Amberley leads the way

RAAF Base Amberley's SGT Alan Grossman does some work with one of Bravo litter's nine-month old Malinois pups, a product of the Base's ground-breaking Puppy Breeding Program.

RAAF Base Amberley has been hit hard by a serious case of 'puppy love'.

Two years ago the Base was coping with a shortage of military working dogs to meet its needs - now it's breaking new ground in Australia with a puppy breeding and training program.

The bulk of Amberley's working dogs were once donated from outside sources, but a combination of factors led to a sharp decrease in the number of suitable animals winding up at the Base.

Not only was Amberley competing with other agencies, including the police and prison systems, for dogs, it was also affected by the growing trend among the general public towards small and medium-sized breeds.

The Base desperately needed dogs that, once trained, could perform a range of specialised tasks, including pro-active security patrolling and tracking human beings - a process known as 'man-trailing'.

Amberley's Puppy Breeding Program was launched in March 2001 as a solution to the dog shortage.

Operating on a trial basis for the next three years, the program will aim to make Amberley self sufficient in terms of generating working dogs to meet its requirements.

Flying Officer Tony Buffett, Officer in Charge of RAAF Base Amberley's Military Dog Training Flight, anticipates the Base will require between 90 and 100 dogs per calendar year as its needs increase.

And although it's still in its infancy, he believes the Puppy Breeding Program will help Amberley successfully reach this target in coming years.

Since March last year the program has produced three litters. The first was a litter of nine German shepherd-Belgian malinois crosses that are approaching a year old.

FLGOFF Buffett said six of the dogs were still training and working after three were deemed 'unsuitable' for military dog work.

Those, like all dogs at Amberley that don't respond appropriately to training, were given away to good homes, FLGOFF Buffett said.

Of the second litter of eight pups (pure-bred malinois born nine months ago) all are still working - a remarkable success rate, according to FLGOFF Buffett.

The most recent addition to Amberley's growing puppy family came into the world on 10 February.

The litter of three German shepherd pups will be assessed in exactly the same manner as previous litters - they'll be allowed to act and behave like any other puppies their age in order to gauge their individual personalities and suitability for military dog work.

'When they're young you've got to let them do what they want and be themselves,' FLGOFF Buffett explained.

He conceded the young pups tended to create a 'bit of a stir' around the base and more than once he's had to pull the enthusiastic animals off the skirt of a female passer-by.

There are currently 34 juvenile dogs (under 12 months old) at Amberley, including several purchased from an outside source.

The Base employs six full-time civilian staff to cope with the growing program, and the dogs spend at least part of every day undertaking some form of training.

FLGOFF Buffett believes RAAF Base Amberley is leading the way in military dog breeding and training in Australia and, depending on the outcome of the three-year trial, the program could expand to prepare dogs for other organisations both at home and abroad.

By Ben Caddaye