ITBP First To Induct Batch Of Women Canine Squad Handlers

For the first time, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) has inducted women personnel for training, handling, and deploying dogs to perform security-related duties in counter-insurgency and anti-Naxal environments.

The first batch of eight women K-9 operators has joined ITBP’s National Training Center for Dogs, which is co-located with the force’s Basic Training Center (BTC) at Bhanu near Chandigarh.

The dogs being trained by him are of Malinois breed, which ensures ITBP soldiers in anti-Naxal operations and protects civilians by conducting anti-sabotage checks during significant public events.

Along with this, ITBP has become the first Central Armed Police Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs to train and induct women dog handlers. The handler and dog are placed at the forefront of patrols dominating the area in a counter-insurgency grid to warn early against potential threats.

Duhan said, “It will go a long way in breaking down barriers, changing mindsets, and proving that there is nothing in such forces that women cannot do. BTC Inspector General Ishwar Singh Duhan said this would open additional avenues for women in the forces.

“A woman will be more successful in the K-9 area because of her maternal instincts and sense of empathy, which will help her understand the nuances of her dog and train her better. Puppies are more receptive to female voices because a dog process commands based on sound frequency alone, and therefore, female voice frequency will enhance training capacity.”

Malinois puppies are about three months old and are now called “marrying up” in the service terminology, where a puppy will be raided with positive reinforcement approaches to develop a closer bond with their handler.

Later, the dogs and their handlers would undergo tactical basic obedience training, followed by ITBP’s patented dual-purpose dog training. After that, the dogs will be deployed as patrol volatile detection dogs with K-9 teams.

The ITBP, mandated with peacekeeping management of the border with China along the Himalayas, started inducting women into its ranks a decade ago.

Initially, he was recruited as a general duty constable but recently, many other trades and cadres have been opened for him. For the first time this year, women were recruited by ITBP as cooks, tailors, gardeners, water carriers, sweepers, and cobblers.