The Puppy Program

Did you know that the Department of Defense operates a military working dog breeding program? aka The Puppy Program.

The Department of Defense Military Working Dog Breeding Program was established in 1998. The Breeding Program (informally and affectionately referred to as the Puppy Program) provides an internal source of military working dogs to supplement the needs of the DoD. As adults, these puppies will be utilized for the detection of explosives and illegal contraband, specialized searching (land-mine clearing and locating weapons in war zones), Search and Rescue needs, and troop/asset patrol protection.

They will serve in all branches of our military. Some of the dogs not meeting the DoD requirements have gone on to work for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and law enforcement agencies throughout our country, serving and protecting our citizens and communities.

The Breeding Program selects and breeds quality working-line Belgian Malinois. Solid temperament, working ability and medical soundness are just some of the standards used to select the sires and dams for the Program.

From birth to eight weeks our pups are reared at the Military Working Dog Center on Lackland AFB, TX in our state of the art whelping facility. While there is no guarantee that any pup of this age will develop into an adult working dog, our Puppy Development Specialists begin working with the pups from birth, imprinting and exposing the pups to a variety of stimulations and activities that will prepare them for the next phase of their life

Note: This information and photos are being published with permission from Bernie at the Department of Defense Breeding Program. This is Part I of the Puppy Program Feature.

Reprinted with permission from Kevin Hanrahan 

http://khanrahan.com/2012/11/29/future-military-working-dogs/