E-collars:
I don't know why the military doesn't allow e-collars, or who made that decision. I can take a guess that it was in response to improper use by uneducated handlers.

My philosophy on e-collars is the same as for any other piece of equipment. First, they are a tool. There is no tool that is inherently bad on it's own. Improper, unfair use of any tool can result in negative effects on the dog. Proper education and understanding of how that tool can be used is a responsibility the handler must take seriously.

For me, the e-collar is a method of communication. The dog must believe that it has the power to stop the stimulation, and it must understand why the stimulation occurs in the first place. Just slapping an e-collar on a dog and using it like a remote control prong is unfair.

I tend to make up my own mind on training methods. I have successfully implemented e-collar training on many dogs over many years with no negative effect on the dog that I can see. I was a bit unfair to my first e-collar dog, and have since learned a different way to utilize that tool. Are they going to ban newspapers? Lots of owners roll up a newspaper and beat the s#it out of their dogs. It's in the tool's use that the fault lies, not the tool itself.

Who is a legislator to tell me how to be fair to my dog? The only one who can answer that question is my dog.

Enzo:
It sounds like you have a good grasp on your relationship and how it got to be the way it is. Some dogs are a handful, and I like 'em that way. If you think you need more control, you probably do, but that can mean management as well as training.

There were situations with Fama that I knew were going to be met with aggression on her part, but the level of correction necessary to bring her out of it and back to me was going to be too strong for the situation, meaning it may compromise our ability to work, so I would control the situation when I couldn't have 100% control of the dog. I made sure everyone, including Fama, was safe, and either moved away from the stimulus, or had the stimulus removed. An example would be an angry territorial dog guarding a building, , or an argument between two people that escalated into violence.

We got to the point where she would no longer act aggressively in these situations, but she would never just leave them alone. There were always distractions that had to be worked through or around. I could down her off leash before she went up to that aggressive dog, and she would stay, but her mind was still on the dog and not on work. Not 100% control, but good enough for government work.

Fama:
I was her second handler. Her first was a contractor that deployed with her to Iraq, where she attacked someone in the back of a truck and got sent home. It was not her fault. She was paired up with 5 different handlers for short periods trying to find a match for her before she came to me.

Working dogs move on to new handlers far easier than handlers move on to new dogs. They just go with the flow and are happy to get out there and work. I'm sure her new handler will go through a period where she doesn't trust or respect him, but they will be fine. I am sure she will be more than happy to see me, but she's not laying in her kennel, pining away for SGT Winners

I am still in Hawaii right now, so I haven't seen her since March 31st, but I will be stopping by the kennels as soon as I get home. I will definitely be getting up to Julie's place as soon as I can, and if Fama's schedule is free, I will bring her up so you guys can meet her, and maybe see her in action. I think that would be fun for everybody. It depends on where she is with her new handler-in-training.

That would be incredible... it would most definitely be fun for everyone there. I'm looking forward to it! If she can't make it, well maybe she can next time she's back in the area. You're going to love Julie's place!

David, you may be gearing up to answer some of these questions, or you may be not.

Can you tell us what the SOP was for when you found an IED?

Do you know if all the MWD's and handlers you went to Afghanistan with have made it back safely?

Could you tell us about some of the gear Fama would wear while out on a mission?

Can you shed some light on how dogs are treated by the locals over there?

Did you or Fama ever get injured while on a mission?

Can you tell us what you plan on doing with Fama once you get her back?

Could you elaborate on some of the hardships you faced while being deployed, and what people like us could do to help out the MWD's and thier handlers while they are overseas?

Can you tell us what happens to the dogs that repeatedly don't pass testing to go to the field?

Can you tell us how long your deployment was, and what the worst part of it was, and how it could be changed for the better?

I'll stop for now, and let you get caught up. =P

A lot of this will be covered in detail in an upcoming episode. Some of it will be omitted, and some changed for safety reasons. I'll give you a quick and dirty here though.

 Quote: Ben McDonald

David, you may be gearing up to answer some of these questions, or you may be not.

