MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Some people believe the best friend a man can have is his dog, so who better to work with than a best friend?
Marines from the K-9 unit here work with dogs every day to make sure they are always ready for any kind of situation, whether it’s chasing down criminals or finding harmful materials.
The most common assignment Military Working Dogs play a part in today is U.S. customs’ searches. The dogs are trained to help military police by using their increased sense of smell to help detect narcotics or explosives.
“All Military Working Dogs are certified patrol dogs and will also be certified as either narcotics or explosive, but never both,” said Cpl. Alfred C. Nieto Jr., Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron military working dog handler.
“The reason for this is because if a dog sits, you don’t want to be guessing whether he’s sitting on top of drugs or explosives,” said Nieto.
Once a scent is found, the dog will then sit, a common sign to inform his handler he has found what he is looking for.
The most universal type of Military Working Dog is the German Shepard due to their ability to retain more knowledge than other dogs, according to Nieto. Although the German Shepard has been used as a Military Working Dog since World War I, he might not be the most commonly used Military Working Dog for long.
“The Marine Corps is planning to switch to Belgium Malonois because they have a higher drive and longer life expectancy than the German Shepard,” said Nieto.
When training a Military Working Dog, the dog must learn the five steps of aggression.
The five steps of aggression are the interview, interview into the bite (suspect takes off, dog bites), search and re-attack (suspect attacks officer during search, dog bites), escort (dog escorts suspect to vehicle), and the most important step of all, the stand off.
“The stand off basically teaches the dog to stop halfway through the bite because if we lose sight of a suspect we cannot allow the dog to keep pursuing,” said Cpl. Tyler J. Corwin, H&HS military working dog handler/trainer.
The long training hours Marine dog handlers spend with the Military Working Dogs makes them ready for almost any situation. Training them day and night to make sure their skills are always at their peak can be a tough responsibility.
“Our main purpose as handlers is to make the dogs proficient at their job,” said Corwin.
Working with dogs gives the K-9 Marines a chance to build a friendship a lot of people never experience.
“There is not a day that goes by I’m not with that dog,” said Nieto. “Humans can turn on you at any time, or hesitate to act in a situation, but I know my dog would protect me no matter what.”