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Indigenous breeds of dogs from Tamil Nadu and Nagaland are expected to squad up to signifier retired overseas breeds successful the canine squad of India’s oldest paramilitary unit by 2050.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a directive successful 2025, seeking the induction of much Indian canine breeds successful the canine squads for each equipped forces. The directive came 3 years aft the Assam Rifles, established successful 1835, started a aviator task to induct six Tangkhul Hui dogs into its squad.
Indigenous to Manipur’s Ukhrul district, the Tangkhul Hui is highly disease-resistant and has traditionally been utilized for hunting.
The 2025 directive made the Assam Rifles, which is nether the dual power of the Home (administrative) and the Defence (operational) Ministries, commencement identifying suitable indigenous breeds to squad up with its “four-legged soldiers” from Manipur. It has zeroed successful connected the Kombai breed recovered successful Tamil Nadu arsenic the perchance astir suitable spouse of the Tangkhul Hui.
Indian canine breeds to beryllium deployed successful constabulary duties soon
“We are successful the process of identifying the genitor banal of the Kombai for breeding. As the archetypal step, we volition induct 2 males and 8 females of this breed successful April,” Lt. Col. Alok Palei, the Commanding Officer of the Assam Rifles Dog Training Centre (ARDTC) successful Jorhat, told The Hindu on Thursday (February 12, 2026).
New breeds of dogs person a 15-year signifier from identifying genetically superior genitor banal to deploying trained dogs connected the frontlines arsenic defender dogs and trackers. They person been the cardinal to the paramilitary unit seizing immense caches of arms and narcotics successful the northeast.
The Assam Rifles presently has 3 breeds — Belgian Malinois, German Shepherd, and Labrador — posted successful antithetic battalions crossed the northeastern states and Jammu & Kashmir. The unit presently has 253 dogs, though its sanctioned spot is 344.
The Tangkhul Hui and Kombai breeds are apt to beryllium inducted afloat into the Assam Rifles’ canine squad by March 2027. These 2 indigenous breeds volition beryllium trained astatine the ARDTC, the lone specified installation of the Assam Rifles.
The centre presently has 104 dogs — each overseas breeds — undergoing grooming oregon attraction astatine its veterinary hospital, nether the attraction of 174 handlers.
The dogs acquisition a 12-week basal obedience people and a two-week refresher course. The courses for their handlers are basal canine handling (23 weeks), canine archetypal assistance (four weeks), and refresher (two weeks).
