CHAPTER 7 

 EMPLOYMENT 



Section I. GENERAL 



110. Organization 



Mine and tunnel dog teams may be organized 

 into squads or sections of : 



a. Composite tactical dog platoons. 



b. Composite tactical dog companies. 



111. Restatement of Mission 



The mine and tunnel dog team mission is to sup- 

 port infantry, combat engineer, and combat 

 support type units in tactical operations against 

 hostile forces by detecting and giving warning 

 of casualty-producing devices that the supported 

 unit(s) may encounter. Specific tasks that mine 

 and tunnel dog teams are capable of performing 

 include : 



a. Assisting a patrol infiltrating an enemy area 

 by locating minefields or boobytrapped areas. 



b. Providing, during movement, early detec- 

 tion of casualty-producing devices along the 

 route. 



c. Assistance in searching villages or built-up 

 areas for boobytraps or supplies. 



d. Assistance in searching objectives or camps 

 for boobytraps, and caches of weapons, ammuni- 

 tion, equipment or food (including detection of 

 concealed tunnel entrances). 



1 1 2. Capabilities and Limitations 



a. A mine and tunnel dog team's detection and 

 warning capabilities are the combined results 

 of: 



(1) The dog's training and superior scent 

 and hearing faculties. 



(2) The handler's ability to work and read 

 his dog. 



b. A well-trained, physically fit, properly em- 

 ployed mine and tunnel dog team usually can de- 

 tect current or recent foreign presence outside 

 the main body of a patrol before other patrol 



members; e.g., through the detection of recent 

 human presence the dog can warn of booby- 

 traps dangerous to a patrol well ahead of their 

 detection by patrol members. 



c. Besides human presence, a mine and tunnel 

 dog team can usually detect : 



(1) Caches — A mine and tunnel dog re- 

 gards the scents of food, weapons, or equip- 

 ment as foreign and alerts on any of these scents. 



(2) Tripwires — A mine and tunnel dog 

 alerts by smelling, seeing, or hearing a tripwire 

 (even though the human scent of the installer 

 has dissipated, the vibrations of a wire may pro- 

 duce sounds that are audible only to a dog). 



(3) Mines, boobytraps — A mine and tunnel 

 dog may recognize the distinctive scents of the 

 explosives or other components of the devices 

 (e.g., in the case of mines, freshly turned earth) 

 and alerts on these scents, even in the absence of 

 human scent. 



d. A mine and tunnel dog team realizes its 

 fullest potential when wind conditions permit the 

 dog to work on airborne scent. 



e. A mine and tunnel dog's detection capa- 

 bilities are reduced when there is litttle or no 

 wind, when the wind is from the rear, in areas 

 of excessive noise or movement, and by unfavor- 

 able weather or terrain conditions (e.g., rain, 

 smoke, fog, dust, dense undergrowth, heavy 

 woods, or jungle) . 



/. A mine and tunnel dog requires water more 

 frequently in greater amounts than a man. 



g. Except for water requirements, a mine and 

 tunnel dog's need for rest and food, and its re- 

 actions to climatic extremes, compare to those of 

 a man, i.e., its effectiveness declines as it be- 

 comes fatigued, hungry, thirsty, overheated, or 

 very cold. 



h. Fatigue suffered by the dog, and physical 

 fatigue and mental stress bearing on the han- 

 dler, limit maximum effective performance as a 



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