LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Under the scorching summer sun, security forces military working dogs and their handlers, from across Air Combat Command, assembled at Langley for the first ever military working dog training seminar June 28 through July 2.
The handlers and dogs attended the five day course, hosted by the 633d Security Forces Squadron, to receive intensive education and training, including dog psychology and behavior, decoy training and ways to improve working dog performance.
Master Sgt. Antonio Rodriguez, 902 SFS law enforcement operations superintendent from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, and Chris Jakubin, U.S. Air Force Academy kennel master, administered the course, which began with a classroom session before handlers and dogs began hands-on decoy and prey training.
The instructors designed the program to enhance the dog's abilities and educate handlers who in turn return to their respective units and share the training with other handlers.
Ultimately, the seminar provided the upgrade training for security forces MWD teams to be successful at home and while deployed, according to Staff Sgt. Gary Cheney, a 633 SFS military working dog handler.
"These dogs are safeguards, on the front lines, at the gates finding bombs and drugs, supporting our sister services outside the wire," he said. "This training ensures that dogs and handlers can perform in the real world."
Training activities included catching and reading dogs, avoiding being bitten and interpreting a dog's behaviors and mannerisms. Much of the training focused around gauging a dog's willingness to engage a suspect, known as a dog's "drive," according to Sergeant Cheney.
"Learning the dog's psychology and doing decoy training allows me and the dog to do better patrol work," he added.
In addition to testing the dogs' behavior during decoy training, handlers donned tactical bite suits for dogs to apply their training as realistically as possible.
"Getting bit by your dog allows you to understand what the suspect is going through, just like when we use tasers and pepper spray on one another in training," said Sergeant Cheney. "The tactical bite suit made it more realistic. The dog recognizes the suspect is in pain and knows what to do."
In addition to hands-on training, handlers took advantage of the wealth of knowledge the kennel masters and more experienced handlers brought to the seminar.
"It was humbling to be around veteran kennel handlers," said Senior Airman Jonathan Bourgeois , a 633 SFS military working dog handler. "I asked a lot of questions, trying to pull as much information as possible because it's so rare to be around that much experience."