MILITARY WORKING DOGS – TRAINING THE NOSE THAT KNOWS and six handlers completed a three-day joint training exercise at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13, 2025.

The 72-hour program, led by the 5th Security Forces Squadron alongside the Minot Police Department, focused on helicopter integration, water confidence and emergency care techniques designed to strengthen interoperability between base and local law enforcement units. Military working dogs play a crucial role in modern military operations, as they provide critical capabilities in detecting explosives, weapons, and narcotics, among other essential tasks that enhance force protection and battlefield effectiveness.

On Aug. 11 handlers practiced helicopter integration, a sequence of drills that included boarding and unboarding aircraft to accustom the dogs to rotor wash and the movement of airframes. The exercises placed emphasis on moving animals safely in and out of confined aircraft spaces and on handlers maintaining control while aircraft systems were active. Such proficiency is essential for both military and local law enforcement agencies, which can benefit from joint training programs that enhance their operational readiness.

Aug. 12 shifted the training to Lake Sakakawea, where Tactical Combat Casualty Care procedures were taught and water-confidence drills took place. That day’s syllabus included scenarios to acclimate dogs to boat loading and operations around open water, as well as tracking scenarios to reinforce scent work in varied terrain. These training regimes are reflective of larger initiatives like the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT), aimed at fostering collaboration between military and civilian units.

Training concluded on Aug. 13 at the Law Enforcement Training Grounds in Minot with lane-based exercises that tested odor-detection skills. Those training lanes are procedures which train the dogs on how to identify explosives by smell and to operate in realistic search lanes used in civilian and military threat scenarios. The primary U.S. training program for military working dog handlers is the Military Working Dog Handler Course run by the 341st Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland, which prepares handlers for both patrol and detection duties.

Personnel who participated included military working dog handlers Senior Airman Ryan Faulk, Senior Airman Alexandria Molloy, Senior Airman Joseph Silva, Senior Airman Demonte Blackmon and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Arnett, all affiliated with the 5th Security Forces Squadron. They worked alongside Minot Police Department Officer Kolbe Bach and were supported administratively by U.S. Army Capt. Joshua Middleton, Veterinary Commanding Officer.

Five military working dogs took part in the exercises; among those named were Manson-Pogo, Pepino, MMagoo and Djego. Throughout the event handlers practiced immediate care and casualty-stabilization techniques alongside their operational drills to ensure dogs could be assessed and stabilized in the field before reaching veterinary treatment facilities. This focus on emergency care helps solidify the collaboration and shared goals of military and civilian K9 units in maintaining the health and safety of their canine counterparts.

The joint activity was described in a Minot Air Force Base feature and a related feature appears on Support Our Troops. The exercise follows a familiar model of combined training aimed at improving readiness and coordination between military and civilian K9 units; similar handler development programs are offered at established training centers such as those hosted at Fort Leonard Wood.

Base public affairs identified the feature’s author as Senior Airman Kendra A. Ransum. The three-day timetable ran Aug. 11–13, and organizers said the combination of helicopter, water and lane training was intended to expand the dogs’ operational envelopes and the handlers’ ability to respond in unfamiliar environments.

Source

Original reporting: view the original article.