Just flipping channels on tv. Animal planet is airing a show called Glory Hounds about MWD's in Afghanastan. I missed the first hour but they're replaying it at 11:00 eastern.

When I first turned to it they're showing a mal named aza(sp?) that's missed the training device twice and was right on it. The third time it finds it. I'm thinking that shouldn't be a pass. Next thing they have the dog on patrol and the handler gets blasted by an IED. These guys obviously know what they're doing but I don't get how that dog passes like that.

I enjoyed the show. It showed the sacrifices that are made by soldiers and dogs for which I am grateful.

If Nat Geo and Animal Planet got together to combine Alpha Dogs with Glory Hounds, in order to follow a MWD team from the beginning, they just might end up having reality TV at its best.

I wish David would chime in and add his thoughts.

I enjoyed the show very much too. I'm just trying to figure out how the dog is right on top of the training device twice, misses, then hits on it the third time, and somehow it's considered reliable enough to patrol? I certainly don't know alot about detection training but that just doesn't seem right to me.

I didnt see that part, but what were they looking for at that point in the dogs training? Was it the first time with some different conditions or a new scent? Did they just want to see at that point that he would continue to work under harder conditions?

Did he actually indicate in a way the handler didnt know or recognize?

The dog was trained in Alaska. They were seeing how the dog would work in such a dramatic change in climate.

Brian, ok I that was right when I came into the show and haven't had a chance to watch the first hour or so yet.

Steve, I guess Brian answered the question about conditions. The dog did not inidicate anything the first two times. It was right on it, smelling the ground where the device was buried(explosive) and just kept on going. The third time, it smelled the ground there again and then after a little while, finally sat to indicate it and was instantly rewarded with the ball.

The dog showed a change in behavior each time, but then moved on. He didn't give a "clear indication". the first two times, but there was a recognizable change of behavior. The dog was not cleared to go outside the wire at that point.

Kory, there are a couple of things that you have to keep in mind:
First, there is no time continuum in a tv show. They can't show every moment in each dog's progress. This is also evident in Alpha Dogs. They showed the dog's issues at the beginning, then later, they give you a glimpse at how far the dog has come. For purposes of sensationalizing it for tv, they don't fill in the blanks for the audience. I'm a veteran (not combat). I assure you that no human lives were entrusted to an avoidable uncertainty.

Second, dogs aren't machines. They are affected by conditions, changes in conditions, and they even have bad days. I know you've seen your own dog get confused by something that you were sure he knew well. It's all part of dog training. The only way to make a dog more reliable is to keep working him.