Another dog abuse PB Fla.Sheriff s Dept - Page 6

Gustav are you referring to Lackland MWD program. When I went to explosive dog school in the early 80s I had a shepherd on food reward. During initial training her food was cut back and often times on the weekend she was cut back or had her food eliminated if she was not performing up to standards. By the end of the course she was doing well but failed cert on our first attempt. Food eliminated for the weekend. After another two weeks she maxxed cert and for the next 6 years we were teamed together, she never bombed in training or her annual certs. We had some finds assisting civilian agencies as well. Will not discuss military finds here.

Deacon, I'm talking about the Army War dog program at Ft Benning in the 70's. This training was used for explosive, narcotic and in the super dog program.( A program to teach dog scout dog skills, mine and tunnel skills, and with a transmitter around their neck they were sent out without handler to give early detection to troops.)

Gustav: "@ Swarnendu....what I wrote was the food schedule for a military " training" program when teaching a dog a foundation skill, under the supervision of veterinary services onsight, and supervision of the kennel master."

I am not able to understand the reason for not feeding a healthy dog for 60 hours, be it in training, or be it at home.

What´s been the real reason for doing so?
I guess it can´t have been part of the training theory ( any healthy, young, not overfed or spoiled dog will be willing to work for food after fasting 24 hours - and I am pretty sure those dogs were neither overfed nor spoiled... )

so - WHY?

What happened to those dogs from Friday night till Monday morning?
Were they able to leave their kennels for releasing themselves?
Was there even a kennel help?
Or have they been on their own for two and a half days ( bureaucracy closed from Friday noon to Monday morning, the dogs "safe" in their kennels) ?

I really try to understand this procedure - but besides monetary reasons and bureaucratical reasons I am not able to find the sense.

No sense in case of training
No sense in case of health

I am really wondering, but during that time a lot of people tended to "experiment" , trying to find the "best way" for training dogs - maybe this has been one of those attempts.

There was staff at kennel 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Dogs not in those programs were fed every day. All military dogs are not exercised everyday. I understand that you don't understand, Civilian/military or police often have different approaches to things, but I have beat that drum on this forum and I'm no longer interested in explaining. Not meant to be snarky, just realized some differences in the two worlds will never be understood or accepted by one or the other.

Gustav, I simply don´t understand this procedure ( and I think it´s not at all fair to the dogs = abusive ).
Military should not have a warrant to do everything they want to do without any supervision.
Do you know about their "approaches" today?
Was it only Ft Benning, or was/is this still "normal procedure" ?

In Germany the person responsible for "feeding rules" like that would loose its job, no matter military or not.

I understand, and you are certainly entitled to your opinion/feelings.

Ft Benning happened in the seventieth, that´s 40 years ago...the knowledge about animals and animal training and housing evolved during the last 40 years.

My "feelings" have not much to do with proper animal care based on animal knowledge of the year 2017.

You are right!

Gustav I am familiar with it as I have the manuals and how they used the food to get the dogs to work. In my opinion using food reward for dual purpose dogs was a failure during the 80s for detection work and I was glad to see them end it.

Yeah but that's not "using a food reward"; that is "choosing to withold food" as a way ... to what ? To get the dog even keener to seek out whatever it is supposed to detect, because it is so hungry ? To punish the dog for NOT finding the substance / body / object ? Just to ensure it is "used" to the privations of war but will still return (rather than bugger off to catch a rabbit to eat) ?
Appreciate what you are saying about differences between civilian and miitary way of dealing with things, Gustav, I really do; but not as a "we don't have to explain" smokescreen for an abusive method with no sound 'canine training science' to support it.