Indian Army Canines, Including Rampur Hounds, Showcase Tactical Skills at Yudh Abhyas 2026
Four Indian Army canines — Rice, Victor, Zac and Rowdy — are taking part in Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026, where they are being used to demonstrate how trained military dogs support soldiers in demanding tactical situations. Their participation has added a specialised dimension to the India-US field exercise, giving American personnel a close look at how Army Canines are employed alongside troops in operational settings.
The dogs were seen taking part in drills that included room intervention and rappelling, exercises that require close coordination between handlers and animals as they move through complex environments. The demonstrations were intended not only to showcase the agility and training of the canines, but also to illustrate how they function as part of a larger tactical team.
Among the four, Victor and Rowdy are Rampur Hounds, an indigenous Indian breed that is increasingly being used by the Indian Army for military roles. Zac is a Belgian Malinois, while Rice is a Labrador Retriever. Together, the four dogs reflect the range of breeds employed for different military tasks and the specialised nature of canine support in operations.
The Rampur Hounds in the exercise are not new to operational work. According to the source material, they have already demonstrated their capabilities during an international multilateral exercise at Umroi in Meghalaya. After that engagement, they were deployed along the Manipur border, where they successfully detected Improvised Explosive Devices.
Their deployments are being cited as evidence of the potential of indigenous canine breeds in military and security roles, especially in difficult terrain and active operational environments. The experience of this line of Rampur Hounds extends beyond a single deployment area as well: their siblings were deployed in the Jalandhar and Amritsar Sectors during Operation Sindoor.
That spread of deployments shows how trained military dogs are being used across varied operational environments. In the case of the Rampur Hounds, their participation in Yudh Abhyas 2026 comes after field use that has already demonstrated their utility outside ceremonial or display settings.
Military working dogs can provide support in situations where mobility, agility and specialised training give them an edge alongside soldiers. Their effectiveness depends not only on the animals themselves but also on intensive training and the handling skills of their human partners. The room-intervention and rappelling drills at Yudh Abhyas 2026 offered a practical example of that partnership in action.
For US Army personnel observing the demonstrations, the exercise served as an opportunity to see how Indian Army Canines are trained and employed. More broadly, such professional exchanges allow both armies to observe different methods, compare practices and gain insight into specialised capabilities that may be used in tactical operations.
The inclusion of Army Canines in Yudh Abhyas 2026 therefore broadens the exercise beyond conventional soldier-to-soldier training. It brings into focus a capability that can support troops in demanding missions and highlights the role of trained animal teams within military operations.
The presence of the indigenous Rampur Hounds is especially notable in that context. Their operational history — from the international exercise in Meghalaya to deployments along the Manipur border and in the Jalandhar and Amritsar sectors during Operation Sindoor — shows that they are being used in real-world roles across different theatres. Along with the Belgian Malinois and Labrador Retriever in the same canine team, they illustrate the different strengths that various breeds bring to the Indian Army’s military working dog capability.
At Yudh Abhyas 2026, those capabilities are being presented in a bilateral setting that combines training, professional exchange and operational demonstration. The exercise provides another platform for the Indian Army to showcase the reliability, adaptability and usefulness of its canine teams, while also highlighting the growing role of indigenous breeds such as the Rampur Hound in military service.
