Border K-9 Units
| Of the
specialized assets employed along the border, the military working dogs were probably the most well known.
Depending on the type of unit, there were
100
- 160 dogs assigned to each Grenztruppen battalion. The majority of the dogs
were watch dogs deployed in either dog runs or
fenced pens along the border and security
fences. Used in
this manner the dogs
guarded an area of about five kilometers along a battalion's 65 - 80
kilometer front. During the last decade of the border system, dog runs
covered over 97
kilometers of the border using a total of about 1,000 watch
dogs. Although these K-9s comprised the largest number of dogs in
the Grenztruppen, they received the harshest treatment. In order to foster ferocity within the watchdogs,
they were fed for only a day during a ten day period.
The border K-9s, though, did more that just serve as remote sentries. There were also tracking dogs, attack dogs, and a special dog pack that was used to find escapees in buildings or in large areas such as woods and fields. Taught to respond to a high frequency dog whistle, the dog packs were released by their handler to search for an escapee, but sometimes the dogs went after the wrong people (including border guards). One notable accident occurred in 1980 when an innocent woman was mauled by a Grenztruppen dog pack. Because of the potential for this type of problem, the dog packs could only be released on the order of the battalion commander. Overseeing the care and training of the K-9s was the Dog Team Leader. The Dog Team Leader (Diensthundefuehrer) was a non-commissioned officer that may have had an animal handling background in civilian life. Working for him were the other dog handlers within the unit. The Dog Team Leader was responsible for the training of both the dogs and the handlers and spent 50 % of the unit's training time for night operations. In addition to overseeing the training, the Team Leader had a basic knowledge of veterinary medicine and was responsible for the health of the dogs. Within the Grenztruppen there were three levels of skill qualification for the handlers. Level 1 was the highest tier of qualification, while Level 3 was the initial skills level. Handlers wore either the qualification badges or the Diensthundefuehrer sleeve patch pictured above.After the "die Wende" the K-9s found their services were no longer needed and were given their pink slips. Some dogs were sold, others given to charity, while the older and sick dogs were put to sleep. Today, in spite of, or perhaps because of its fierce reputation, the East German Shepard breed is highly desirable for dog enthusiasts. |
- NVA photo |
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Level 1 Skill badge |
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Security Company |
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Border Company |
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- NVA photo |
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