Military K-9 handlers with the Provost Martial Office, Headquarters Support Battalion demonstrated dog handling capabilities to junior reserve officer training corps students from Cary High School aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, March 31, 2015.
The students were given the opportunity to sit in and learn about the military working dog program as the dog handlers demonstrated various training exercises they do with the dogs such as basic obedience.
“With any foundation of K-9, your dog needs to respect you and understand what you ask of it,” said Mr. Jorge Gallo, a K-9 Handler with the PMO.
Basic obedience teaches the dogs to obey simple commands such as sit, down, stay, heel and from there they enhance the difficulty of obedience training by adding distractors such as different gear, other people and weapons, said Gallo.
After obedience was demonstrated, they gave the students a first-hand look at how a dog does detective work. The military working dog searched the entire training yard, finding a simulated military explosive marked by a cone in the middle.
The next stage of the demonstration began with the five phases of basic bite work. In the first step, a handler will speak to someone who may or may not be dangerous and the MWD has to stay alert without biting the other person.
With escalation of force, the MWD is then given the okay to bite the role player as they begin to act out aggressively towards the handler. After the dog shows force, the handler then searches the suspect.
The antagonist then begins to move towards the handler, simulating another aggressive attack. This is called the re-attack phase; the fourth phase of basic bite work.
The final stage is the stand-off. When the MWD is given the command to attack the antagonist, it fully unleashes its force with its teeth and claws. The handler immediately gives the command to stop using terminal force.
“Basic obedience is where it all starts,” said Gallo. “Each dog has a different drive and a different personality just like Marines do; no two are alike.”
Demonstrating to the public what the military working dogs do is very important, said Gallo. It gives people an understanding of why work dogs are vital to mission accomplishment.