TRADOCAca,!E+working dogs gather for certification

By Will King, Fort Leavenworth LampFebruary 11, 2010

TRADOCAca,!E+working dogs gather for certification
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. David Hydro and explosives military working dog Fema work through obstacles Feb. 4 during annual MWD certification at the Fort Leavenworth, Kan., K-9 kennels. MWD handlers from the Training and Doctrine Command forts of Leavenworth, Gordon, Ga.;... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
TRADOCAca,!E+working dogs gather for certification
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Russell Morris, of the 500th Military Police Detachment, Special Troops Battalion, watches military working dog handler Sgt. Steven Staples, 500th, and narcotics MWD Jasko escort decoy Sgt. David Hydro, 500th, during annual MWD certificati... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
TRADOCAca,!E+working dogs gather for certification
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Military working dog Matej reacts to aggressive movement from the suspect as the German shepherd's handler Spc. David McDade, of Fort Gordon, Ga., was searching decoy Spc. Adam Burns, of Fort Jackson, S.C., during annual MWD certification Feb. 4 at t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
TRADOCAca,!E+working dogs gather for certification
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
TRADOCAca,!E+working dogs gather for certification
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Joshua Duncan, of the 500th Military Police Detachment, Special Troops Battalion, guides specialized search dog Tan through obstacles during the agility portion of his annual certification Feb. 4 at the Fort Leavenworth, Kan., K-9 kennels. MWD h... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
TRADOCAca,!E+working dogs gather for certification
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Handler Spc. Adam Burns' military working dog Bleky jumps over an obstacle during the agility portion of annual certification testing Feb. 4 at the Fort Leavenworth, Kan., K-9 kennels. The team is from Fort Jackson, S.C. MWD handlers from the Trainin... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Feb. 11, 2010) - Eight Training and Doctrine Command military working dog teams trained at Fort Leavenworth Feb. 1-4 as part of their annual certification requirements.

Three teams were from Fort Leavenworth, two from Fort Jackson, S.C., two from Fort Gordon, Ga., and one from Fort Eustis, Va. Five of the eight dogs have been on combat deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. James Clark, kennel master at Fort Leavenworth, said the annual certification is a four- or five-day process that tests all of the dogs' abilities.

"Once they are certified, legally they can work and be utilized - that's everything from law enforcement to combat deployments," he said.

Staff Sgt. Russell Morris of the Fort Leavenworth kennels said the certification process includes narcotics and explosives detections conducted in open areas, vehicles and a warehouse; an aggression phase; building search; and obedience course.

Sgt. 1st Class Jimmy Blankenship, TRADOC Military Working Dog Program manager based at Fort Monroe, Va., said the dogs and handlers came to Fort Leavenworth because the kennels here were scheduled for an annual technical assistance visit this month. He said military working dog teams from around TRADOC that need annual certification travel to the TAV site scheduled for that month at any of the 12 TRADOC locations with kennels.

Speaking Feb. 4 during certification at the kennels, Blankenship said the training had gone very well so far and he did not anticipate any problems with certification.

"The dogs have all done extremely well in the detection portion of certification," he said.

Blankenship said the dogs could be used in a variety of missions once certified.

"They can be employed for force protection on the installation; they can do random access measures on the installation, health and welfares; they do the patrolling portion of the installation for visual deterrent to try and keep crime down," he said.

The dogs from Fort Leavenworth include one specialized search dog, a patrol explosives detection dog and a patrol narcotics dog.

Sgt. David Hydro, a patrol explosives detection dog handler in the 500th Military Police Detachment, has trained for three months with Fema, a 7-year-old Czech shepherd. He said Fema is capable of detecting multiple explosives odors in various quantities and areas.

"She can locate subjects in open areas and in buildings, and also has the ability to apprehend subjects," Hydro said. "She is the oldest dog in the kennels, but can still out work most other dogs."

He said the annual certification tested how fast he and Fema think, and how well they work together as a team. Hydro said he and Fema scored 95 of a possible 100 points on their annual certification, and can now actively patrol Fort Leavenworth.