Military Working Dog Aggression and Welfare – Presented by Desiree Broach

Historically in the US Army Veterinary Corps, the department of Veterinary Behavior has been made up of one single person. We have only increased to two people since 2016; however, our outreach and mission has started to gain momentum. Aside from managing case consultations for private pets and military working dogs (MWDs), it is also our mission and vision to increase education and training on animal behavior. Because our momentum and outreach have increased, we have noticed an increase in the number of bite incidents from MWDs or case consultations reported for handler-directed aggression. When investigating the circumstances of these incidents, it became apparent that the underlying issue is not simply an MWD aggression issue. This presentation will discuss the problem of MWD aggression, how it turned into a focus on guidelines for MWD welfare, and the current initiatives the Veterinary Behavioral Medicine department have underway.