The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-09-19
DOCS OF WAR.
rho various Military Services CANNES Are
Taught to Perform.

| Tho various Military Services CANNES Are
| Taught to Perform.
r. is n well-inown fact, frequently
! commented upon, that while Indians
have many times surprised white en-
campmenJ by sudden attack, the re-
verse is rarely the case, and never
when the Indians are in their villages
This is due partly to the natural alert.
ness of the red man, but more TO the
presence of dogs in the Indians village.
Dogs swarm around an Indian village,
and, although they are the sorriest ours
imaginable, they are excellent senti-
nels. sure to detect the approach of
stranger and give warning by yelps and
howls. This does not imply any special
acuteness on the part of the Indians,
since they keep the dogs for food, and
their sentinel duties are purely volun-
tary. But some civilized nations have
copied-not the Indians, of whom they
know nothing-the Greeks and Romans
who used dogs as auxiliary soldiers, ana
are training these faithful and intelli
gent animals for purposes of war.
Being naturally willing and effect
i've servant. the dog learns his drilling
lesson so aptly that his education be-
comes matter of pleasure to the train
ers. The rudimentary principle is to
teach the dog to hate foreign soldier,
and to do that uniformed dummy is
set up, and the dog is taught to attack
it until the intelligent animal has in
bred in him a deadly hatred for anyone
wearing similar uniform. Germany,
Austria, Russia and France are now all
at work training these dogs of war
The best dog for the purpose would
probably be the bulldog or savage blood
hound, but as they have to unite other
qualities besides fighting ones into their
makeup to prove effective war dogs,
other breeds are generally preferred
The Germans use their peculiar, ugly,
numbering bloodhounds for this pur-
pose, but the other nations are expert
menting with various other breeds
Settlers have been found good for senti-
mel duty, as also the fox terrier, and
the fox hounds have found much favor
for their trailing qualities; but crosses
with the St Bernard and the mastift
make splendid all-round war dogs.
Several of the breeds, however are
used, each one having u special duty to
perform. Those with keen scent are
employed for trailing purposes; the
strong savage ones are taught to at
tack sentinels on post, and to fight in
battle: the noble st. Bernards are
trained to go over the field of battle af-
ter the fight and to rescue the wounded,
. while the heet-footed, sly and adroit
varieties are used for carrying dis
, patches.
One of the Interesting features of the
dog drills is that which teaches them
what to do after conflict. The proper
duty of the war dog then is to ac-
company the search party, and to range
, over the fields to ascertain the where
, abouts of the wouhded and dying, and
then to conduct the relief party to them,
In the drill sham battles are fought, and
then the soldiers pretend to be killed or
wounded. The dogs are trained to
single out the different ones needing
, assistance, and to lead the surviving
l members to their side.
For sentinel duty the war dogs have
been found of considerable use, but
, they have to be thoroughly and persist.
+ entity drilled before they are fitted fol
+ this important position. One of the
+ first lessons they are taught is to pre-
serve absolute silence, and instead o.
| announcing the approach of an enemy
by furious barking, to intimate theil
, discoveries by low growls, or even by
. gestures, which some of the highly breC
, ones do. The German dogs are taugh
to distinguish the different uniforms Sc
. we'll that they give the signal of alarm
! on the approach of any one clothed il
foreign dress. The dogs sense of smell
. is exquisite, and his hearing is mucl
- more delicate thar that of man. anC
sentry dogs are thus particularly usefu
at night.
The most difficult part of the training
= is to make the war dogs good carriers
y of messages. 1t is essential that they
= should be able to carry the dispatches
= as well by night as by day, and long
patient training is required for thi:
: work. After the dogs have once learned
the way between two points they car
: always travel swiftly between them OF
. the darkest of nights The German
: war dogs used for messengers have
- mall collars around their neclls, anC
>" these strong packet-holders are at
ached, in which messages can be Sc
" curely locked.
= Another use for the dogs in war is t.
AIRY ammunition to the soldiers in tn,
heat of the battle. Dogs are naturally
disinclined to stand fire, and the chic
- difficulty to overcome is to make then
- fearless and careless of the noise around
! Experiments have been made whicl
= show that as soon as their propensity tC
. turn and run when the rifles begin tC
- crack is overcome, the work is com
= poratively easy to train them to run NJ
. and down the line, stopping wheneve
=, soldier calls for them, and then re
y" firing again to get fresh supply o
:, ammunition.
1t is the natural vigilance of the dog!
which makes them desirable for wa
purposes and it is supposed that if eacl
IS sentinel has his dog, no sudden surprise
mt night would be possible. In a recon
'" noissance the dogs run on in advance
and signal the presence of an enemy, NJ
" matter where concealed, and generally
when he is at considerable distance
n away. Dogs are to be used in the ad
vance of an army or regiment to pre-
a vent laundering into an ambuscade, ant
in thanking supports they are likewis'
l. required for service Again, they will
% be used to bring up the rear guard t.
prevent sudden attacks from behind
II and when in camp they will be regu
larly stationed around the outposts t,