Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Staff Sgt. Nicholas Galbraith, a 374th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, and Topa, a 374 SFS MWD, perform security checks at Yokota Air Base, Japan, July 24, 2015. Topa is Galbraith's first canine partner outside of training, and they have been working together for one year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class David C. Danford)Not your average wingman
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Nicholas Galbraith, a 374th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, and Topa, a 374 SFS MWD, perform security checks at Yokota Air Base, Japan, July 24, 2015. Topa is Galbraith's first canine partner outside of training, and they have been working together for one year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class David C. Danford)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Topa, a 374th Security Forces Squadron military working dog, looks to his handler at Yokota Air Base, Japan, July 29, 2015. When not actively performing their duties, MWDs are trained to focus on their handler and await further instructions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman David C. Danford)Not your average wingman
                        
                        
                        Topa, a 374th Security Forces Squadron military working dog, looks to his handler at Yokota Air Base, Japan, July 29, 2015. When not actively performing their duties, MWDs are trained to focus on their handler and await further instructions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman David C. Danford)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Staff Sgt. Nicholas Galbraith, a 374th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, praises his MWD partner, Topa, after performing vehicle checks at Yokota Air Base, Japan, July 24, 2015. Positive reinforcement is one of the primary means of training MWDs and encouraging good behavior. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class David C. Danford)Not your average wingman
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Nicholas Galbraith, a 374th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, praises his MWD partner, Topa, after performing vehicle checks at Yokota Air Base, Japan, July 24, 2015. Positive reinforcement is one of the primary means of training MWDs and encouraging good behavior. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class David C. Danford)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Not your average wingmanPublished Aug. 5, 2015
                    
                    By Senior Airman David C. Danford
                    
                    
                    374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
            **YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) --**Every day as the sun rises above the horizon, Yokota Air Base's defenders are already hard at work keeping the base safe. Their day begins when they are assigned a patrol car, protective equipment and their partner. Just like in civilian law enforcement, military patrolmen place their lives in their partner's hands, forging bonds of trust and respect. The 374th Security Forces military working dog handlers take that bond to the next level; the dog isn't just their partner, the dog is family.
Kennel masters across the Air Force diligently study personality profiles of their charges, human and canine, to form the best teams possible. Such is the case with Staff Sgt. Nicholas Galbraith, a 374 SFS MWD handler, and his partner, Topa.
"Dogs, just like people, have their own personalities, and Topa and I have the same kind of mentality," Galbraith said. "He's very high drive. He's the kind of dog that when he needs something he'll go straight for it, and I understand that."
As a Belgian Malinois, Topa doesn't possess the jaw strength of a German shepherd, but makes up for it with his boundless energy and fighting spirit according to Galbraith. Like all Air Force defenders, Topa was trained at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, where that fighting spirit cost him half an ear during rough play with the other MWDs. He began to show signs of a dog-aggressive nature. This worked out perfectly for Galbraith.
"When I went back to Lackland for training, both dogs that were assigned to me showed dog-aggressive tendencies." Galbraith said. "It's almost like I was being trained to work with Topa from the start."
According to Galbraith, the personalities of both the handler and the dog are important when forming teams. A large disconnect between the two can cause a pair of otherwise talented individuals to form a lackluster partnership. Learning how to read the emotions and mindset of the animal is just one way that handlers can work to bridge that gap.
"My boy has a lot of energy," Galbraith said proudly, patting Topa's head. "If he was placed with a more laidback handler he'd either be really bored or walk all over that handler."
High drive and energy isn't solely Topa's domain. Galbraith is a self-proclaimed fitness guru who practices martial arts, including muay thai, as a form of stress relief and to maintain his physical well-being. 
"Being physically, mentally, spiritually and socially fit is just as important for the dog," Galbraith said. "The whole Airman concept applies to them too because they have to deal with the same stressors we do and sometimes more."
To be prepared for working with his four-legged wingman, Galbraith was given emergency field veterinary care similar to the self-aid and buddy care taught to Airmen in basic military training. This is just one more way in which MWDs are comparable to their human counterparts. Despite all of these similarities, handlers must always remember their partner isn't human.
"Sometimes it's easy to forget that they really are just dogs and still do dog things like sniffing and marking territory," Galbraith said. "It's their pack mentality which makes the MWDs loyal to their handler before anyone else."
Topa is Galbraith's first canine partner outside of training, and they have been working together for one year. Handlers in the Air Force are assigned a different MWD at each base they are assigned to, in contrast to the other branches of service where a team is only broken when one of the members separates from the military.
"Yokota is my first base as a K-9 handler, and Topa's the first K-9 I've worked with," Galbraith said. "I got lucky with him, he's an awesome dog. I'm sure everyone says that about their dog but I truly believe I couldn't have gotten a better partner."Yokota Air Base 



Japan 



security forces 



PACAF 



military working dog Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander emphasizes five focus areas during AFA Warfare Symposium
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil