Karnataka's Mudhol Hound to be First Indian Dog Breed Trained For Army Duty

Dehradun, Nov 2: An Indian dog breed, Mudhol hounds are being trained to serve in the Army which so far has vested its trust in foreign breeds like German Shepherds, Labradors and Great Swiss Mountain dogs. The Army’s Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) centre is training the dogs and almost completed training six hounds. After their training, the dogs will be posted in Jammu and Kashmir later this year.TOI reported that the dogs were sent to Meerut centre. The dogs were native to Karnataka and have been undergoing intense training for a year. An officer posted at the Centre told the newspaper that it was a novel initiative as they didn’t have any research, documents or experience on how to train the Mudhol hounds.
The officer said that the dogs were first kept in quarantine to check if they had any disease and their basic health. Then they were put under basic obedience training. They then undergo battle inoculation and then specialised training.
He said that the most important aspect of the training was to develop a bond between the trainer and the dog. This helps in understanding the animal’s behavior and abilities. The officer said that the decision was not impulsive and that a lot of scientific thought had gone into the decision.
Website www.dogsindia.com describe the hounds as independent and with keen sight.
“During the past centuries the ruling Ghorpades of the feudal state of Mudhol in the district of Bagalkote in Karnataka have developed the Mudhol Hound by selective breeding. The Chandrashiva family was entrusted with the perpetuation of this breed, their descendants still continuing to do so,” the website says.
“The Mudhol is a hardy dog and a keen sight hound. But it has an independent temperament and the male doghas a tendancy to attack at times,” it added.