Internal signals monitored by an MWD include which needs?

• A. Only pain signals.
• B. Hunger, thirst, and elimination needs.
• C. Vision and hearing.
• D. Temperature and balance.

Answer: (B)

Internal state signals monitored by a military working dog include basic physiological needs that drive behavior: hunger, thirst, and elimination. These needs are fundamental motivators that prompt the dog to eat, drink, or relieve itself, keeping the animal healthy and ready for work. Pain signals are important indicators of discomfort or injury, but they’re not the same as ongoing needs that direct daily maintenance behaviors. Vision and hearing are environmental perceptions, not internal needs, and temperature or balance describe bodily conditions rather than the core needs that compel routine actions. So hunger, thirst, and elimination best represent the internal needs a working dog monitors and responds to.