Page 3 - Desert Lightning News So. AZ Edition News – March 2024

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Military working dog handlers collaborate with University of Arizona
by 355th Wing
Public Affairs
Three U.S. military working dogs demonstrated their skill sets for the Canine Cognition Center, a veterinarian research group affiliated with the Uni- versity of Arizona, at Davis-Mon- than Air Force Base, Arizona, on Feb. 7, 2024.
MWD handlers shared know- ledge and experiences with the research group to showcase their handling capabilities.
Three particular exercises demonstrated the dogs’ skill sets and capabilities in unexplored terrain.
“When deployed in ‘outside the wire’ missions, our job is to have the dog out in front of us and in front of a squad behind us,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ryan Duggan, 355th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler. “The dog is searching for dangerous scenarios.”
As the leading MWD navigates the terrain, the handler’s detect potential behavioral changes. If such a change occurs, a vulner- ability has been found in their proximity. Different MWD are trained in unique capabilities such as drug or bomb detection.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Shane Myers, 355th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, works with Ssilke, a mili- tary working dog assigned to the 355th SFS at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 7, 2024. Ssilke was trained to search for specific scents that could cause a threat to the mission.
U.S. Air Force photos by Airman 1st Class Robert Allen Cooke III
U.S. Airmen and members of the Canine Cognition Center pose for a group photo at Davis- Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 7, 2024. The Canine Cognition Center and the military work-
ing dog handlers
at Davis-Monthan shared knowledge
to promote research and understanding of how MWDs operate in the field.
MWDs learn at a young age to seek specific smells and react to them accordingly. Their handlers use techniques such as sorting different odors into boxes for young dogs to smell.
“The MWDs encounter an odor that they are trained to find, and then show what’s called a ‘change of behavior,’” said Duggan. “We then show that we have seen this behavioral change, and then we let the dog in training go into a final response.”
MWDs and their handlers re- main paired during their deploy- ments, like U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Dillon Johnson, a 355th SFS MWD handler, when he was deployed to Africa. There John- son conducted route clearances, sweep exercises, and patrol work with his MWD.
During patrol work, handlers
could act as ‘decoys’ and hide out in fields before open area search- es were prompted. MWDs are trained to pursue aggressors or ‘decoys’ as certain commands are issued to them by their handlers.
“I did an ‘outside the wire’ mission, and I was able to clear a route for the convoy that I was with,” said Johnson. “It was awesome watching my dog work, picking up all the scents, and making sure that we were able to be safe.”
Through deployed experiences and deliberate training, the Ca- nine Cognition Center learned and watched a demonstration of the MWD’s approach to attack an aggressor under the handler’s command. The following dem- onstration showcased the dog’s ability to bite onto a slippery object with its full mouth, and the
handler’s ability to respond to its performance.
After the handlers and their dogs completed the exercises, the handlers held a question and answer session with the Canine
Cognition Center representatives. Both parties built relationships and attained a better understand- ing of how research, training, and handling of dogs is conducted at Davis-Monthan.
Kiler, a military working dog assigned to the 355th Security Forces Squadron, bites down on a simulated prey object for a training ex- ercise at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 7, 2024. Kiler was among two other military working dogs that demonstrated their abilities to the University of Arizona’s Canine Cognition Center.
U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Nelson Acosta, 355th Security Forces Squadron kennel master, Staff Sgt. Ryan Duggan, 355th SFS military working dog handler, and Senior Airman Dillon Johnson, 355th SFS MWD handler, demonstrate a training exercise at Davis- Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 7, 2024. The MDW handlers collaborated with the University of Arizona’s Canine Cognition Center to demonstrate the capabilities of trained attack dogs in a controlled environment.
Ssilke, a military working dog assigned to the 355th Security Forces Squadron, sits during
a discussion between 355th SFS military working dog han- dlers and representatives of the Canine Cognition Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 7, 2024. Ssilke demonstrated the ability to search for improvised explo- sive devices to Canine Cogni- tion Center representatives during a training exercise.
Staff
Publisher ...............................................................................Paul Kinison Business Manager ................................................................Lisa Kinison Editor .........................................................................................KC Rawley Advertising Representative ................................................Sandi Bueltel Designer ..................................................................................Tinna Sellie
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