I have a concern about military working dogs; i hope that maybe some of you can clear it up for me. I am working with some military working dogs as a decoy. i have been decoying for about four years now and really enjoy getting to some great dogs work, including military dogs. However, i went out last week with the head trainer of the kennels to catch some dogs with them. what i am concerned with is when one dog came up to work the trainer advised me that i needed to watch how much pressure i put on this dog cause she will go submissive. now this dog isn't some puppy that is just was whelped, she is an 8 yr gsd. the trainer himself said the dog got a bad deal out of this and should have never been put into the program. i am not really sure the procedures on how they pick dogs down at lackland and i don't mean to point figures but why would this dog still be working in the field if i she will go submissive? these dogs are supposed to protect our borders of the base and i have to be "gentle" with her. please explain this.

I don't know the answer to your question, but perhaps what the dog lacks in defense or fight drive, it makes up for ability in cadaver or bomb detection. Does the military even use other breeds like bloodhounds for such jobs?

i agree with her making up in explosives search. this girl will "turn on" for aggression then turn right back off for search. she does great at explosives. but all their dogs are supposed to be dual purpose. she can search but not apprehend. As far as i know all they use is shepherds an malinious.

Jason,

My decoy an Army MP MWD handler just got back from three months training at Lackland. Where did you get the idea that
MWD's were all supposed to be dual purpose? There are lots of labs that go thru the DOD program certified as drug or
explosive detection dogs that don't do aggression work

Jason,
The Airforce allows single purpose dogs on the roster. So Maybe they tried her in bitework and she didn't cut it so they kept her for her nose. I know the Army and I "believe" the Marines only use dual purpose, so she would have been sent back to Lackland if it was Army or Marines. Maybe they just wanted to let her have a little prey fun. I wouldn't sweat it, it's obvious they are aware of her strengths and weaknesses and I'm certain they are employing her accordingly.

i was speaking with the head trainer and he was the one that told me that they were all dual purpose. now i am not saying that since he told me that, that is law i am just going by what was told to me from the trainer. i do know that she is being worked as a dual purpose dog cause i have talked with her handler a lot and he was telling me how they patrol the fence line and he really don't feel comfortable doing it with her. we were working her lpop, listening point observation post, and she wouldn't engage until the last second. they do have good dogs here but the one i was really wondering about makes me woder about the program. other inputs are always welcome. i asked about going back to tug and trying to build her up that way but they wanted no part of that. i don't know. i am only here for a few months so i guess when i get back home i will just continue to work those dogs and not worry about it.

Every branch has Dual purpose dogs. There are also special requirements for single purpose dogs, either patrol or detection, depending on the bases individual needs and requirements. Dogs can range from german shepherds, dutch shepherds, malinois, labs, golden retrievers, viszlas, german shorthaired pointers, etc. Of course, sporting breeds are used for detection only.

In regards to the dog in question, it would be hard to tell what's up with the dog unless I saw it myself. Keep in mind that it is 8 yrs. old and a lot could happen to a dog in 8 years. The dog has probably been in the field for over 6 years and had numerous people handle/train the dog.

All dogs have certification requirements that must be met in order to ship from Lackland. There is no reason to blame Lackland for a dog that is not performing up to standards 6 years later. All kennelmasters know that if they receive a dog from Lackland that is not meeting the certification standard then they are allowed to report it and see if the dog can be evaluated or possibly returned. I am not sure if that is still possible after the dog has been in the field for 6+ years.

All branches have some requirements for single-purpose dogs (patrol only or detection only), although dual-purpose obviously make up the majority (although with the Mine dogs, SSD, and Combat trackers the term dual purpose does not always seem cut and dry anymore). Anyway, looking at only one dog and thinking that the program is possibly screwed up or lacking in some way is incredibly narrow-minded. The MWD in question met standards to be sent out to the field but once out in the field it's up to them to further the dog's training and abilities and to not fall below established standards. If the dog (overtime) cannot meet those standards it's up to the field to decertify that MWD in either patrol or detection through correspondence with the Dog Center. With evaluation it could also mean sending the MWD back to Lackland for retraining or further evaluation (my team has had a couple of those dogs just recently). Neither the field nor the school house are perfect but rest assuredly the program works and will only get better as time goes by...