Page 291 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
even suggests the move might cost money. The RAF has been stung into conducting a separate inquiry. The RAF believes the Army is fighting a desperate rear-guard action because senior officers fear the move will not only lose them control of their own dog school but may also jeopardise the future of the one hundred and twenty horses that are trained at Melton Mowbray each year for the Household Cavalry.
“What they are worried about,” said one RAF Officer, “is that the MOD will suddenly realise that you don’t need all these expensive vets in uniform in Melton Mowbray when you could get the private sector to handle the horses.”
The move has been the subject of three inquiries during the past eight years and according to the RAF, each one has favoured moving the Army dogs to RAF Newton, where there is more land. But the Army says: “... it is like moving the mountain to Mohammed” because they train more dogs and have almost twice as many (as the RAF) in Service.
There were further Ministry studies, in 1986, 1987 and 1988, following Ministerial recommen- dations or visits by Ministers to the RAVC.
A review that commenced during 1986, and was reported in June 1987, outlined the design of a Joint Services Dog School (JSDS), as mentioned earlier. Various pieces of correspondence cited problems throughout the studies into the rationalisation of dog handler training – each Service fearing a takeover by the other, not only through reasons of self-interest, but also from a genuine concern that Operational effectiveness might be eroded. This had, perhaps led to some exaggeration of the differences in training requirements and practices, through to the presentation of a statistics in ways which supported particular cases. This is not to say that differences in Operational requirements did not exist and needed to be considered in any joint training programme. The report concluded that there was no obstacle, in principle, to the formation of a JSDS which should encompass the whole range of activities involved in the training of dogs and handlers, including the collection of dogs, inspections, training, veterinary care, continuation training and validation of training.15
Dog Training School Divisions
During the mid-1980s the Army Dog Training School was divided into two main divisions – The Dog Training Wing and Handler Training Wing, with an annual throughput of two hundred and sixty dogs and four hundred personnel respec-
tively. The dog intake section handled some one thousand offers of dogs by way of public donation and screened them out in order to meet their procurement requirements. The dog population in the school averaged two hundred and there were up to forty students under training at any one time.
Before training began, the canine recruit had spent twenty-one days in isolation from the main kennels, during which time, the dog had been subject to veterinary examination for physical fitness. Then, when transferred to the training kennels, they had a clean bill of health, were fully vaccinated, and had their potential use determined.
The Training Wing was predominantly dedicated to training Protection dog handlers. Up to fifteen students attended each fourteen-day course and the courses ran consecutively for forty-eight weeks of the year. The trained handler achieved a working knowledge of kennel hygiene and dog maintenance, learned to recognise the health of the dog and was able to administer First Aid to the dog if and when necessary. They also became proficient in the correct method of handling a Protection Dog, patrolling, challenging and arrest procedures. Once trained, the handler was capable of deployment with a Protection Dog under qualified Unit supervision.
Protection Dogs were always the category most in demand and so a major commitment of dog trainers were assigned to this category. It has always been in the field of Protection that the young dog trainer learns his basic trade and builds the foundation upon which his or her expertise would develop. A dog trainer Class 3 was expected to have six potential Protection Dogs under his supervision and training. Training times being varied depending on the temperament of individual dogs, but the average expectation from starting to passing out would be twelve weeks.
When ready for issue the trained Protection Dog was collected by a dog handler from the user Unit or, if for overseas use, placed on a draft for consignment to the receiving RAVC Unit. Dogs for employment in the UK underwent a five-day period of teaming up to the Unit handler at the School before issue. During that time, the trainer demonstrated the dog to the handler and explained any special points about the dog to assist an easy settling into the receiving Unit. Overseas drafts were escorted by RAVC trainers and WRAC kennel maids (pre-1992).
15 CSO(T&E) R/23(22) dated 4th June 1987.
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