This is how a real-life military dog is trained for combat

U.S. Soldier and Army Dog
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Max — a new movie about a Belgian Malinois dog trained by the U.S. Marines for combat in Afghanistan — hits theaters today.

The release of Max has also raised interest in the lives of actual military dogs, which have served alongside soldiers in combat zones for years. A 2011 video shows the rigorous training methods used by the Navy SEALs to prepare German Shepherds for Afghanistan:

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.