The Irish standard., 1904-07-16
DRILL OF THE WAR DOGS.
Excellent Results Of System Of Train
ing for: Military Use in
Germany.


Germany.
Since 1883 the German army has been
experimenting with dogs trained to do
military duty, and now it is announced
officially that the results are excellent,
says the Washington Post.
Perhaps one reason for the good be-
havior of the animals is to be found in
the rule for the guidance of their human
trainers, which reads:
always before you punish dog make
sure that you yourself are perfectly calm
and without anger. Never fail to praise
dog for good work. Use every oppor-
tunity to speak to the dogs, either prais-
ing or censuring them, as the case may
demand"
The first that is taught to the young
dog is to walk exactly at the proper dis
tance from the soldiers whom he &C
companies, neither too far before nor
behind them, and when thus on the
march to be absolutely as grave and at
tentive as man.
This training lasts till he is seven
months old. Then the puppy must turn
out every day and run races with the
older dogs to strengthen his muscle and
chest. After he has done this for about
five months. and when he is year old,
the real military work begins.
BY this time the dog knows his own
troop of men pretty we'll. But he must
now learn to distinguish. every man in
It,. even in the darkest night, so that
he shall know by scent if a soldier who
does not belong to his regiment tries to
approach, the camp. Then he must
learn to- obey instantly, so that at the
| word he stops as If frozen stiff. Thus
| he learns to drop to the ground and
crouch low with his head between his
forelegs the moment he hears the COM
mand down" Then comes another
hard and long branch of learning. He
must become SO that he will carry ar
ticles in his mouth and hold on to them
no matter what happens. The trainer
gives him cap or glove at first and sends
him to carry 1t to some officer. The
men turn out whenthey see the dog, go
at him with shouts and make believe to
attack him. At first the new dog either
drops what he is carrying to bark and
snap at the pursuers, or he will stand
over it and prepare to fight. What Is
wanted In war is not that a dog should
protect whatever he is carrying by
fighting for it. In that case his fight
would be- short, for the enemy would
simply shoot him and then get the mes
sage or the ammunition with which he
had been intrusted.
So the trainer bends all his efforts to
teach the dog, first, that he must under
no circumstances drop the parcel from
his mouth. and, second, that he must
dodge an enemy, keep out of his sight
If possible, and under any circumstances
run away from him without delay.
AS any dog, no matter how careful,
may lose his parcel at times, the dog
must be taught to search for lost ar
ticles. He is drilled in this until he gets
SO expert that most Of the German dogs
can find cap or a glove that has been
lost anywhere along a line Of march a
mile long. The dog must be taught to
lie down alongside Of any object that
may be pointed out by the soldier, wheth-
er 1t be button from a coat or cannon,
and stay there without uttering whm-
per while his regiment moves on Even
If 1T be away for day and night, the
dog must stay where it is.
This has two important reasons. One
Is that the len may wish to creep on an
enemy without being encountered by the
dog; the other is that they may wish him
to remain behind to guard wounded
man or some valuable part of the outfit.
Having learned this, he learns not to
bark under any circumstances; until
this branch Of his education has been
finished he is unfit to accompany SOL
diers. for his bark would betray them
to the foe.
The war dog that has been graduated
never barks. When an enemy or a
stranger approaches he crawls close to
his masters and utters low growl. BY
this time he has learned also that the
only time to fight Is when his life is in
danger. At no other time will he at
tack anyone who approaches. Thus, of
course, his masters are safe against be-
trayal through any act of his. He will
lie as close and quiet as the human SOL
diers.
Besides acting as sentry, the chief use
for the war dog is to carry ammunition
or messages at time when the fighting
Is such that no human being could be
expected to pass through the line of fire.
To enable the dog to do it he is taught
to seek covered places whenever he
goes anywhere. He learns to run along
In trenches and sunken ways, to creep
behind hedges and fences and to slip
past bodies Of men, making himself as
inconspicuous as possible.
To Cheer Their Soldiers. =,
The Russian military authorities
says the Novosti, have sent out to
the far east number of popular poets
and singers, whose duty it is to stimulate
the courage Of the soldiers with
soulstirring ballads. Every Russian reg
iment possesses its party of singers. at
the head of whom are piper, cymbal
player and tambourinist, who play the
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