These dogs are training to defend our freedom
Military dogs have been in the spotlight since Delta Force K-9 Conan was recognized by President Trump for the part he played in the raid killing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
FOX Business’ Grady Trimble walked through the U.S. military’s K-9 training center at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, with Sgt. Brian Claypool.
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Hundreds of dogs are trained at the military facility annually, Trimble said on FOX Business’ "Varney & Co."
The dogs at Lackland are trained primarily in apprehending suspects and sniffing out explosives, Trimble noted while watching one handler give his dog the command to leap on a “suspect.”
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Claypool explained an incident where one of his dogs helped locate a suspected shooter’s gun when he was called into a possible shots-fired scenario on base.
“The dog showed a really good change of behavior, indicating that the gun was there," Claypool said. "And later, when we tore the [suspect’s] car apart, we found the gun."
In addition to learning the command to attack a suspect, dogs are also trained to stop their attack on order.
“It’s important that the dogs obey every obedience command that we give them."
"So, in this case, the suspect decided that he gives up — he [doesn’t] want to run [anymore] — he doesn’t want to get bit, so it’s important for the handler to show that he can call the dog off,” Claypool explained.
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The dogs trained at Lackland are between 12 and 18 months old. Most of the dogs used by the U.S. military in these roles are Belgian Malinois, according to the nonprofit U.S. War Dogs Association.
The first dog used by the U.S. in war, named Stubby, was involved in 17 battles on the Western Front in the First World War, the association said.