01/04/2025
I’m deeply honoured and humbled to receive a mention in a recently published book.
My dear friend from the renowned Polish Special Operations unit, GROM, dedicated a brief write-up about our first meeting and training experience in his book. Translated excerpt below (thank you, Piotr, for the translation):
“To the unit came Armin Winkler, one of the most highly anticipated trainers and one of the best known decoys in the world of special forces. He was there to work with us for a few days. This man is nothing short of legendary, known for his uncompromising and honest approach to communication. I have never seen anyone who could communicate with dogs as effectively as he did. Under his supervision we had to perform specific tasks. He looked at the big picture- the dog and its handler, Armin, an excellent reader of both animals and humans, understood both the handler and the dog perfectly. His task wasn’t just to train us, but also to evaluate us, and his demeanour commanded immense respect.
On the first day of training the dogs were tasked with attacking on command. When a 30-kilogram dog leaps at a person, it feels as though a projectile has hit you. The dogs had their own techniques to overpower their targets, and they did it in ways that impressed me. What amazed me most was how Armin endured receiving these attacks day after day. Beyond the training of our dogs, there were also dogs from other American units participating in the exercises. Armin stood firm and shared his observations at the end: “I see two great dogs here, Denzel and Hunter from Poland”, he said.
After a week of training with Armin, I can say without a doubt that his reputation was well deserved. The dogs tactics, and we learned with them step by step. One of the new techniques, both for us and the American trainers, was teaching a dog to attack a passive decoy - one that didn’t move at all. This is not typical, as dogs usually train with decoys who move suddenly and aggressively. With Armin, however, the task was different; to attack a passive decoy. Why? To prepare for scenarios where the enemy freezes in place or pretends to be lifeless.
Each day Armin surprised us with something new. One day he arrived and announced that the dogs would be training with a suit made of pig skin. It was a very thin suit that gave the impression of thick layers of clothing. This was excellent training that simulated real conditions, but it was brutal for the decoy, who had to endure hours of painful bites. Why was this so important?
You need to think ahead - dogs are trained for specific tasks and to work in designated environments. That’s why part of the exercises involved working with clothing or object brought in from the trainers’ environments - places where the dogs might operate in the future. This way, they became familiar with the smells and layouts of the spaces they would eventually work in.
Tactical training also included tracking in a field, swimming in a lake, or searching for decoys. Int the latter, Denzel surprised us again with his independence. Instead of searching for the decoy in the forest according to a specified pattern, he felt him straight ahead and went towards him, fully trusting his animal instincts.
Dogs act according to their instincts, unlike most of us, humans, who often overthink things. This is why dogs are chosen for special forces - they excel at operating outside of set patterns. In today’s world, where we often cling to a false sense of security in established routines, we will increasingly value those who can think and act beyond those boundaries.
I realise that training like this will be even more useful for preparing people to work with dogs in special forces. Good preparation means not only greater efficiency, but also much greater safety. This is one of the key lessons from Fort Bragg.”
