Military Police Train Service Dogs in Gran Canaria

Three military working dog teams from the Hungarian Defense Forces’ Military Police Regiment traveled to the Canary Islands for intensive international training. In Las Palmas, the Hungarian soldiers and their four-legged partners tackled demanding scenarios to assess their level of training against international standards and gain valuable experience for operational duties, reports honvedelem.hu.

The Hungarian delegation deliberately represented different stages of development, from an experienced veteran to promising young talent:

• Dutch, handled by Staff Sergeant Csaba István, demonstrated confidence and composure in every situation. With the service dog approaching its well-earned retirement, the demanding training environment provided a fitting highlight to his military career.
• Riki, the partner of Private Róbert Juhász, handled its first overseas deployment steadily and without hesitation. Neither the unfamiliar surroundings nor the foreign instructors and role-players unsettled the advanced training dog.
• Apache, the young dog handled by Squad Leader Gábor Lusztig, displayed remarkable discipline despite its age. Instructors particularly praised his powerful grip during protection work.

Organized by the Spanish hosts, the program brought together personnel from a wide range of security services, including local police and military units, Air Force dog handlers and search-and-rescue dog teams.

The practical exercises demanded the utmost concentration from both handlers and dogs. In purpose-built tactical training buildings and complex bunker systems, the teams practiced locating and apprehending suspicious individuals in coordination with operational units.

At the site of a former military prison, they also tackled arrest procedures, searches and crowd-dispersal scenarios involving smoke devices and loud noises.

The program also included apprehension drills involving assistants wearing full-protection Mondioring suits, as well as transport flights aboard Puma helicopters.

Beyond conventional protection and search duties, the training schedule covered tactical combat casualty care. As part of the K9TCCC (Canine Tactical Combat Casualty Care) module, handlers refined life-saving techniques for treating injured service dogs under tactical conditions.

During subsequent live-fire exercises, the dogs demonstrated their ability to remain calm around gunfire, while the soldiers fired HK G36 assault rifles in close proximity to their canine partners.

The greatest physical challenge proved to be the climate. High humidity and temperatures made carefully managed hydration and rest periods an absolute priority for the dogs.

The Spanish instructors adapted the exercise scenarios flexibly to each dog’s individual level of development, an approach that contributed significantly to the training’s success.

Although the participating countries follow broadly similar training philosophies, the opportunity to observe the specific methods used by their Spanish counterparts provided valuable insights for future operations. The training also further strengthened lasting multinational cooperation between the participating K9 units.

Via honvedelem.hu, Featured image: HM KRE/honvedelem.hu

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