Essay On Military Working Dog

The Military Working Dog have been used for thousands of years. There is much evidence pointing to the connection of man and dog going back to the last ice age. Many different cultures across the world have employed them in battle. The United States has limited their Military Working Dog Program to one central facility and only select breeds of dog. The future battlefield will be shaped by new tactics and technology related to Military Working Dogs. These animals can be adopted or continue to serve in other respects once their military service is over.

The Military Working Dog or MWD is a very well recognized asset throughout the world. There is evidence that these silent heroes have lived, fought and served along

mankind for many millennia. Since Antiquity, canines have served in many wars, throughout many roles. Today the United States only uses select breeds and training facilities to provide it dogs to support missions around the world. New tactics and technology are being developed through the use of these incredible creatures. After completing their terms of service, some Military Working Dogs can retire into civilian life through adoption or continue to serve in other areas of government service.
Canines and mankind have had a partnership for millennia, perhaps beginning with wandering wolves or wild dogs in need of food. Mitochondrial DNA suggests wolves and dogs split 100,000 years ago, but it is unknown whether mankind had anything to do with that.(citation) Perhaps at least two separate domestication events occurred, ancient Asian dogs evolved from Asian wolves 12,000 years ago and European Paleolithic dogs from their respective ancestors. Through the discovery of burial sites such as ones in Germany’s Bonn-Oberkassel where dogs and humans are interred alongside each other, it is believed that at least 14,000 years ago mankind began to treat canines as persons. Because domestication first occurred when humans were still hunter-gatherers, many disparate breeds existed for some time. Eventually, as civilization developed, the dogs that lived alongside men intermixed. It wasn’t until roughly 500 years ago that the progenitors of today’s canine breeds came about, through breeding. The Ancient Egyptians, for example, were known to have bred and even mummify remains of dogs for religious purposes.
The first documented use of dogs in war comes from around 600 BC, in Lydia, modern day Turkey. Their leader Alyattes, reportedly had his soldiers turn loose packs of dogs upon Cimmerian troops and cavalry against which they proved particularly effective. (citation) Spanish conquistadores brought a mixed deerhound and mastiff breed fighting dog with them to the New World. Adorned in armor and spiked collars, they terrified tribal warriors and were said to devour any enemy they could sink their teeth into. Throughout WWI and WWII many breeds known today, such as Ratters, Terriers, Dobermans and Shepherds began to see more use. There were, of course, those used as guard dogs and sentries, but many smaller breeds were used to convey messages or medical supplies across the battlefield. In Vietnam, over 10,000 lives were saved by sentry and scout dog teams. Scout dog teams, usually comprised of a German Shepherd and handler would join infantry units as their “eyes and ears”. Once these teams were introduced to the conflict, they found countless booby traps, trip wires, ambushes, and enemy tunnels, greatly decreasing the number of casualties within just the first few months. Serving as mascots, trench dogs, casualty assistance and scout dogs, military working dogs have made their mark.
Today, the US Military no longer allows the use of private citizens’ dogs and only employs certain breeds.

All military working dogs are and many of their handlers are trained by the 341st Training Squadron “Dog School” at Lackland Air Force Base. The breeds most used today are German and Dutch Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, also known as the “Maligator”. These breeds are preferred because they have the best overall sense of smell, speed, strength, courage, intelligence and adaptability to any climactic condition. Occasionally, sporting breeds are trained and used primarily as odor detecting dogs, such as Labrador, Golden and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Belgian Malinois is now the preferred breed for use in the Middle East because it is less likely to be suffer from heatstroke. Although the visional acuity of Shepherd and Malinois breeds is inferior to that of man, they can detect slight movement at greater distances. Their hearing ability far better than humans, but they rely mostly on their amazing sense of smell for closer examination of the environment. Highly developed senses of hearing and smell, along with first-rate inclination and temperment, make Shepherds and Malinois the most versatile working breeds best suited for military

duties.
The future of working dogs shows promise, both in and out of the military. Although there have been many attempts to mimic the capabilities of military working dogs with automated sniffers and sensor, none comes near to the sensitivity of the canine’s nose. The combination of a dog’s nose with the mobility, versatility and intelligence as a sensor platform makes the unique capabilities almost impossible to replace. Even placing detector systems on robotic platforms doesn’t come close to a canine’s capability. Off-leash operations may be the future for certain applications of the military working dog. Many devices developed for use with unmanned systems are being considered, some such as cameras and sensors are already in use. Handlers may soon be able to communicate via remote, audio cues, or even vibrations and pulses through their vests to guide working dogs throughout missions. Military working dogs and their handlers in the field today are being used in research that to better understand the human/canine and help develop better training for wartime missions in austere conditions.
Military working dogs have increasingly become an integral part of warfare and law enforcement over thousands of years. Through selective breeding and intense training they have truly become a force multiplier. Many of these noble canines have been memorialized and even highly decorated. For example, Chips, who during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, stormed an Italian machine gun nest, forcing four of the enemy troops out into the open to be captured and was wounded in the effort but still aided in the capture of 10 more enemies the same day. (citation) A more recent example of service is Cairo, who participated in the US Navy’s SEAL Team Six mission to assault Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, aiding in his capture. Many dogs do not return home from war, but thankfully, those that do today can find a place in the civilian sector, as a police, drug or bomb sniffing dog. Some are even adopted by families and others are able to retire with their handlers. These heroes deserve it, after all. The Military Working Dog truly is the Silent Hero of today’s military. To quote General (Retired) David Petraeus, “The Capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by machine. By all measures of performance, their yield outperforms any asset we have in our inventory. Our Army would be remiss if we failed to invest more in this incredibly valuable resource.”