Trident K9 Warriors: My Tale From the Training Ground to the Battlefield with Elite Navy SEAL Canines

A well written book on SOF dogs. Many stories about the Navy Seal working dogs and the program. As a 15 year police explosive / patrol dog handler, and trainer, the authors are on point. The information they reveal about these working dogs, their drives, attitudes, and how they are trained is very credible. In that respect, the information presented was very familiar to me. I also really enjoyed the individual stories about the handlers, the dogs, and their exploits. If your a dog lover, or a war time enthusiast, you will love this book. It really exposes the bond that is developed between human and animal partners.

This is by far the best of several books I've read about military working dogs. It's the most realistic, gritty and detailed portrayal of these dogs, their abilities and their missions you can find without actually working with the dogs themselves. I've read other books by reporters and observers, but this book is written by an insider - a former SEAL and MWD handler, now a contractor who buys and trains these dogs for the military and law-enforcement. The author has the most in-depth understanding of these dogs I've encountered, and he communicates in a very readable and engaging way. His love and admiration for these dogs is palpable. You will not find more personal accounts or stories of greater heroics anywhere else. I came away with a whole new appreciation for these dogs and their handlers. These are teams who deserve the gratitude of all Americans - military teams who operate at a higher level that is just unfathomable even to those of us well-versed in the canine world. This book is a great read. I highly recommend it.

I'll try to keep this short and simple. I've read a bunch of the other seal books and find them to be great reads. I'm also an avid dog lover that has served on the board of directors at a canine rescue that specialized in many of the powerful breeds that Mike discusses in the book. I applaud his attention to detail and positive teaching methods. This book provides a great beginning insight into what someone might expect if they are interested in pursuing this field as a career. The author does tend to go off on random tangents, which can either be a source of entertainment or headache. All in all, it is a great book. I just wish that he could have provided further details and insights into the combat sorties andy accomplishments of the dogs and trainers. However, I understand the security concerns of providing mission strategy and tactics in public forums with the war efforts still underway. I wish the author the best in his noble efforts and the roles that he serves in defending our nations freedom.

This is a fabulous book if you are a SEAL fan boy or a dog lover. I'm both.In addition, I accidentally adopted a Belgian Mallinois from the pound. I've adopted a number of dogs over the years, but usually older dogs that needed a good home for a couple of years. This time, I got a near-puppy and just thought she was a mix.After I found this book though, I quickly realized that she is a Mallinois. I want to thank the authors for his/their service and for helping me understand my dog better. My Mallinois is exactly as described in this book.I should also thank every single dog that ever served. If I could, I would pet and treat every dog for days. You'll feel the same after this book.Thanks again to the authors for helping me understand my dog better. We might have had to get counseling if not for this book.

Since the renowned Seal Team Six raid to take out Bin Laden, more than ten years after the most devastating terrorist attacks on American soil, the clandestine world of the elite Navy Seals has captured the world’s attention like never before. Yet, few know of a select and very unique group of warriors who accompany Seal teams on covert missions: Seal K-9 teams. Former Seal instructor and K-9 handler Mike Ritland reveals what it takes to train and go downrange with some of the world’s most battle-hardened and versatile Military Working Dogs. Co-authored by Gary Brozek, “Trident K-9 Warriors” sheds light on the reclusive world of Seal Team dog handlers and the highly classified missions that they embark on to ensure freedom and prosperity from the evolving scourge of terrorism. With their sights set on the most cunning and ruthless enemies, K-9 operatives will jump, dive and fast-rope into the most dangerous places known to man. Deployed to detect hidden weapons caches, booby traps, and to apprehend insurgents, these K-9 warriors ensure an extra margin of safety to their brother’s-in-arms which guarantees success on the battlefield.Mike Ritland does an outstanding job of conveying the rigors of Seal dog training and selection as well as incorporating some historic facts about military working dogs and how they evolved into the elite spec-ops warriors of today. Unlike most of the media hype surrounding special operations, Mike manages to tell a compelling story without divulging sensitive operational secrets that could jeopardize Seals and their K-9 teams out in the field.

As a dog lover with 25+ years of training dog obedience to youth and adults, I found this book to be amazing in the skill levels they teach. While we work to make a dog a valued family member within their homes and communities, I was fascinated to read how these dogs become a partner and team member of a truly high level group of soldiers. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in dog training. Most people think that dog training should be a piece of cake, go to class and the dog will quickly learn. They don't realize that it's actually a huge mindset conversion for the handler on the amount of time you have to commit to become a successful team. Our motto is "4 Paws, 2 Feet, 1 Team". But it goes beyond that expanding out to other members of the household just like the military handlers acclimate the dogs with the members of their teams.

Terrific book on these amazing dogs. A view inside the Navy Seals and their working dogs. As a “pet” owner of dogs I found this fascinating but I think it would be a good read for anyone curious about what dogs are bread for, trained for and capable of.

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Just a small glimpse into the lives of these Dogs and handlers but Informative and fun to hear all the different stories on my commute to and from work, recommended reading, moving on to "Team Dog" next.

I had heard that both US and British Special Ops forces utilised dogs in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that they were worth their weight in gold, but never fully realised just how much of a contribution these dogs make.The dogs, mainly belgian malinois have to be trained to do everything a SEAL can do, so they are gradually innoculated to travelling in helicopters, fast roping attached to their handler by a special harness, and swimming far out in the sea, out of sight of land.The bulk of the book is dedicated to this training, and it's fascinating. The type of operant conditioning used is always positive,[in contrast to the harsh regime that human SEAL candidates undergo]. giving a reward for a task well done, rather than punishing failure.Just one of the many stories recounted in the book shows the deep bond forged between dog and handler. On operations a MWD and handler were both injured in an explosive ambush. The handler was down, unconscious, the dog, with severe injuries to lungs and paws crawled over to him, and lay over him, protecting the handler from further injury. Happily, both survived, and recovered to resume active service.I can't recommend this book too highly, it really opens a window into a facet of how our "best friends" are helping us in the war on terror.

Great book, have read some of Mike's other works and big fan of the podcast