DoD Military Working Dog Breeding Program

The DoD Military Working Dog Breeding Program was established in 1998. The Breeding Program (informally and affectionately referred to as the Puppy Program) provides an internal source of military working dogs to supplement the needs of the DoD. As adults, these puppies will be utilized for the detection of explosives and illegal contraband, specialized searching (land-mine clearing and locating weapons in war zones), Search and Rescue needs, and troop/asset patrol protection. They will serve in all branches of our military. Some of the dogs not meeting the DoD requirements have gone on to work for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and law enforcement agencies throughout our country, serving and protecting our citizens and communities.

Our Breeding Program selects and breeds quality working-line Belgian Malinois. Solid temperament, working ability and medical soundness are just some of the standards we use to select our sires and dams for the Program.

From birth to eight weeks our pups are reared at the Military Working Dog Center on Lackland AFB, TX in our state of the art whelping facility. While there is no guarantee that any pup of this age will develop into an adult working dog, our Puppy Development Specialists begin working with the pups from birth, imprinting and exposing the pups to a variety of stimulations and activities that will prepare them for the next phase of their life.

At the age of eight weeks, the puppies go home with qualified and dedicated 'foster' volunteers from the greater San Antonio/Austin area. During the 'foster' period, the pups are raised in secure, nurturing homes that provide learning and play opportunities, as well as outings for the puppies to be exposed to different environments and people to develop a socially sound puppy.

At seven months of age the puppy is returned to Lackland AFB to begin the next stage of it's life - Puppy Training. This training will ultimately determine if the puppy possesses the attributes to make a working dog, and if so, will prepare the pup to enter the next phase of it's training at the Dog Training School. The Dog Training School is the 'basic training' course for most Military Working Dogs.

All supplies, food, medicine, and veterinary care needed for the puppies is provided by DoD. We are always looking for interested persons to open their homes to foster a future Military Working Dog.

If you think you have what it takes and would like to be a part of raising a future four-legged troop, we would love to make your acquaintance! Some of the requirements necessary for participating as a foster volunteer: you must live within a two-hour driving distance of Lackland AFB, TX, have a fenced yard and no more than three personal dogs. **While these are just some of the requirements, they are not all-inclusive. Please contact our Foster Consultants at 210-671-3686 or mwd.foster@us.af.mil to obtain more information. We look forward to hearing from you!