Police dogs take a bite out of crime

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Heather Stanton
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
The 49th Security Forces Squadron has many ways of keeping Holloman safe from unwanted threats. Military working dogs are an integral part of keeping Holloman buildings, aircraft and personnel safe and secure.

There are six dogs assigned to Holloman; Ate, 4; Alex, 5; Jannie, 5; Durban, 6; Blacky, 7; and Dino, 9, said Senior Airman Nicholas Drake, 49 SFS. These dogs are of the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois breeds.

"German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds and Belgian Malinois have proven to be the best choice as the standard military working dog. These breeds have the best overall combination of keen sense of smell, endurance, speed, strength, courage, intelligence and adaptability to almost any climatic condition," said Tech. Sgt. Derek Nelson, 49 SFS.

The military working dogs do many things to help Holloman security forces. The biggest job for the dogs is the detection of unauthorized explosive materials and illicit narcotics entering, leaving or presently on base, he said. The dogs provide a psychological and physical deterrence, said Sergeant Nelson.

They conduct perimeter patrols, which enable an early detection warning capability to threats outside the base perimeter, he said.

According to Sergeant Nelson, all military working dogs are initially trained as patrol dogs. Then they can be trained in narcotics and explosives detection.

Holloman dog teams have also been deployed in support of the war fighting mission. Currently, there are three dogs deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, said Airman Drake.

Not just any dog can become a military working dog. Dogs are selected by the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland AFB, Texas, said Sergeant Nelson.

"They must be between 12 and 36 months old, weigh at least 55 pounds, stand at least 22 inches tall at the shoulders and be in good physical condition," he said.

If the dog meets these requirements and is found to be temperamentally and physically sound, it will be selected for the program, he said. The program tests and evaluates the dog's temperament and willingness to play, work and recover under stressful environments. The 341 TRS is then responsible for assigning the trained dogs to military installations worldwide.

After the dogs get to an installation, they are continually training during the normal duty day and during days off, said Airman Drake. Training consists of controlled aggression and police patrol work such as chasing suspects and scouting. Narcotics and explosives detection is considered specialty training for the dogs.

"The training begins by establishing the handler to dog relationship through constant close association such as feeding, grooming, exercise and play," said Sergeant Nelson. "This type of training is what develops the natural instinct for companionship."

After a relationship has developed, basic obedience is trained, said Sergeant Nelson. The key factors of the obedience training are firmness, repetition and -- most importantly -- patience. The patience factor is important because the handler must never lose his patience, which could confuse the dog. The dogs are trained using operant conditioning. This type of training is learned through rewards and punishments for different behaviors.

At the kennel, there is a kennel master and a trainer.

"To become a dog trainer in the Air Force, you must first be a member of security forces," said Sergeant Nelson. "Through security forces, you can apply to attend the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Handler School located at Lackland." After gaining experience, a handler can attend the Military Working Dog Supervisor and Trainers Course at Lackland.

The military working dogs bring a great deal of help to security forces. Without the dog's keen sense of smell, strong physical abilities and their outstanding training, Holloman wouldn't be as safe and secure.