SEAL Dog Handler Reveals Dogs Can Detect IEDs vs Humans by Body Language Alone

About this episode

In this episode of the Fourth Option podcast, author Jack Carr interviewed former Navy SEAL K9 handler John Devine about the SEAL dog program and Devine's contributions to Carr's latest novel featuring a Belgian Malinois named Paladin. Devine, who now runs Divine Canines and the Rescue 22 Foundation providing service dogs to veterans, detailed the highly selective nature of the SEAL K9 pipeline, revealing that only 30% of imported dogs successfully complete training—a failure rate comparable to BUD/S. The conversation covered the program's origins in the early 2000s when Special Operations were unprepared for the IED threat and contracted Israeli trainers, including Mike Hirschstick, who had built Israel's bomb dog program during the late 1990s suicide bombing wave. Devine explained that experienced handlers develop the ability to distinguish between human and explosive threats purely by reading their dog's body language at entry points, an intelligence capability that surpasses even thermal imaging. He described how SEAL teams specifically select larger, harder Belgian Malinois weighing up to 95 pounds whose bite force can audibly break bones, as they need dogs capable of extracting combatants actively fighting versus merely fleeing. The discussion also covered training progressions from basic obedience through advanced scenarios involving helicopters, breaching charges, and how dogs learn to ignore flashbangs that resemble toys. Devine warned that Hollywood portrayals have created unrealistic expectations, with many civilians unprepared for the high-drive nature of Belgian Malinois. The episode concluded with details about how retired SEAL dogs are rehomed with handlers or placed at the Warrior Dog Foundation when handlers remain on active duty or the dogs aren't suitable for family environments.