FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — When Spc. Jean Beltran, a military working dog handler with Fort Leonard Wood’s 180th Military Working Dog Detachment, returned with his four-legged partner, Bigi, from a nine-month tour in Central America, the two brought a few new experiences — and a greater bond — back with them.
The team was deployed in support of Joint Task Force-Bravo under U.S. Southern Command. While there, Beltran and Bigi — a narcotics detection dog — regularly completed tasks, including vehicle searches, health and welfare checks for the military units on the installation and multiple demos for visitors.
Beltran, originally from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, said he and five-year-old German Shepherd Bigi have worked together for about a year, adding he felt the tour brought them closer together — Beltran said his barracks were located very close to the kennels.
“You live in the same area where the dogs are being taken care of,” he said. “It definitely helps build that rapport because you’re seeing them constantly — consistency with dog training is key.”
Beltran called Bigi “a character,” compared with other MWDs.
“He’s very fun, and a very smart dog,” Beltran said. “I was a little intimidated at first, when I was a private working him. He’s very energetic. We have dogs we call push-button dogs, which is a dog that’s like a robot. They listen to your commands and react in an instant. And then there are other dogs, like Bigi, who, when you say sit, because they’re distracted — they might be sniffing the ground or running around because they’re excited — you have to let them have that freedom for a little bit, and then it’s time to work. It just comes with patience and time. I think we have a good relationship.”
Beltran’s kennel master here, Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Spears, agreed.
He called Beltran and Bigi a “very proficient duo," who were handpicked for this deployment based on the exceptional skills Beltran demonstrated with Bigi upon arriving at Fort Leonard Wood, despite his junior rank and level of experience.
“(Beltran) is very enthusiastic about his profession,” Spears said. “As a Soldier, (he is) one of the best you could have in an organization.”
Spears said the personal and professional growth a junior Soldier gets while deployed make opportunities like this ideal for someone like Beltran — with the added benefit of strengthening the Military Police Corps as a whole by helping mold better future Army leaders.
“Individual augmentee deployments as a MWD team build immense self-responsibility in the junior enlisted,” Spears said. “They are responsible for navigating across the world with their bags and MWD to get to their destination as young Soldiers. Then, as they progress in their careers, they have that operational experience to carry forward for their future subordinates.”
While deployed, Beltran and Bigi were given the opportunity to participate in some different training experiences — including hoist training with Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, and aggression training in water — both of which Bigi seemed hesitant to try.
Beltran said the hoist training — which is conducted with a helicopter, and helps prepare the team should either the dog handler or the dog require a medical evacuation in a combat zone — was “a good learning experience of what to correctly do.”
However, Bigi hates loud noises, Beltran said.
“He was scared,” Beltran added. “I had to grab the hoist and kind of squeeze him to my chest because he hears the helicopter and he starts panicking. By the time we were in the air, though, he was calm.”
With the pool training, Beltran said some dogs are naturals and want to be in the water, especially on a warm, sunny day.
“Bigi is different,” Beltran said. “He’s kind of a little coward. He didn’t want to jump in.”
During the training, an individual wears a bite wrap and keeps moving away from the dog. Bigi was supposed to keep pursuing, but things didn’t go as planned.
“When Bigi figured out that the decoy was going to keep swimming backward, he just turned around and got out of the water,” Beltran said with a laugh.
Growing up, Beltran said he was always interested in the training aspect with dogs.
“When I was a kid, I would look up YouTube tutorials on how to make your dog do this or that,” he said. “I didn’t really get it until I actually started doing this type of job — you go very in depth into the dog’s psychology and it’s really more simple than you think. You just have to find something that the dog wants to work for, and you just continuously reward them when you see the behavior you want.”
Every MWD-dog handler relationship is different, Beltran said, adding that although the MWDs are technically considered equipment, sometimes they have to be treated like dogs.
“I remember one of my trainers always said, ‘It’s a piece of equipment you learn to love,’” Beltran said. “You have to let them play. Because if you’re just constantly making somebody work-work-work, they’re not going to want to work with you eventually.”
Three years into his Army service, Beltran said he currently plans to make it a career. He is also working toward a criminal justice degree through an online college. Beltran’s father is also a Soldier — currently with 19 years of service — and Beltran said he often speaks with his father about “leadership stuff.”
“He’s been in a lot of leadership positions, so when I need some wisdom, I go to him and he tells me good advice,” Beltran said. “Anywhere I go, I always ask him things.”
Beltran summed up his experiences by saying how important he feels it is to immerse oneself in different cultures.
“I think the biggest thing I take away from it is that I like to see different cultures,” he said. “Educate yourself by doing something new or going somewhere new.”
More information on becoming a military working dog handler in the Army is available here.
Editor’s note: Fort Leonard Wood’s 180th MWD Detachment is organized under the 97th Military Police Battalion at Fort Riley, Kansas.
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