New-York tribune., 1909-10-24
TRAINING WARD0GS
CANINE TROOPERS IN
GERMAN ARMY.
Persistent Drilling Makes
Good SentrieS and Mes
SengerS of Them.

Since 1888 the German army has been ex-
perimenting with dogs s~ained to do mill
tary duty, and noV IL is announced off,
cially that the results are excellent Per
haps one reason for the good behavior
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
a dog for his good work Use every op-
portunity to speak to the dogs. either
praisng or censuring them. as the case
may demand"
1t is no life of fun and play that awaits
a puppy which has been distinguished by
being selected for the hosor of becoming
the member OF a regiment. He must learn
almost much as private soldier AMI
drill fully as hard.
The first thing taught the young dog is TO
walk exactly AT the proper distance from
the soldiers whom he accompanies
neither too far before nor too far behind
them-and when thus on the march TO he
absolutely as grave and attentive as a
man. This training lasts sIl he is seven
months old. Then the puprw must turn
out every day and run races With the
O'Hti utSS " SlItHSlHtn Ills muscles ana
chest. After he has done this for about
five months. and when he is a year old,
the real military work begins.
BY this time the dog knows his ov-
troop of men pretty we'll Sut he must
learn 10 distinguish every Qan in it. even
in the darkest night. so that'he shall know
by scent If a soldier who does not belong
to his regiment tried TO appEoach the camp.
This of course. is one of the vital necessi-
ties for the war dog. because he Is to be
used both as a sentry and a messenger in
war and in each case he must recognize
an enemy or a friend st once.
Then he must learn to obey instantly, so
that at the word he stops as If frozen stiff.
Then he learns to drop TO the ground and
crouch low. with his head between his
foreleSs. the moment he hears the COM
mand Down And there he must remain,
tor hours if necessary. till he hears the
regimental whistle that tells him that he is
10 come ON.
Then comes 2nother hard and long
branch OF learning He must become sn
the he will carry articles in his moutl,
and hold on to them. no matter What ham
pens. The trainer gives him a can or 8,
glove al hrst. and sends him TO carry il
10 some officer. The men turn ont whom
they see the dog, go at him with sh,uts
and make believe 70 attack him ~ first
the new dog either drops what he is car
ryinS to bark and snap at his. pursuers. or
he will stand over II and nreS.Re to aqbt
Now, of course. what is wanted In wnr
Is not that the dog should protect what
ever he is carrying by fighting for IL. In
mat case his fight would be saort. for the
enemy would simply shoot him and then
get the message 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 circum-
stances drop the parcel from his month
and. second. that he must dodge an ehenv.
keep out OF sight. II possible sad under
any circumstances run away from him
without delay.
Now, as any dog. no matter how careful
may lose his parcel at times. the dog must
be taught to search for his lost articles
He Is drilled is this until he gets so expert
that most of the German army dogs can
hnd cap or glove that has been lost any
where along a line u march u mile long
Now comes an importsPt lesson. The dog
must be taught 10 lie dcVn alongside Of
any object that may be pninted out by tn.
soldier. whether It he a button from a coat
or cannon, and stay thew without utte--
ing a whimper while his aegiment "a q, IS
on. Even II II he away for a day sd A
night, the dog must stay wsere he is. This
has two important reasons. One il that