Can you tell us what the SOP was for when you found an IED?
The only hard fast rule is don't get dead. Everything is situation dependent. Sometimes the IED is destroyed by one of several means, sometimes it is marked and bypassed. I can tell you that smart people rarely do the same thing twice. I'll let you figure that out.

Do you know if all the MWD's and handlers you went to Afghanistan with have made it back safely?
All 20 of the handlers that started the class safely redeployed without serious injury

Could you tell us about some of the gear Fama would wear while out on a mission?
The harness that you see in her pictures is what she usually wore. It is a 2 strap with a single chest strap. It has a handle running longways right in the center of the back that is great for dog tossing. There are also front and rear D rings. I have another harness for her that has molly webbing on the sides that I hang pouches from to hold water bottles for weight during PT. Both harnesses have batteries mounted for 9V infra-red strobes for night missions.

I used a variety of collars depending on the mission. She always wore a prong and DD collar, and sometimes a flat collar. I like a wide collar for searching vehicles because the leash is more likely to stay on top of her neck, so I used a Ray Allen 1-3/4" flat collar with a big D ring on it. While searching the leash would be just on the flat collar, and when not searching she would be on the prong / DD. Switching the leash to the flat collar was part of our starting ritual, which helped indicate to her that it was time to work. When doing more strenuous missions, like route clearance, I always took the flat collar off for less weight and constriction on her neck.

I always carried dog booties with me, and she trained in them once a week to keep her used to wearing them. I would put them on if there was broken glass or anything smelling like petroleum on the ground in an area we needed to search.

Standard stuff I use is my trusty 6' Amish leather leash with braided ends. I still have my first one, but I always carried a spare too. I used a run of the mill 1" x 30' black long line with the loop cut off so it was less likely to catch on something if I dropped the leash. I also have a 12" leash I kept clipped to a carabiner on my riggers belt to secure her to my waist if we got into a firefight and I needed both hands. I also always carried a heavy duty muzzle with a tennis ball inside in case I got wounded and Fama wouldn't let anybody near me to offer first aid. There were people trained and practiced in distracting with the ball, restraining her between 2 leashes and applying the muzzle... and yes, they knew they were going to get bit.

Can you shed some light on how dogs are treated by the locals over there?
The locals are scared snotless of our dogs, and they treat the local dogs like crap. They get kicked a lot. The exception is the Kucci people, the nomads. They have dogs that guard their livestock, and they care for them pretty well, by comparison. They get pretty upset if you run them off or shoot them.

Did you or Fama ever get injured while on a mission?
Never badly enough that we couldn't continue. Everybody gets injured over there.

Can you tell us what you plan on doing with Fama once you get her back?
That depends on her physical condition, and what she feels like doing. If she is still spry enough, I will go win every nosework trail I can find to enter I'm going to give her whatever life she seems to want the most. She will probably just be a couch potato. I bet whatever she does, she's never very far from my side.

Could you elaborate on some of the hardships you faced while being deployed, and what people like us could do to help out the MWD's and thier handlers while they are overseas?
You will have to read the story for hardships. There are several organizations that supply equipment to deployed handlers.

Project K.I.T.T.
Anysoldier.com
mwdtsa.org
helpingudders.com/mwd

Can you tell us what happens to the dogs that repeatedly don't pass testing to go to the field?
You ever seen Old Yeller? J/K They get sold for sport, sold to police departments, sold as pets, it all depends on the dog.

Can you tell us how long your deployment was, and what the worst part of it was, and how it could be changed for the better?
My deployment was 1 year, and the worst part was being away from my family, followed by having to walk 50 yards to the bathroom. You can't change deployments, they just suck.

I'll stop for now, and let you get caught up. =P

Edited by David Winners (05/19/2012 04:56 AM)
Edit reason: typo

Will Fama ever be "undeployed" or do these dogs work until they can't anymore?
(You may have answered this question and if so I'm sorry to ask again)

They work until the kennel master and Vet decide that deployment is not the best idea. This can be due to injury, other medical condition like allergies, arthritis, or just plain tired. They usually get around pretty will after retirement. I have been around a few retired MWDs, and they lead a pretty good life still.