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The New Army and the Good Old Military Dog
by John M. Regan (from AAT Magazine 2001)
Last November I took a break from exotic species and checked into some animal training activities here in my own backyard of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Most folks are familiar with the city of Leavenworth as home to the notorious federal prison located just outside the perimeter of the post. Within the post, however, the Army maintains a very large correctional facility of its own. Because of this Fort Leavenworth serves as home base to the Army’s Military Police corps. On a chilly wet Kansas day I spoke to Staff Sergeant James B. Stanley, Military Policeman and Kennel Master at the Fort Leavenworth Kennels. Sergeant Stanley has sixteen years experience dealing with Army dogs and he explained the many facets of how the Army acquires and trains its animals.
I was surprised to learn that the Army is not the initial trainer of its dogs. Training these animals for the entire US military is the mission of the Air Force. Providing security for miles of air base perimeter is an ideal mission for dogs, and the Air Force is long accustomed to it. Lackland Air Force Base, outside of San Antonio, Texas, functions as personnel and dog training headquarters for all five branches of the service: Air Force, Marines, Army, Navy, and the Coast Guard. And the mission doesn’t stop just there. The boys in blue train animals for US allies as well.
Although the Army has a professional dog handling and training corps all handlers are military policeman first and foremost. They must qualify to attend a three month long school at Lackland. The course qualifies personnel for an additional skill identifier as a dog handler and consists of two phases. Phase I covers basic animal care, conditioning, medication, obedience, patrol, and attack. Phase II is the detection part of the course where soldiers learn how to handle dogs for narcotics and detection of explosives.
Military dogs come from a variety of sources, but the majority are acquired from vendors, and undergo an extensive evaluation to determine fitness. If a dog passes it is selected for training which consists of four basic missions: Patrol, Security, Narcotics, and Explosives. Most animals can do all four missions, others specialize in only detection, some in only patrol, and others are “one odor” dogs (previously trained to detect one substance when it comes from the vendor). Upon completion of training the dogs are evaluated again. Like their human counterparts the dogs are certified and allowed to “graduate,” or recycled for further training. But there are the rare few just don’t cut the mustard. These canines are “de-certified” and sent on to find another calling in life.
While both handlers and dogs are trained at Lackland, Army handlers do not meet the animal they will work with at the air base. Handlers are assigned to anywhere the Army uses dogs worldwide and work with animals already “assigned” to that post. When another dog is needed a request is sent to the Air Force and one is sent to that location.
In a normal week at Fort Leavenworth the dogs receive about four hours of training in each area. Patrol training involves learning to attack on command, stand off (stop prior to attack), and the ability to locate hidden suspects. Security training is focuses on detecting intruders outside or inside a perimeter. A lot of the training is geared toward building confidence between trainer and animal so that when an order is given the dog will carry it out immediately, even if this means jumping out of a window when the dog cannot see what is on the other side. At Fort Leavenworth the Army has installed a large obstacle course behind the kennels to duplicate such conditions. Additional training takes place in the field. Sergeant Stanley says it is critical that trainers vary conditions constantly. These dogs are extremely bright and quickly become accustomed to any routine.
Patrol dogs give the MPs several distinct advantages. As Sergeant Stanley likes to say, “You can’t recall a bullet.” When a suspect surrenders a dog can be quickly recalled and further injury is thus avoided. The animals serve a more benign purpose as well. On patrol they serve as a “communication point” for the police and the public. According to Sergeant Stanley, “The dogs break down the ‘cop barrier,’ they help to open people up. if you go into an area where there have been problems, people are often reluctant to speak. With the dog you have a point to start a conversation from and people can open up to other areas.”
To train a dog to attack, trainers often use a three dog method. With all dogs restrained by their handlers, the untrained animal is place between the two trained dogs. The trained dogs aggressively attack a person (protected by a bite suit) or an object. The dog in the middle is then encouraged to do the same. This response is gradually reinforced until the animal attacks in the manner that the military police require. Sergeant James Wood and Specialist Edward Koci, the two soldiers who work with Sergeant Stanley, testify that being a human dummy for these attacks takes some getting used to. “The dogs are strong and bite hard; you can feel them right through the bite suit. It’s kind of frightening the first time.”
There are those dogs, however, who do not possess sufficient “fighting” spirit. These animals can still become excellent detection dogs. Detection training for explosives and narcotics differs for military dogs than it does for dogs of the border service. Military dogs are taught to respond passively to detection while customs dogs are taught to respond actively with excited digging and scratching at the source. Sergeant Stanley explained that the military prefers the passive response (that is, sitting down) to the active response, because “you wouldn’t want a dog enthusiastically tearing into a briefcase that contained a sensitive bomb.” Makes sense to me!
During our interview Sergeant Stanley received an alert for a routine training exercise and I had the opportunity to witness a detection. In this case a bomb threat had been received at the Munson Army Hospital. Sergeant Stanley promptly loaded up Ronnie, a Shepherd/Belgian Malimois mix and sprang into action. This hybrid has produced a dog smaller than a Shepherd, but quicker and retaining considerable bite strength. Ronnie was extraordinarily enthusiastic about his work, tearing along the hospital corridors until he discovered a small briefcase that had just the odor he was sniffing for. While I cannot say that Ronnie’s reaction was exactly passive, I will testify that he did had no trouble identifying his quarry and soon sat down looking at the “bomb.”
I asked Sergeant Stanley what training method and types of reward he uses for the dogs. “All training is now geared toward positive reinforcement as opposed to the old days of more dominant type training,” he explained. “The type of reward is determined by the dog. Some work very hard for treats, others prefer the ‘kong.’” The kong is a hard rubber cone, about six inches high, with a hollow core. The kong bounces erratically and most dogs find it irresistible. In fact, some prefer the toy to an extraordinary degree. Sergeant Stanley related a story about one detector trained dog that became so ecstatic about the kong that he required remedial training. The dog would no longer even go through the motions of sniffing, preferring instead to stare with great anticipation at the belt pouch containing the kong.
The normal working life of a military dog is eight to ten years, with some rare individuals making to the ripe old age of fourteen. At that age their hips and health begin to give out. What happens to dogs who can no longer accomplish their military duties varies. Some, especially those trained for detection, are more easily placed in a new home. Others are more difficult. Military vets are reluctant to euthanize, but dogs trained to attack on command are an obvious hazard unless one is familiar with the animal and knows how to control it. Under a recent bill signed by the President, military personnel are now allowed to adopt their animals. Regulations regarding these adoptions are not yet written but the MPs are pleased that they will have the opportunity to take home animals they’ve come to love.
The life of an Army MP and dog handler is busy. Their animals must be fed and cleaned every day so weekend duty is a constant reality. But while animal keeper and trainer makes up the major part of the duty day, it’s just part of the job description. These soldiers are military policeman and must maintain proficiency in that occupation in addition to caring for animals. There are also common soldier skills, such as shooting an M16 rifle, that must be consistently honed.
But as you might suspect these soldiers would not have it any other way. As Sergeant Stanley puts it. “I love dogs and I love being an MP. The Army pays me to go all over the world and do just that.”
I take great comfort in that. And I take comfort in knowing that in this high tech, digital warrior world of the new Army there is still a place for our ever faithful canine soldiers.
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