Training through discipline; Building MWDs

  • Published
  • By Airman Ryan Conroy
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Dox, a military working dog with the 31st Security Forces Squadron, is a 3-year-old German shepherd who recently arrived at Aviano from Lackland, and is currently in the process of a certification process to become a patrol and detection dog.

"My job is to make sure they (MWDs) go through the hardest training they can go through," said Tech. Sgt. Manuel Gamboa, 31st SFS MWD trainer, who has certified 13 dogs in a year-and-a-half. "That way, when they do become qualified, they are ready for anything."

Gamboa relates the certification process, which generally lasts an average of 30 to 90 days, to what every Airman must go through when joining the Air Force.

"When we get the dog, they're coming out of basic training," said Gamboa. "They're brand new and although they've been trained for discipline, they don't know their job yet.
This is their technical training, preparing them for their mission."

When a MWD arrives at their duty station, the kennel master has the responsibility of pairing them to a handler with similar personalities, which is arguably the most important phase of the process.

"Building rapport is more like having to make someone your best friend," said Staff Sgt. Erick Parris, 31st SFS, MWD handler. "It has to be sincere, if you don't truly love your dog they can tell. It's easy for me though, I genuinely love my pup."

"The bond with the handler is imperative," said Tech. Sgt. Kenneth Clinton, 31st SFS MWD kennel master. "The initial phase of the certification process is having the handler build rapport with the dog. Without trust and respect, the dog team is fighting each other, the dog isn't going to want to do anything for the handler and the handler won't trust the dog's instincts."

When rapport has been built, the handlers and trainers start the second phase of certification -- obedience.

Although discipline has been taught at Lackland, some newer dogs, such as Dox, might need to acclimate to being given commands on a daily basis, says Clinton.

"We use a phrase called 'cleaning it up,'" says Gamboa. "Every dog comes to us with a certain level of obedience, and our job is to get the MWD up to standard with our expectations."

Once the dog has been sufficiently bonded with its handler, and the expectation for obedience has been met, the MWD begins detection certification and training. Depending on the job specifics for each dog, the detection training can be focused on explosive or narcotics detection alongside recognizing hostile actions and to act appropriately in these situations.

"Their sense of smell is a lot greater than humans," said Clinton. "They smell bombs or drugs a lot better than a human can. We have really strict standards in regards to detection and sometimes a dog has a difficult time meeting those standards and we'll have to work through it with them.

"The dog is also trained for patrol," adds Clinton. "This is done through bite training, identifying threats or alerting the presence of danger. This dates back to the Vietnam era, when MWDs would patrol the fences for an enemy presence"

While the certification process can be exhausting, with trainers and handlers clocking in 80-90 hours per week, Gamboa has found a silver lining.

"The whole process is personally rewarding," said Gamboa. "Who else can say they play with dogs all day long. Not to mention I love watching the dogs and handlers grow as a team, overcoming their difficulties together and coming out on top."