War dogs - Page 1

Happened to catch a real interesting TV documentary on the use of dogs during the US WWII campaign in the pacific. It showed their use when walking point on partrols with the marines and how they helped indentify where the enemy may be ahead and also to assist in clearing caves, hideouts etc.

There were many tales of how the dogs & handlers formed a strong bond with stories of how dogs would protect their master even when they may have been fatally wounded. This was recipricated with stories of men 'losing it' and fighting with no care for the own safety when their dog had been shot. Living 24/7 and sharing rations with a dog in a war zone is going to so bond dog & master...

It showed that the initial reaction of the other marines was not always complimentary but they seen realised how the dogs could save many lives and assist in battle. They proved especially useful at night as they were excellent fox hole guards that enabled the men to actually fall asleep.

From what I could see the majority of the dogs were dobies or dobie types with a smattering of GSDs and a few husky type dogs. But the most surprising thing was that the dogs were donated by families and not army raised. When they returned the army would have normally put the dogs down but as they had so proved their worth they were put on a 'de-sensitising' training program and all but 4 (from around 500 odd) returned to their old family life. In some cases they even returned home with their army masters. As you could imagine there were some heart rending stories.

Unfortunately I missed the first half of the show so didn't see the decisions behind forming such a company and the training the dogs received. I wonder if anyone from the other side of the pond has more info on this?

Good stuff  & I have just found this link  www.war-dogs.com/

AandA

Thanks for posting ... enjoyed reading that. 

The 2 men responsible for the War Dog training during WWII were Willie Necker and Ludwig Gessner.  Necker trained the dogs for the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard while Gessner did the training for the Army K9 Corps.  They were both professional trainers that emigrated to the U.S. in the 30's.  Necker was more of a Dobermann guy and Gessner a GSD man.  Gessner had his training facility just on the outskirts of Chicago when I met him back in the early 80's and Necker had an expansive kennel property given to him by the U.S. government in Wheeling, IL that is still standing today.  Necker's facility was quite impressive and maintained until he died well into his 90's.  Herr Necker had old 8mm films and photographs of hundreds of handlers standing on line with their K9 partners, Dobermanns, GSDs, Golden Retrievers, basically any breed that they could get from donations.  And yes, at the completion of their tours overseas, the dogs were returned to their original owners.  My former partner was a protege of Herr Necker and learned his craft from him in the old school way.  We would frequently visit the Neckers and help with grounds keeping and actually work his Dobermanns and Dalmatians while he held them!!  Both Necker and Gessner had trick dog acts that they would travel the country performing with.  Necker loved his Dobermanns, but adapted his trick dog act to use Dalmatians because of their appeal to the American people and appearance on black and white television.  I always enjoyed my visits to the Necker kennel as he was sharp as a tack until he passed away and was always willing to share information about the history of dog training.  Good Times.

The show was really good and rather touching. I cried a little at the end.It reminded me of the movie Chips the war dog.I used to watch that movie over and over when I was little.Its still one of my favorites.

Phil,

Great info !!   Did anyone ever copy those 8mm films?  I would love to see something like that !!

Good question Jamille, I don't know but I could check.  I'll have to get back to 'ya.

Phil: you submit alot of good info.......Thanx

Phil, thanks for filling in the missing bits... I knew there be an old un on here who had this info! Was the the first time dogs were used in such a way? I'm thinking someone in the army thought dogs would be beneficial to the particular demands of the pacific campaign.

From the half of the show I saw there was a small black & white clip of the dogs been trained by been leased to a wall and having their trainers rattle them with rags. The building looked like a golf range with a good dozen or so dogs been trained at the same time - must have made quite a noise! I'd hazard a guess that these were some of the 8mm films you mentioned.

And yes, KellyJ, as you said it was all rather touching... but of course been male I didn't cry but harumphed & sniffed a little and took a walk in the garden and gave the hound a quiet pat and a good lad, ahem

AandA