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Becoming a K-9 handler: not exactly a walk in the park

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In order to work with some of the military's most highly-skilled law-enforcement officers, one has to be ready to clean up after them.

No, it's not hazing or a right of passage. But for anyone wanting to become a Security Forces K-9 handler, it's a small taste of what is sure to come.

Staff Sgt. Nicholas Ehlinger, 47th Security Forces Squadron K-9 Division kennel master, said a lot of people think they want to work with dogs. That is, until he puts them to work in the kennels, showing them what is involved in being a K-9 handler.

Before a security forces Airman can be recommended for handler duty, they are given a brief, no-holds-barred introduction to the career field.

"I usually require at least 14 hours of 'shadowing,' where a candidate will follow around a handler to see what the job is really like," the sergeant said. In addition to shadowing, applicants are required to perform many of the tasks commonly assigned to handlers, including kennel sanitization, assisting in public demonstrations and "catching" dogs during training. The term "catching" may be a bit misleading, as it's actually the dog catching the person with his teeth through a padded suit.

"This is where we weed out the people who might not be cut out for this," Sergeant Ehlinger said.

K-9 handlers are recruited from within the security forces career field, but it isn't as simple as changing an additional duty. In fact, it's an entirely different Air Force Specialty Code.

"It's a complete cross train," Sergeant Ehlinger said, explaining that potential handlers must submit a standard cross-training package, including a letter of recommendation, before being considered for the switch.

"We want to make sure they're not going to drop out," Sergeant Ehlinger explained. "They need to know what they're in for."

Once an applicant is accepted for the handler position, he attends a three-and-a-half-month training course at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. All branches of the military train their K-9 handlers at the facility, which ensures they can work together seamlessly in a joint environment.

"If I were to go out with the Army tomorrow, there'd be no problems," Sergeant Ehlinger said. "We very rarely deploy with the Air Force. In my time here, I've never deployed a handler with an Air Force unit."

Once a handler is trained and assigned to a base, he is teamed up with a dog, and the two spend two to three weeks getting to know each other. A highly-motivated handler can be ready to work with his dog in as little as two weeks, Sergeant Ehlinger said.

From there, the assignment possibilities are endless.

"Military working dogs go everywhere," Sergeant Ehlinger said. The sergeant said one of his most memorable experiences was working security with the Secret Service at former President George Bush's 80th birthday party in Houston.

"Those kinds of missions are a blast."

All military working dogs are trained in basic patrol techniques, and then, based on specific criteria, they are trained on one of two specialties: explosives or narcotics.

Both specialties are heavily relied upon in deployed locations around the world, and Sergeant Ehlinger said since he became kennel master at Laughlin he has always had at least one dog-and-handler team deployed at any given time.

While deployed K-9 handlers and their dogs are busy keeping servicemembers safe from explosives and drugs, their coworkers back at their home station are just as busy.

"We support off-base agencies all the time," Sergeant Ehlinger said. "We respond to bomb threats downtown, drug busts and humanitarian assistance." The 47th SFS K-9 Division covers a 150-mile radius around Laughlin.

On base, they perform routine checks of buildings on base, perimeter sweeps and other tasks. Sergeant Ehlinger said military working dogs have even assisted in catching illegal aliens who jump the perimeter fence.

A dog and its handler are an inseparable team from the moment they are teamed up together until the dog retires or the handler leaves the base. Although handlers change permanent duty stations with the same frequency as other career fields, dogs are permanently assigned to a base, and change handlers when one leaves. When it comes time for the dog to retire, his handler is given first priority if adoption is available.

Senior Airman Ryan Troester has been a K-9 handler for one of his four years in the Air Force, and recently returned to Laughlin from a deployment to Iraq. He said one part of being a handler he really enjoys is being able to see progress every day.

"Your dog is a reflection of you," he said, explaining that how well a military working dog performs his duties depends on his trainer.

Airman Troester said he also enjoys having the chance to work with other branches of the military, like he did in Iraq, where he worked with the Army. "They were really receptive to our way of doing things," he said.

Staff Sgt. Brian Garcia, another Laughlin K-9 handler, has been doing the job for two and a half of his six years in the Air Force. He said the most rewarding part of the job for him is saving lives with bomb-sniffing dogs and keeping drugs off the streets with their narcotics-sniffing counterparts. He also said he likes the treatment he and his dog receive on missions.

"This job is one of the best-kept secrets in the Air Force."