School for service dogs of the Bundeswehr

School for service dogs of the Bundeswehr - SDstHundeBw -
Internal association badge
Lineup	1958
Country	Germany
Armed forces	armed forces
Organizational area	Force Base
Insinuation	Armed Forces Office
Location	Elms , Countess-von-Maltzan-Kaserne
Former locations	Koblenz MobStP Bubenheim
Awards	Flag ribbon Rhineland-Palatinate (2014)
Web presence	SDstHundeBw
guide
commander	Senior field veterinarian Stefan Hampel
Old names
1958-1982	Dog relay

The Bundeswehr Service Dog School ( SDstHundeBw ) is the Bundeswehr's central military training facility for service dogs and their service dog handlers (DHFhr).

The school, initially set up in Koblenz-Bubenheim , has been located in Ulmen (Eifel) since April 2005 in the Countess-von-Maltzan barracks named after Maria Countess von Maltzan in 2008 .

history

The history of today's school goes back to 1958. A dog squadron was set up in Koblenz-Bubenheim , with staff and dogs being taken over from the British Army . The main task of the unit was the training of security guards with their guard dogs . Over the years, both the range of tasks and competencies have changed significantly. The training of guard dogs has been expanded accordingly through further specialization of these dogs. In 1982 the dog squad became the Bundeswehr Service Dog School. In 1993, the first guard dogs at the Bundeswehr dog school were specialized in detecting explosives , and the concept of the dual service dog was born . This means that, in addition to the special tasks described, a service dog can also be used as an aid to physical violence, i.e. to ward off attacks on soldiers, pursue refugees and deter violent criminals.

From 1997, the range of training was expanded to include drug detection dogs and rescue dogs . The increase in the Bundeswehr's foreign missions and the resulting risks for the soldiers also resulted in an increasing need for special dogs, for example for tracking down people , explosives or mines . Their training took place from 2001 in the former ammunition bunkers in the training center for special dogs on what is now the school for service dogs in Ulmen.

In 2005, the entire facility was moved from Koblenz-Bubenheim to the Hochpochen forest in Ulmen. The original depot with approx. 50 ammunition warehouses on a total area of ​​almost 10,000 m² was closed in the course of the transformation of the Bundeswehr and converted into training facilities in which situations are presented that are as similar to reality as possible. As early as 2001, 43 ammunition bunkers were converted by the 2nd Company of the Heavy Pioneer Battalion 330 as part of training measures in training centers in which situations are as similar as possible to reality. The bunkers were therefore chosen to allow the explosives to be installed over a longer period of time without having to install costly safety measures. Since 2006, mine detection dogs have been trained for the pioneer troops at the Bundeswehr Service Dog School.

As part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the School for Service Dogs on August 8, 2008, the previously unnamed property in the Hochpochter Wald (Ulmen) was given the name Gräfin-von-Maltzan-Kaserne during a solemn roll call . This goes back to the veterinarian Maria Countess von Maltzan , who helped politically persecuted people survive in the Third Reich despite the danger to their own lives. This makes this barracks the second of a total of 2 barracks in Germany that currently bear the names of women.

In 2015, the training was changed on the basis of new requirements of the paratrooper troops, the object protection forces of the air force and the pioneer troops. This results in three new types of service dogs that are no longer modular, but are trained in continuous courses of 10 months. The ordnance detection dogs of the pioneer troops are now also able to be kept at a distance as “mono” dogs, while the service dogs of the specialized forces continue to be dual trained for protective tasks and for detection. The School for Service Dogs now trains explosives and narcotics detection dogs for the Feldjäger troop, ordnance and mine detection dogs for the pioneers, access service dogs of the KSK, special service dogs for the paratrooper troops and the security forces of the Air Force with the associated service dog handlers. With their specific skills, these service dog teams contribute to the best possible protection of soldiers, but also of the population, in the numerous areas in which the Bundeswehr is deployed.

Service dog clinic

The service dog clinic, consisting of the areas of surgery / dentistry, interior / ambulance, kennel facility and breeding station, is the central point of contact for the veterinary care of all service dogs in the Bundeswehr. For example, tests are carried out on fitness for service, fitness for exams or suitability for use abroad. In addition to the appointment consultation for all service dogs of the Bundeswehr and the veterinary care of the training, demonstration and special dogs at the school, the emergency care of service dogs within a radius of 200 km 365 days a year, day and night, is ensured by the veterinary emergency readiness. In the context of the care of service dogs on missions abroad, the service dog clinic is a reliable and competent contact person around the clock for the medical officers of the Bundeswehr veterinary service who are on missions abroad.

All dogs that are offered to the School for Service Dogs for purchase must also be examined for clinical suitability. On the basis of the findings, a preselection is made as to whether a service dog is suitable for health and whether it can even be used as a special dog or guard dog abroad, for which higher demands are to be made. Newly purchased dogs are initially trained in the quarantine station by school staff and have no contact with other service dogs during this time. This measure is intended to prevent the introduction of communicable diseases into the running of the school.

