Bengaluru, 18 July

Tucked away in Bengaluru, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Dog Training and Breeding Centre (DBTS) is making a global impact as two of its Belgian Shepherd Malinois—Danbie, 3, and Vaste,5—are deployed in Paris, sniffing out explosives and ensuring security at Paris Olympics.

The dogs were born, groomed, and trained at the City centre, established in 2011 by CRPF DIG Vijaykumar IPS. “This is the first time that dogs trained at the centre were sent outside India,” Ravi S, Assistant Commandant of CRPF told Salar News.

He said Danbie and Vaste have received specialised training to handle crowded environments and were deployed in IPL matches in the City to ensure that they are well-prepared for the Olympics. “Our primary focus is to train dogs to sniff out explosives, thereby saving countless lives,” he added.

The programme is rigorous, starting when the pups are just 45 days old, and spans for 40 weeks. The dogs begin their training with obstacle courses, agility drills and scent detection at 5am and undergo high-intensity exercise till 9.30am.

The dogs’ healthy diet includes a mix of commercial food, raw meat and home-cooked meals to maintain their health and stamina. Each dog is fed at least 1kg of meat twice a day.  The centre boasts an impressive record, training over 1,250 pups and deploying over 1,500 dogs across India.

They are deployed in strife-torn areas such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, and the Northeastern states to counter Naxal and terrorist threats.

Dodamani Y, trainer and Inspector of General Duty, said the secret to the dogs’ success is two handlers training each dog.  “This ensures that the dogs remain responsive and adaptable even if one handler retires. This dual-handler system is crucial for the dogs’ effectiveness on the field,” he said.

Ten dogs from Central Armed Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashsatra Seema Bal, Assam Rifles and Security Guard, National Security Guard and CRPF were sent to France, with their handlers receiving basic French language training for better communication. “However, the dogs were not taught any commands in French as it may hinder their ability to follow new commands in such a short period,” Dodamani added.

The trainer also added that the centre only takes breeds such as Belgian Shepherd Malinois and Dutch Shepherd as they are known for their intelligence, alertness, heightened senses and aggressive nature towards strangers.

Belgian Malinois Shepherd  are used in search and rescue, bomb detection, and apprehending suspects as they have exceptional agility, a keen sense of smell and good focus.

The breed is considered one of the most aggressive as they have a bite force of 250 pounds per square inch, which can easily damage the strongest bone in the human body such as the femur.

The decision to deploy CRPF dogs at the Olympics stemmed after the canines were used for the G20 Summit held in India.  —Salar News