TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- "The bite sleeve, the bite suit – that becomes the reward, that's their paycheck," says Tech. Sgt. Jacob Crawshaw, 72nd Security Forces Squadron military working dog trainer.
During Tinker’s Year of Readiness, units across base have strived to add more readiness training to their daily operations. For the defenders in the 72nd SFS, constant training is a way of life.
“We do training every day of the year; it's a constant thing for us, and some people say it's 90% of the job," said Staff Sgt. Jalen Croxton, a 72nd SFS MWD handler.
On any given day, MWD handlers train on a variety of skills to ensure the safety of military assets, property and personnel. K-9 officers are trained in both patrolling techniques and drug and explosive detection.
“We train our dogs on explosives or narcotics detection,” said Crawshaw. “We’ll do open areas, roadways, buildings, warehouses anywhere on base or off base that we could expect these dogs to search.”
The closure of the Indian Hills Inn at the end of 2022 provided a unique training opportunity. Its now-empty hallways are patrolled by MWD teams.
“Having access to that building is huge,” said Crawshaw. “It’s completely empty. There’s no one in there, so we don’t have to worry as much about safety concerns. When there’s empty buildings like that, that’s money for us, because we don’t have to risk other people’s safety.”
All aspects of military working dog training depend upon the relationship between canine and handler.
“If that dog loves me, we’re going to have a better relationship and that’s going to translate into training and being able to train more,” said Crawshaw.