MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- The Provost Marshal’s Office’s military working dog handlers do more than just work with dogs, they train every week to ensure they are ready to provide security for Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
The MWD handlers spend their days taking care of and training with their dogs for different situations that the military requires them.
Like all military policemen, the MWD handlers begin their job training at the basic three-month military police course in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
After the MPs complete the course, they can apply for the Basic Military Working Dog Handlers Course. The applicants submit a piece of writing on a subject of their choice. Following that, they go on a board where senior Marines test them on MP knowledge. Once selected, the Marines travel to Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio for the course.
The three-month handlers course has two phases, block one and block two. The first block involves patrol work such as field scouts, aggression (teaching dogs to bite), obstacle courses and gun fire. The second block involves detection work such as searching buildings, vehicles and aircraft.
Once the Marines complete the course, they leave for the fleet where their basic job includes feeding and training the dogs and cleaning out their kennels.
The handlers work with three breeds of dogs: German shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Belgian Malinois. The Marine Corps mission calls for dogs which perform well in both detection work and patrol work. These three breeds of dogs have proven to be the best for both areas, explained Staff Sgt. Michael Rubingh, the kennel master for the air station.
On a daily basis the handlers train in the barracks, warehouses, East Miramar and anywhere else they can. The job is 99 percent training, explained Rubingh.
One type of training the handlers perform is searching rooms. The handlers tell the dog to search and then look for the changes in behavior that each dog gives off when they find something, explained Cpl. Rodney Hines, a MWD handler.
Another situation the handlers train for is searching for a suspect. If a suspicious person is seen traveling throughout air station, the handlers will take the dogs and search for them.
The handlers also perform health and comfort inspections where they take the dogs through the barracks and look for contraband items. They also participate in random vehicle inspections at the gates.
Along with working with their dogs, the handlers also have to perform regular MP duties such as standing the gate and patrolling the air station.
When on deployment, the Marines use the dogs to search for explosives such as roadside bombs and weapons caches. They also use some of the dogs to search for narcotics.
“Our job is important to the military,” said Hines. “Marine Corps dog teams are sought out more than any other dog team. These dogs are here to save our lives.”
Whether it’s searching the barracks for a health and comfort inspection or searching for explosives on patrol overseas, the MWD handlers are always ready when service members call on them.
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