I just realised I've never heard of armies in non-recent history using dogs in battle, except for small tasks like hunting down prisoners. Why weren't they common in battlefields in ancient / medieval times? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

I just realised I've never heard of armies in non-recent history using dogs in battle, except for small tasks like hunting down prisoners. Why weren't they common in battlefields in ancient / medieval times?

by kace91

I'd figure that a pack of trained dogs could do decent damage against, say, a roman formation or a group of medieval English archers, yet I've never heard of such a thing. Why wasn't it common for soldiers to have dogs with them, or even specialized units using them?

Searocksandtrees

Hi, yes, dogs have been used in battle. Other contributions are welcome here, but check these out:

/u/Georgy_K_Zhukov gives a survey in Tuesday Trivia | Pets and Other Animals
/u/Bigglesworth_ on WWII paradogs!! in How many parachuting dogs did the Allies employ during World War II?
/u/Yawarpoma on the American conquest in How effective were dogs in battle.
the ancient world: /u/czechbro in What are examples of effective use of war dogs in battle during ancient times?, and /u/WatchHasBegun in How did Ancient Rome and Greece use dogs in battle?