SEAL Teams Were Caught Unprepared for IED Threat in Early 2000s
"I would say we were kind of caught with our pants down with the IED threat. People forget, but IEDs were kind of like a new thing that we were facing in the early 2000s. So we didn't really have a dog program answer for that yet."
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.
Key takeaways
- Devine revealed experienced handlers can identify whether IEDs or humans are present by reading dog body language alone before entry.
- The SEAL K9 program maintains a 70% dog failure rate comparable to BUD/S, with failed candidates redistributed to law enforcement agencies.
- Special Operations were caught unprepared for IEDs in early 2000s and initially borrowed MP dogs before establishing dedicated programs.
- Israeli trainers who built Israel's bomb dog program during 1990s suicide bombing wave were contracted to stand up SEAL K9 program.
- SEAL teams use larger Belgian Malinois weighing up to 95 pounds with bite force powerful enough to audibly break human bones.
- Dogs imported from Netherlands with vendor agreements allowing failed candidates to be returned and placed with other agencies rather than euthanized.
- Handlers receive specialized medical training for dog anatomy including how to apply tourniquets, IVs, and recognize temperature illness in canines.