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War Dobes, Part II

© Deborah J. Myers

Combat Dobermans not only were trained in useful tasks such as scouting and mine-sniffing, but they were also trained to live in war conditions. The dogs had to become accustomed to wearing a gas mask specially made for them and a muzzle at times. They had to learn to not be afraid of loud noises such as gunfire and explosions. These dogs had to learn to obey their leader at all times and complete their mission without stopping. They had to become part of a human-led team. In many ways, these dogs learned much of what their human counterparts had to learn in basic training.

One strange part of the whole military dog-training program was that the dogs’ handlers were not required to have any previous experience with dogs. Many servicemen had a crash course in how stubborn Dobermans can be at times!

This situation also necessitated the dogs’ training to be very good so that the dogs would respond to a canine newbie. The dogs also had to be very closely bonded to their handlers so that they would obey someone with little dog knowledge. In fact, during the initial six-week training course, no servicemen were allowed to interact with another serviceman’s dog.

Once the initial training was completed, the dogs were allowed to have more interaction so that they would generally listen to commands given by another person should the handler be killed. Especially with Dobermans, the dogs bonded so closely that when this happened, the dogs became morose. It is said that some were even put to sleep because they would not respond to another handler to the degree required to go to battle.

Dobermans were trained to not bark. True to their nature, Dobermans are guard dogs, not watch dogs anyway. Usually, dogs with any amount of training will emit a low “woof” to warn the owner, not loud barks to ward off an intruder. This natural trait worked well for war Dobes. These dogs were easily trained to let their handlers know someone was coming but not reveal their own location by repeatedly barking loudly. Imagine a Pomeranian or collie as a war dog. The enemy would be able to pin point the handler’s location by his dog’s barking.

Sources include "Dobermans of War" compiled by Ann Lanier with thanks to Captain William W. Putney, DVM, USMC Retired, Doberman Quarterly, Fall 1994, and K-9 History: the Dogs of War! (http://community-2.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP...

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