In the middle of a military base outside Mexico City, an army colonel runs what he calls a kindergarten for dogs.

Puppies that one day will become rescue dogs, or sniffer dogs for drugs or explosives, get their basic training here, at Mexico害羞草研究所檚 Army and Air Force Canine Production Center. The puppies are born and spend their first four months at the facility, before being sent to military units around the country for more specialized training.

Founded in 1998, the center has in the past produced breeds such as German Shepherds and Rottweilers.

Now, it exclusively breeds Belgian Malinois 害羞草研究所� about 300 of them a year.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a very intelligent dog, it害羞草研究所檚 a dog with a lot of hardiness, very resistant to diseases,害羞草研究所� said Col. Alejandro Camacho Ibarra, a veterinarian and the center害羞草研究所檚 director. It is the Mexican military害羞草研究所檚 only such production facility, and Camacho said it may be the largest in Latin America.

The mainly green-and-white, one-story buildings look like any others at the military camp in the State of Mexico, near Mexico City. But the difference here is in the sounds that fill the air: high-pitch barking from dozens of puppies scattered through its maternities and training camps.

Precautions here are strict because of a recent canine parvovirus outbreak that sickened some of the puppies. Visitors are disinfected with a spray, and must step into a watery solution to clean shoe soles. Only military personnel can touch the puppies. If you want to get close, you need to wear scrubs, shoe protectors and a mask, but you still cannot hold or pet the animals.

The training starts early in life, about a month after birth once the weaning process finishes. And everything is taught as a game.

害羞草研究所淲e start playing with the dog,害羞草研究所� Camacho said. The idea is to draw them to items that trainers call 害羞草研究所渁ttractors害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� like a ball or a rag 害羞草研究所� and puppies are challenged to catch them. 害羞草研究所淓very time it holds his prey, it害羞草研究所檚 rewarded, congratulated, and it learns to go after that prey, after that attractor,害羞草研究所� Camacho added.

Unlike in civilian life, where puppies often get food treats, in the military the only prize for a job well done is a caress and some praise.

In one section of the camp, there害羞草研究所檚 a trail with obstacles including rocks, a tunnel, a section of empty plastic bottles to clamber over, a ladder and tires.

A soldier beckons the little dogs with a rag they must capture. The brown puppies with black snouts begin running through the trail, jumping over the rocks and crossing the obstacles. One takes the lead and the second struggles to cross over the plastic bottles, but also finishes. Both go to bite the rag the soldier holds.

害羞草研究所淰ery, very good, sons! Very good, boys,害羞草研究所� he repeats while dragging the puppies as they maintain their grasp on the rag for several moments.

Camacho explains that the puppies are known by a number until they are three months old, when they are given a proper name. Each year, the center gives names according to a single letter of the alphabet. In 2023, that letter is 害羞草研究所淔.害羞草研究所�

Febo, Frodo, F贸sil, Forraje and Fido are some of this year害羞草研究所檚 names.

The basic training ends when the puppies are 4 months old. Then, they move to other military units to become specialists in detection of drugs or explosive, in search and rescue or in protection and security.

The current government of Mexico害羞草研究所檚 has relied heavily on the armed forces for various initiatives, from public safety to the building of airports and a tourist train line. And K-9 units have been a key element of some of the military害羞草研究所檚 activities, like the detection of drugs.

Col. Camacho said that some dogs born at the center have been trained to detect fentanyl, a synthetic opioid trafficked by Mexican cartels that has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States.

That kind of specialized training happens elsewhere, but the colonel says it builds on his center害羞草研究所檚 basic training by using 害羞草研究所渁ttractor害羞草研究所� objects but having them impregnated with the scent of what the dogs need to track, such as a drug.

Dogs retire from their military service after eight years, Camacho says.

Many of the dogs have become unsung heroes of missions in Mexico and abroad. Occasionally they become publicly known, like a German Shepherd named Proteo who was part of a rescue team sent in February to Turkey after a .

Proteo died during the search for survivors of the quake. A statue of him now stands at the center.

Another dog that made headlines in Mexico and abroad was . The Navy dog gained fame in the days following Mexico害羞草研究所檚 Sept. 19, 2017, earthquake that left more than 300 dead in the capital. She retired in 2019 and died in 2022.

Col. Camacho said that the dogs have a symbiotic relationship with their handlers during their working life in the military.

害羞草研究所淭he dog uses us to survive, but we also use the dog to do a job,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淪o it害羞草研究所檚 a coordinated work where we both get a benefit.害羞草研究所