Training of Military Working Dogs by the Royal Thai Army

Abstract

          The objective of this article is to study the training of military working dogs by the Royal Thai Army. The principle of dog training, in general, is for the dog to receive a reward for following a command. Another important aspect is the relationship between the owner/dog holder and the dog. The training of military working dogs and dogs in general is similar, but the desired goals are different. Dogs, in general, may simply need to obey orders, with the same applying to military working dogs. However, military working dog training has more demandingo objectives as military working dogs must perform seven military missions comprising: 1) undertaking patrols; 2) stalking; 3)searching mines and tunnels; 4) searching for narcotics; 5) searching for bombs and other explosives; 6) serving as guard dogs; and 7) undertaking inspections. Therefore, the dogs selected for training as military working dogs must be intelligent and strong so every military mission to which they are assigned can be accomplished.