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Military working dog handlers take bite for training

By Tech. Sgt. Aaron Oelrich, 15th Wing Public Affairs / Published June 04, 2015

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Ke Kula Maka'i Police Academy, Hawaii -- Military Working Dog handlers from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marines attended a four-day MWD handler decoy training here June 3, designed to improve the MWD handlers decoy skills and increase their proficiencies as trainers of MWD .

"The decoy is the sparring partner for a MWD; there is nothing more important than decoy work," said Fanco Angelini, training instructor. "The handler can do a lot of things for the dog; that is why he is the dog's best friend. The one thing he can't do is make him a great fighter; that is why decoy training is so important to the MWD and his handler."

According to Angelini, the decoy is a handler who wears a personal protective suit, allowing the dog to practice subduing a suspect in the correct way. He added his course is another layer of training for the MWD handler, teaching them about animal behaviors, decoy mechanics and decoy interaction with the MWD.

Throughout the training, handlers from the different services rotated as the decoy, putting their new skills to the test.

"The best part is getting hit and feeling the dogs power," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Josh Chase, 647th Security Forces Squadron MWD handler. "I am so focused when I am in the suit on training the dog properly, just knowing as the decoy you are the trainer for the MWD."

In addition to the handler learning new skills, the military working dogs showed their skills and learned new ones as well.

"I have seen drastic improvements in MWD Bari from this training," said U.S. Navy Master at Arms First Class Maura Johnson, lead petty officer for the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Security Forces MWD. "He is jumping higher, taking down the decoy and he is more focused and calmer. This training has taught me the decoy is not the enemy of the dog but the second best friend of the dog."

All six MWD handlers, from four different branches of the military, agreed they would bring the training back to their units to improve their training capabilities.

"One of the things I am getting out of the training today is decoy skills I will take back to the unit and teach the other decoys to improve Chuck and the other MWDs," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy Coleman, 520th MWD Detachment at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Angelini has experience as a MWD handler with the U.S. Army, U.S. Secret Service and Harrisburg Police Department. After 25 years of law enforcement, he now concentrates on educating handlers in the art of decoying, problem solving and behavior modification.