Page 10 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt, May 2019

10 May 2019 www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb
Thunderbolt http://www.luke.af.mil
participate in
Rango, 56th SSFS MWD, sprints toward his handler during the dog trials. Teams ran an obstacle course, which included running and jumping through a tunnel, attacking decoys and scaling a six-foot wall.
Story and photos by Airman 1st Class ASPEN REID
56th Fighter Wing
pleted an obstacle and verbal- ly outing [calling] the dog off a bite,” said Staff Sgt. Eliza- beth Pedroza, 56th SFS MWD handler. “We also received more points if our dog was able to navigate obstacles without the assistance of a handler. As handlers, we re- ceived less points if we didn’t remain behind cover.”
als helps train the dogs and handlers for deployment situ- ations, Pedroza said.
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The 56th Security Forces Squadron Military Work- ing Dogs participated in the 2019 Desert Dog Trials, April 6, at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale.
“Events like these help expose the dogs to as many different scenarios as pos- sible and give the handlers different tools on what they could possible expect state side or down range,” Pedroza said. “Seeing these scenarios encourage us to set up similar ones to advance the training of our dogs.”
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Frida, 56th SFS Military Working Dog, takes down a decoy in the dog trials. During the three-day event teams competed in multiple courses, including handler protection, building searches, agility obstacles and narcotics detection.
“We were graded on things like how well our dogs com-
Participating in events such as the Desert Dog Tri-
“There are 53 teams that competed this year,” said Rod
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Two teams of MWDs from Luke Air Force Base ran in the trials, which included obstacles such as jumping and running through a tun- nel, scaling a six-foot wall, attacking decoys, and being carried by their handler.
Pedroza said she has been working with her MWD since January 2019, for the com- petition. Airmen and their MWDs spends hours training and preparing for the trials each year.
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Teams were judged based on how well the dog listened to its handler, its efficiency in navigating the course, and its ability to ignore distractions amongt other things.
“Handlers were selected based on their ability and availability during the tri- als,” Pedroza said. “Those who competed this weekend actually gave up their time off to compete.”
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MWDs aren’t the only com- petitors in the Desert Dog Trials. Fifteen police sta- tions, correction offices and the sheriff’s department also come out to show off their skills in the competition. Though MWDs are trained differently for deployment environments, a lot of the skillsets are the same.
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Police officers take a break during the 2019 Desert Dog Trials, as they wait for the next participant to enter the field, April, 6, at Scott- sdale Stadium. Decoys wear bite suits to protect from the dog’s strong bite.
The 2019 Desert Dog Trails were held April 4 – 7 at Scottsdale Stadium. The trials tested military working dog series of events. Participants included local police officers, corrections officers, sheriff deputies and the 56th
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