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Military working dogs catch more than a scent

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Holly MacDonald
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Training a military working dog takes more than the basic skills of training "Fido" at home. Military working dog handlers dedicate their time in training professional MWDs to be the best and most efficient the military has to offer. 

A MWD goes through approximately 84 days of training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where it gains a three skill-level qualification. Then the dog is sent to a base where the MWD handlers train them to become five and seven-level qualified. 

A MWD handler goes through a process of selection. A handler must first be security forces. 

A four-year enlistee can apply for a lateral retrain after two years of security forces duty and a six-year enlistee can apply after three years of security forces duty. 

The applicant cannot submit a retraining package until he has received his recommendation from the kennel master. 

If the applicant is accepted, he or she attends training at Lackland for six weeks of patrol dog training and five weeks of detection dog training. 

The new MWD handler arrives at his follow-on base and is assigned a dog. 

"How well the dog is trained depends on the dedication of the handler," said Staff. Sgt. Bradley Lehman, 20th Security Forces Squadron MWD handler. 

The handler's goal is to train the MWD for mission-specific readiness. 

MWDs deploy with their handlers, usually to areas other than where the base security forces are deploying. Often the handler and MWD spend deployments attached to a sister service. 

MWDs are commonly used for secret-service missions, joint-service missions and searching for improvised explosive devices, said Staff Sgt. Bradley Stem, 20th SFS MWD handler. 

The daily training of a MWD includes: obedience, detection, controlled aggression, gunfire, tactical obedience, scouting and building searches.

 "The long-term goal of training is to meet the mission needs of today's rapidly evolving Air Force," Sgt. Stem said. 

The MWDs are trained in two specific fields: patrol and explosive, and patrol and drug. 

The military and the local community work together. MWDs are used for bomb threats, demonstrations and air shows. 

The MWDs also train with the Department of Corrections and local police departments. 

Training the dogs may be a large part of the job, but the handlers also have to care for the dogs. 

All of the medical treatment for the MWDs is done through the Army Veterinary Core. Handlers take their dogs to annual, semi-annual, and any other appointments the dog has. Each handler is also responsible for his or her dog's grooming and exercise, Sgt. Lehman said. 

The kennels also need to be kept clean. Every week the kennels are scrubbed and each month they are inspected by the Army Veterinary Core, Sgt. Lehman said. 

"When it comes down to it, this job needs to be taken seriously. People's lives depend on us," Sgt. Lehman said. "It requires a lot of work, dedication and losing time off if you want to be good at it."