Page 44 - Chiron 2024

Decoy Course
by Cpl Denslow RAVC, Training Wing
As part of the 103 Support Squadrons WIPs package
the MWD training team provided a new and updated five- day Decoy Upskills package. The package provides vital theoretical knowledge of canine behaviour within the bite work, as well as greater understanding of how and why the PTL training team develop patrol MWDs in the techniques we currently use. Following on from this is four days of practical training, starting from the fundamentals of grip work through to applying and releasing pressure on the ground.
The course started on the 15th of January 24 with sixteen students straight out of phase 2 training.
In phase 2 they cover the basics
of catching and decoying MWDs safely. The students
now look forward to an
intense development week, where the skills they learn
will be utilised throughout their careers developing the
PTL capability and aid with the transition from a recruit to an
operational handler within their ops squadron.
Day one consists of theory lessons covering health and
safety, what equipment is used to develop MWD bite
capabilities, learning theory and canine behaviour with a bonus lesson including physical fitness training wearing the bite equipment. This has been added to show the importance of being physically fit to conduct effective bite work training, as well as getting the students
used to moving around in the bite equipment. Teaching these topics
is key for making the students fully understand how dogs learn and what good training practise looks like practically. Day one for the students can be hard hitting as this is their first experience with MWD training, however the feedback
post course has been extremely positive. The rest of the week is filled with practical training starting from the very fundamentals of bite mechanics. Students go through how the training wing develop strong bite and hold grips, utilising static and human back ties with bite pillows transitioning to a full bite suit. 104 and 102Sqn provide fully operation MWDs as well as MWDs currently on training programs to allow the students to understand how each MWD is different and
the training stages to achieve our desired outcomes. The training then ramps up
throughout the
week to go through targeting to
the final stages of adding pressure within the bite work by utilising negative reinforcement in the form of groundwork and body language.
The five-day course is a perfect timeline to conduct the training with all the students showing a very high level of practical ability within the scenarios at the end. The post course feedback shows that the course is a steep learning curve, however the theoretical and practical skills learnt are vital for the students’ transition into their operational squadrons
by having a greater understanding
of MWD training, which in turn provides greater operational
output in the future. Post course
the feedback from the operational squadrons within 1MWD Regt have also been extremely positive. I feel the upskill package delivered within the WIPs package has provided the squadrons with highly motivated and skilled junior soldiers that can create a positive impact from day one of their military careers.
42 / Chiron Calling