work. The Israelis are known for having some of the most well trained working dogs in the world. In fact, they sent some of their expert trainers to train our military on new techniques they are using with dogs in combat because their dogs have been so effective. Here they show some of their abilities in decoying.
The video is long(7:59) but it has some great footage in terms of decoying. My personal favorite clips are at
:36, 4:12, 4:25, 5:19(leg bite), 7:05(dog flips), 7:34(slow motion leaping)
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=QKf3Vhh0iWY]
