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Dogs, handlers train in Texas before patrolling Scott AFB

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tristin English
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Texas is home to Air Force Basic Military Training, which ensures an orderly transition from civilian to military life. But what many people may not know is that this is where both security forces handlers and their K-9s also receive their initial qualifications.

It's there, at the 341st Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where handlers and their K-9s receive training in the fundamentals of their specialty.

"[Both trainers and K-9s] spend 120 days in school being taught detection skills such as finding narcotics, explosives, patrol procedures, suspect apprehension, building searches, and vehicle extractions," said Staff Sgt. William Watson, 375th Military Working Dog trainer.

In addition, the handlers are taught the fundamentals of caring for the welfare of their animals.

Once they graduate from training, they are assigned to duty locations based on Air Force needs, which is virtually worldwide.

"Handlers, just like the K-9s, go where they are needed it just depends on the mission," explained Watson. "They don't necessarily PCS together to the same location. However, K-9s do not continue to PCS, they remain at the same duty location, while handlers will PCS as needed. They only time the Air Force keeps them together would be during deployment scenarios. This is because ideally, a trained handler should be able to establish a rapport with another K-9 at another location."

On station for just three months, Watson said his job now is to continue to build on those basic skills taught at Lackland with all the handlers and their K-9 partners here.

"Training is an everyday, 24/7, 365," said Watson. "When you train a dog in a task he or she is not proficient in and then seeing a dog perform that, it's almost like Christmas morning receiving a gift, the gift of that to me is the dog performing the task. That a handler or the trainer has trained into that particular K-9.

"These teams are out on the streets looking for narcotics or explosives, for example. Dogs are considered a 'non-less than lethal' use of force, so they back up our counterparts on the road as far as catching suspects when they flee or barricade themselves."

He said what they do helps to ensure the safety of the base and that their K-9 teams are "guardians of the night."

Security Forces Airmen are the only ones authorized to become a dog handler, and can only do so after they receive their 5-level certification in their career field and submit a package for consideration. Those selected will then travel to the 341st TS for training, which, said Watson, "shows how it all comes full circle."