Soon, packs of Indian dog breeds will charge at hiding terrorists, join commandos in combat zones via choppers!

Indian canine breeds, including the Rampur Hound and Mudhol Hound, have been selected to be deployed alongside NSG commandos during high-risk operations. So far, the federal commando force has relied only on Belgian Malinois dogs for its operations, but soon, Indian breeds will also be trained to follow their handlers during river rafting and even while slithering down from helicopters.

 

The decision to incorporate these local breeds was taken after "very positive" outcomes were found in the demo sniffing and detection duties handed to these animals over the past few years. The Border Security Force (BSF) will train these Indian dogs to conduct pack attacks against enemies, which could help security forces to flush out holed-up terrorists without the risk of being ambushed. During such missions, the trained dogs will be deployed alongside special operations unit personnel.

 

Another important aspect of the new decision is to train the canines to be dropped into a conflict zone aerially alongside the handlers. When the commandos slide down from a low-hovering helicopter to the ground using a sturdy rope, the dog is tied safely on the back of the commando using a harness. Once on the ground, all the handler needs to do is give the "charge" command.

 

A special adventure institute of the BSF in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, is responsible for training the local breeds in river rafting. The training will happen on the River Ganga, PTI said in a report. The maiden exercise has been initiated by the Tekanpur (Madhya Pradesh)-based National Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD) of the border force, the report added. At least a dozen Indian dogs are currently being trained in the first batch.

An increasing demand for 'desi' breeds

The NTCD, since 2021, has trained almost 150 Mudhol Hound and Rampur Hound breed dogs till now who are now successfully working with various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and state police forces, and over 20 are currently under training.

 

Indian breeds are better suited to India's diverse geo-climatic conditions. It is widely noted that these breeds have better disease resistance, are tough, and require low maintenance. Given their agility, endurance, adaptability, and resilience, security forces are increasingly starting to prefer them during operations.

Defence