The tooth age determination according to Korthäuer is mainly used to verify the age specified by the dealer for buying dogs. Based on the radiographically determined area of ​​the pulp cavity of the canine , in which the vascular supply and nerves are located, the dental age of the service dog can be determined with an accuracy of ± 3 months of life up to an age of 6 years.

Foreign service dogs are presented at the service dog clinic before they enter the country of assignment. Prophylactic measures are intended to prevent a service dog from falling ill in the deployment area. The so-called "travel diseases", which are transmitted by ticks, mosquitos or sand flies and can be endemic in the areas of operation of the Bundeswehr, play a special role. After returning from a foreign assignment, all service dogs are clinically examined, blood samples from the service dogs are subjected to a laboratory test for special pathogens as standard so that immediate therapy can be initiated if necessary.

In addition to the further training of the company's own staff, the training of veterinary specialists and animal keepers, there are courses for medical officers of the Bundeswehr veterinary “service dog treatment in foreign deployments” and lessons and practical training for service dog handlers. In addition, the clinic is a competent contact for veterinary medical issues (e.g. purchase examinations, poisoning with explosives, etc.) for other authorities that keep duty dogs.

In addition to the full range of veterinary care services, the diagnosis and therapy of dental and jaw diseases or typical diseases of large sports and service dog breeds, such as the cauda equina syndrome and animal physiotherapy, are a special challenge for the veterinarians at the service dog clinic.

Training content

The first experience with breeding service dogs was gained in the 1990s. As part of the expansion of the order for the school for service dogs, there was a massive increase in the need for suitable, high-performance service dogs at the beginning of 2000. Due to the market situation, it was not possible to ensure that requirements were met, even with high financial outlay.

On June 18, 2002, the school for service dogs received the order to compensate for this deficit to develop a breeding concept in addition to the purchase. This could subsequently be successfully implemented, so that since 2007 the component breeding has been incorporated into the organizational principles (STAN) of the school for service dogs.

Based on the experience of the original guard dog training, the specialization of service dogs in different spectrums as well as the requirements in foreign deployment, the school for service dogs designed the modular training for the service dog teams of the parachute and field hunter troops at the beginning of 2000. This was initially followed by a four-month training as a security service dog or military police dog, which was then followed by up to 21 weeks of special training as a ordnance detection dog or personal detection dog for the paratrooper troops or as an explosives detection dog or drug detection dog for the military police.

Service dogs of the German Armed Forces and their service dog handlers have to regularly prove their capabilities as part of quality assurance. The specialized service dog teams are certified at regular intervals. Guard dogs must take an annual test in accordance with the German Armed Forces Service Dog Testing Ordinance (DPOBw).

Basically, the training of the service dogs takes place by exploiting their prey and play behavior. Different races are used. The Belgian and German shepherd dogs are versatile, the calm, balanced nature of the Labrador qualifies him for the detection of mines.

Types of use for service dogs in the Bundeswehr

Dual trained service dogs:

• Feldjägerdiensthund specializes as an explosives or narcotics detection dog
• Service dog object protection forces of the Air Force
• Service dog Specialized forces
• Access service dog

Mono dogs:

• Explosive Ordnance Detector
• Mine detection dog
• Therapy companion dogs
• Therapy dogs

Service dogs with the qualification for buried and avalanche search dogs are still missing, as no service dog trains have yet been set up for the mountain troops.

Awards

The Prime Minister of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer , awarded the School for Service Dogs on July 17, 2014 as part of a festive appeal on the market in the heart of the sponsored community of Ulmen the flag ribbon for the troop flag "as a sign of honorable and grateful recognition for outstanding services to the citizens Citizens of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. "

See also

• Customs dog school

Web links

• School for service dogs of the Bundeswehr

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Eifelzeitung: Four-legged friends in action for the Bundeswehr (PDF), accessed on August 29, 2016
2. ↑ Press release of the Army Command May 23, 2001 accessed again January 30, 2010
3. ^ Johann Schäffer: Maria Gräfin von Maltzan (1909–1997): A vet in the resistance Laudation on the occasion of the naming of the barracks for the school for service dogs of the Bundeswehr in Gräfin-von-Maltzan barracks
4. ↑ Countess von Maltzan.pdf | Maria Countess von Maltzan (1909–1997): A veterinarian in the resistance (PDF) , accessed on August 29, 2016
5. ↑ Tooth age determination. In: www.diensthundepraxis.homepage.t-online.de. Retrieved August 29, 2016 . 
6. ↑ OStVet Dr. Ernst: Briefing of the service dog clinic SDstHundeBw during the visit of the chief of the armed forces office in August 2005
7. ↑ Brochure School for Service Dogs of the German Armed Forces - Ten years at the Ulmen site (PDF; 9.9 MB).

Coordinates: 50 ° 12 '53.2 "  N , 7 ° 2' 20.9"  E