Austrian Armed Forces welcome eleven new military dogs

The Military Dog Center of the Austrian Armed Forces has officially welcomed eleven new Belgian Shepherd puppies into service through a traditional baptism ceremony held on August 13, 2026. The event was attended by Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Josef Pröll, president of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB), which has taken on a sponsorship role for the new dogs.

Born on May 26 in Kaisersteinbruch, the puppies belong to the ‘T-Wurf’ and have been named Trude, Taiga, Tara, Tracy, Thorin, Twixx, Titan, Tank, T-Bone, Tonic, and Tantor. The dogs are beginning their training, which includes health checks and ‘puppy school.’

Over the next two years, they will be trained to serve as guard and protection dogs, as well as detection dogs for explosives and narcotics. The Military Dog Center, which has served as the central breeding and training facility for the Austrian Armed Forces since 1964, currently manages 157 military dogs and 99 handlers.