MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- "Halt! Halt!" cries the authoritative voice. "Halt! -Or I'll release my dog!" Seconds later the lean, muscular form of a Marine working dog is freed to race after a suspect. Powerful jaws and aggressive force pins the struggling figure to the ground. The dog handler, full of praise for his charge, approaches cautiously and handcuffs the delinquent.
Military working dogs play an integral role in the safety and security of Marines on Station. The canines are cross-trained for patrol work and narcotics or bomb-detection, said Sgt. Robert Bowker, Station kennel master.
Bowker oversees the training and maintenance of the Station's five dogs and their handlers. The dogs, bred in Germany, are handpicked before being sent to Lackland Air Force Base for a rigorous training program, said Bowker. Once they arrive to their duty station, the dogs continue their training.
"You have to keep teaching the dogs and the handlers new things. The dogs are like Marines - if you don't keep training, you're failing them," Bowker said.
The dogs and their handlers exercise together, run an obstacle course specifically designed for the canines and practice obedience and aggression training, said Bowker. During aggression training, the handlers use a variety of techniques to irritate the animals and encourage them to attack. At Lackland, the dogs are trained only to bite a subject's arms, but their handlers on Station continue the dogs' education by teaching them to attack a person's chest, back and legs.
Aggression training is an involved and sometimes dangerous task.
"Every handler in the Marine Corps will get bitten at least once during their career. If they don't, they're not doing their job. We've got to push the dogs, and push ourselves," said Bowker.
Four male German Shepards, and one male Belgium Malinois compose the Station's K-9 unit. Although some of the dogs seem to enjoy fighting and will try to prove that they are the "Alpha male," some are friendly, Bowker said.
"A lot of the aggression training is playtime for the dogs," he said. "Sometimes you'll find a naturally aggressive dog, but most of these are aggressive because they know there are rewards involved. If they do their job, they get a reward. If they gaff us off, they get punished."
Trying to understand the dogs can be a major challenge, said Station dog handler Lance Cpl. Lindsey A. Warfield. "Dogs and humans both have bad days," Warfield said. "If you're having a bad day, you can talk to someone about it and try to fix it. But if a dog has a rough day, you can't figure out why."
Yet, good day or bad, the dogs and handlers remain hard at work training, patrolling and providing security. The teams have been used effectively as an added measure of security for VIPs, as a deterrent to drug use and as crowd control, said Bowker. One team is currently serving with security forces in Iraq, added Warfield.
"Hard work and pain are part of the job, but I wouldn't trade working with the dogs for anything," said Warfield.
"I love being a dog handler," Bowker agreed. "I don't think there's a better job in the Marine Corps."