The bulletproof dog that stormed Bin Laden's compund

[Phyphor]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43068421/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

If you see this dog coming for you, run. Thanks to his extensive training — and customized body armor that can cost upward of $30,000 — he's bulletproof, can hear through concrete and can record high-def video of missions, even in the dead of night.

Since the moment it was revealed that the "nation's most courageous dog" (Update: named "Cairo") served alongside the 80 Navy SEALs who took out Osama bin Laden, America's fascination with war dogs has hit a fevered pitch. And while the heart-tugging photos of these four-legged heroes are worth a look, so is the high-tech gear that helps them do their job.

Very cool.  I'm thinking offering this dog a beggin' strip if he's after you isn't going to help much...

[AZRedhawk44]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43068421/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/
Very cool.  I'm thinking offering this dog a beggin' strip if he's after you isn't going to help much...

No dog is invulnerable to the power of real bacon.

Of course, Bin Laden had no knowledge of that power.

[MechAg94]

Is the picture in the article a good example of the "armor"?  It doesn't seem to cover all that much.  Certainly not enough to call the dog bullet proof.  I hope that for $30,000, the armor is a little better than just that vest.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Those dogs are trained to refuse any food not provided by someone thats is one of their caretakers.

Also, most will not take treats from your hands.

Running from any dog will insite the chase/kill instinct. With an non shutzhund trained dog, its best to hold your ground and not make eye contact. With a trained attack dog, if its been commanded to eat you, its gonna eat you and you are just *expletive deleted*it out of luck.
The only thing that will stop a well trained dog is the command FROM THE HANDLER.

if its not well trained, well... So long, nice knowing you (and this is why anatolians are not used as attack dogs. They won't call off  )

[Jamie B]

Of course, Bin Laden had no knowledge of that power.

\respect on\
Nice, very nice!

[AJ Dual]

Is the picture in the article a good example of the "armor"?  It doesn't seem to cover all that much.  Certainly not enough to call the dog bullet proof.  I hope that for $30,000, the armor is a little better than just that vest.

The face/head area for the dog is just impractical. And aside from a helmet, it's probably covered about as well as a soldier is, around the core vital torso area.

As for the rest, the trained dog is not going to be turning it's unarmored end towards the enemy intentionally ever. They're pretty... single minded.

Those dogs are trained to refuse any food not provided by someone thats is one of their caretakers.

Also, most will not take treats from your hands.

Running from any dog will insite the chase/kill instinct. With an non shutzhund trained dog, its best to hold your ground and not make eye contact. With a trained attack dog, if its been commanded to eat you, its gonna eat you and you are just *expletive deleted* out of luck.
The only thing that will stop a well trained dog is the command FROM THE HANDLER.

if its not well trained, well... So long, nice knowing you (and this is why anatolians are not used as attack dogs. They won't call off  )

Your only chance with a charging trained dog is to try and get in a bit of matador/judo, and sidestep/flip it as it makes it's lunge. And the odds are 99.99% you'll fail anyway, but that's your one chance.

Of course, if you don't stun the dog on the ground hard enough to incapacitate it, or you actually wind up in control of it's neck with none of you in it's mouth, now you've got it's handlers and maybe another dog coming right along any second now.

The dog is faster than you, and does not have human psychology in terms of dedication to the attack when faced with pain, weapons, or resistance either. In reality, there's only two real solutions to a trained K9 after you.

1. Be somewhere else.
2. Kill it ASAP with superior firepower.

And #2 is dicey, because in most instances, the human members of your OPFOR will often react viscerally with more aggression to a dead K9 than they would to one of their own being wounded.

[Harold Tuttle]

The only thing that will stop a well trained dog is the command FROM THE HANDLER.

or a really angry ninja

[MillCreek]

In Modern Warfare, I press the 'E' key to break its neck.  I am usually too slow on this and end up being eaten.

[BlueStarLizzard]

now, police dogs are trained to hold a suspect. If you fight the dog, the dog will nail you, but if you submit, the dog won't hurt you.

At least not too much...

[birdman]

Also, the commands have to be in the correct language, not to mention the right persons voice.  I have friends who's trainers used Japanese as a standard for guard dog commands, but I'm sure there are others.

[Lanius]

Bulletproof? Sure? So If I am Mehmet Q from Iran and am toting a PKM loaded with ball AP ammo, the dog is still bulletproof?    Like equiv of 10mm of steel plate? Yeah ..sure..

There's bulletproof and there's bulletproof.

[Harold Tuttle]

i doubt they are halberd proof

[Jamisjockey]

Original post edited due to violation of the quoting policy. Don't make me zardoz you.

[KD5NRH]

In Modern Warfare, I press the 'E' key to break its neck.  I am usually too slow on this and end up being eaten.

Breaking a canine's neck is a slow, unwieldy process.  Breaking the jaw, OTOH, disarms it pretty effectively.

[Chuck Dye]

When I lived in Thailand, Thai friends had guard gibbons rather than dogs.  The first explanation was that burglars always arrived with one or more bitches in heat for guard dogs.  Gibbons in heat were, reportedly, too expensive and not effective on female guard gibbons.

Wonder whether four footed SEALs are immune to that call...

[BlueStarLizzard]

When I lived in Thailand, Thai friends had guard gibbons rather than dogs.  The first explanation was that burglars always arrived with one or more bitches in heat for guard dogs.  Gibbons in heat were, reportedly, too expensive and not effective on female guard gibbons.

Wonder whether four footed SEALs are immune to that call...

They are neutured, dude. And they use bitches, too.

The no females in combat thing doesn't apply to canines.

[280plus]

I had a pair of Conures that chased a burglar out of the house. Gave himself away too because we knew there was only one guy around that was absolutely scared shitless of them birds and whenever he came in the back door and saw them loose he musta crapped a brick because he didn't even grab the substantial amount of cash right there in plain sight on the table just past the birds. 

[cordex]

I have heard (but fervently hope to never attempt) that if otherwise unarmed, lunging into the bite leading with your weak forearm can injure the attacking dog's jaw and neck - helping to shorten the attack.  This is why the dog trainers in padded armor who are on the receiving end of Angry Fido training have to be careful to naturally recoil from and roll with bites.  On the other hand, it would probably just lead to one arm in ribbons and an angry, injured dog who hangs on anyway.

This kind of tactic puts me in mind of one knife fighting stance where the weak forearm is held in front with the palm in to serve as a shield.  You're going to get cut, but maybe you'll preserve a few of your more important bits.

[KD5NRH]

I have heard (but fervently hope to never attempt) that if otherwise unarmed, lunging into the bite leading with your weak forearm can injure the attacking dog's jaw and neck - helping to shorten the attack.

What I've been told (and this assumes you're only dealing with the dog itself, not an armed handler who will be catching up in a second or two) is to get something around your off arm if you can, then when the dog comes in to bite, force the arm in and up hard to possibly break the neck.  Failing that, you're going to need to go to the ground so you can get your other arm behind the head for more leverage.  If you can manage it, a hard kick to the snout from almost any direction should break either the upper or lower jaw, and since canines don't really use their claws as weapons, that would effectively disarm it.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Would not attempt the arm down throat with a dog that has titaniam teeth, though...

The SOCOM dogs are pretty much bionic dogs.

[vaskidmark]

Several years ago an inmate attempted to "defeat" the use of a canine in extracting him from his cell.  He used the technique of thrusting something into the throat of the dog as it began its bite.

Unfortunately for the inmate, he was at the time housed in a cell that had been stripped of everything except him, his blanket and his paper gown.  Thus, what he chose to thrust into the dog's throat was his left hand.*

"Kong" was quite well trained.  After biting down, he released and backed away towards his handler.  When at his handler's side he performed a textbook "sit" and thereupon spit out the inmate's index finger.  He then attempted to re-enter the cell, but was restrained as the inmate was indicating he would now comply with being removed from his cell if we would just take him to the infirmary before taking him to the Segregation Unit.

It was only necessary to bring a canine into the cellblock and give any command that used the dog's name (e.g.: "Sit, Kong") to get immediate inmate compliance.  It never mattered which canine we actually brought, as long as the handler called it "Kong".   Many of us believed if we had brought a Chihuahua and called it "Kong" it would have worked.

stay safe.

*Idiot inmate did not think to wrap his hand/arm with his blanket before trying to ram it down the dog's throat.  Did I Mention he was an idiot?

[seeker_two]

Bulletproof? Sure? So If I am Mehmet Q from Iran and am toting a PKM loaded with ball AP ammo, the dog is still bulletproof?    Like equiv of 10mm of steel plate? Yeah ..sure..

There's bulletproof and there's bulletproof.

This is true....but, then you'd have to worry about the bite from the handler and the squad following him....bite marks or bullet holes....either way, you're gonna need stitches....

[Lanius]

Not if you are a smart Mehmet Q who has ordered several sets of Dragonskin armor and has made for himself a whole body thermal/armor suit. Thermal meaning, there is a whole circulatory system for coolant and a coolant pack on your back, and almost every area is covered in these dragonskin ceramic composite scales, underneath that would be thinner, more flexible bulletproof armor . I bet that a strong person could move quickly wearing such a suit, and wouldn't even get really hot, as long as the AC would last.

[280plus]

I heard it was actually Rin Tin Tin # 34 and Cairo was just his code name. He',,,er she's safe. 

[AJ Dual]

Would not attempt the arm down throat with a dog that has titaniam teeth, though...

The SOCOM dogs are pretty much bionic dogs.

Sadly, I looked into this further and that's just a rumor. Apparently they'd only do that if a dog broke it's teeth, and it's skills were so good it was worth the dental work, rather than retiring the dog. Despite the actual strength of the Titanium tooth or teeth, the tooth to jaw interface would never be as strong as a live tooth and that dog would actually be a at a disadvantage.

One of those things one certainly wants to believe is true, though, it sounds so cool.

I bet someone at DARPA somewhere is working on training dogs to use thermal goggles.