I see a lot of police dogs in Parliament, at some airports, at places where politicians are expected. These are detection dogs and they are Alsatians, Belgian Malinois, Golden Retrievers and Labradors. Every now and then my shelter is given an old police dog and we have to find a home for an animal that has saved thousands of people and then been thrown out when he is old.
The British were the first to employ the talents of detection canines in WWI to find land mines. Now they are used all over the world. A detection or sniffer dog is trained to uses its senses to detect substances ranging from explosives, illegal drugs, blood, human cadavers, missing humans to fruit, mussels and honeybees ! Some prisons have dogs trained to detect illicit cell phones in prison cells. I forgot to mention: plants and food (by customs officials), cancer, mines, DVDs, currency, diabetes, bedbugs, guns, mold and termites. When a dog sniffs deeply and odour-carrying molecules flow into its nasal cavity, the shape of the cavity changes so that the molecules are focused onto a yellow, rippled, mucus-covered membrane, called the sensory mucosa, toward the back of the snout. So convoluted is the canine mucosa that if it were smoothed flat it would be several times larger than the dog’s head. Because it has so much surface area, the mucosa can carry a vast number of odour-sensitive, hair-like cilia.
Dogs have roughly 200 million scent receptor cells in their noses. That's about 40 times as many as humans. This makes them incredibly sensitive to smells. They can detect odour concentrations as small as one to two parts per billion or even when a target odour is mixed with lots of other smelly stuff. A dog can detect dynamite through dirty diapers, or cocaine through smelly socks. In an Australian prison, a detection dog foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs that had been hidden in a woman's bra and smeared with coffee, pepper and Vicks Vaporub. A sniffer dog can detect blood even if it has been scrubbed off surfaces. In one case, a sniffer dog sniffed a drop of blood on a wall although an attempt had been made to scrub it off. It was so small that it couldn't be seen without a microscope.
Why do police choose these breeds? A small dog will do as well – except it won’t look as intimidating. The key attributes of a successful police dog are intelligence, strength, and sense of smell. Abroad, police dogs handlers are very carefully chosen. The police dog and his handler together make up a K-9 unit. The men chosen for the dog units must have exemplary records and an outgoing, energetic personality, and strong physical conditioning. All police dogs are first given obedience training. They must obey the commands of their handler without hesitation. They must be comfortable in public places, with people and used to distractions like traffic. They must have endurance and agility training, be able to jump over walls and climb stairs.
How is a dog trained for bombs or drugs? People often wonder if dogs sniff out hidden drugs because they want to eat them, or because they're addicted themselves. In fact, the dogs have absolutely no interest in drugs or explosives or even fruit. What they're actually looking for is their favourite toy. Their training leads them to associate that toy with the smell of drugs. The toy used most often is a white towel. Police dogs play a game of tug-of-war with their favourite towel. To begin the training, the handler simply plays with the dog and the towel, which has been carefully washed so that it has no scent of its own. Later, a drug is rolled up inside the towel. Soon the dog starts to recognize the smell of the drug as the smell of his favourite toy. The handler then hides the towel, with the drugs, in various places. Whenever the dog sniffs out the drugs, he digs and scratches, trying to get at his toy. He soon comes to learn that if he sniffs out the drugs, as soon as he finds them he'll be rewarded with a game of tug-of-war or chew toys.
As training progresses, different drugs are placed in the towel, until the dog is able to sniff out a host of illegal substances. The same method is used for bomb-detection dogs, except chemicals used to manufacture explosives are placed in the towel or ball. When a police dog finds what he's sniffing for, he lets his handler know it's there by giving the alert signal. They dig and paw at the spot where they smell the drugs, trying to get at the toy they think is waiting there. A bomb dog would get everyone into trouble if he pawed it so they are trained to sit down as soon as they discover the explosive.
About ten years ago a new way of teaching was been invented which changed the training from a craft to a science: teaching dogs to sniff out corpses or drugs or bombs with synthetic substances. Scents that captured the smell of death and human corpses were bottled and made into ampoules that are given to dogs to sniff and find. Dogs are a vital part of today's security forces, government or private. For military patrols throughout the world, a bomb sniffing dog can mean the difference between life and death. These "dogs of war" have saved countless lives. The soldiers trust these dogs more than metal detectors and mine sweepers.
The first police dog appeared in the Northwest Frontier Provinces (now Pakistan) in 1941. Madras raised a kennel in 1951, then Bihar in 1955. I am told there is a standing advisory committee that coordinates the breeding, supply and training of police dogs in India but I have no idea where it is. In India, the facilities for police dogs are pathetic. In Chhatisgarh, two dogs, Seema and Liza who have smelt out explosives and narcotics, have had babies suddenly. The dog’s trainers have been suspended but they say that the blame lies with a lack of proper kennels at Chhattisgarh Armed Police's VIIth battalion. The Indian police departments have no scheme of retirement and dogs are made to work until they are too ill or old to work.
All over the world dogs are retired at 8 years and given pensions so that they find adopters. I would like the police and army to take Indian street dogs and train them instead of importing expensive dogs. This way, we will prove what I have been saying for years, that Indian dogs are much smarter than foreign breeds.
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The British were the first to employ the talents of detection canines in WWI to find land mines. Now they are used all over the world. A detection or sniffer dog is trained to uses its senses to detect substances ranging from explosives, illegal drugs, blood, human cadavers, missing humans to fruit, mussels and honeybees ! Some prisons have dogs trained to detect illicit cell phones in prison cells. I forgot to mention: plants and food (by customs officials), cancer, mines, DVDs, currency, diabetes, bedbugs, guns, mold and termites. When a dog sniffs deeply and odour-carrying molecules flow into its nasal cavity, the shape of the cavity changes so that the molecules are focused onto a yellow, rippled, mucus-covered membrane, called the sensory mucosa, toward the back of the snout. So convoluted is the canine mucosa that if it were smoothed flat it would be several times larger than the dog’s head. Because it has so much surface area, the mucosa can carry a vast number of odour-sensitive, hair-like cilia.
Dogs have roughly 200 million scent receptor cells in their noses. That's about 40 times as many as humans. This makes them incredibly sensitive to smells. They can detect odour concentrations as small as one to two parts per billion or even when a target odour is mixed with lots of other smelly stuff. A dog can detect dynamite through dirty diapers, or cocaine through smelly socks. In an Australian prison, a detection dog foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs that had been hidden in a woman's bra and smeared with coffee, pepper and Vicks Vaporub. A sniffer dog can detect blood even if it has been scrubbed off surfaces. In one case, a sniffer dog sniffed a drop of blood on a wall although an attempt had been made to scrub it off. It was so small that it couldn't be seen without a microscope.
Why do police choose these breeds? A small dog will do as well – except it won’t look as intimidating. The key attributes of a successful police dog are intelligence, strength, and sense of smell. Abroad, police dogs handlers are very carefully chosen. The police dog and his handler together make up a K-9 unit. The men chosen for the dog units must have exemplary records and an outgoing, energetic personality, and strong physical conditioning. All police dogs are first given obedience training. They must obey the commands of their handler without hesitation. They must be comfortable in public places, with people and used to distractions like traffic. They must have endurance and agility training, be able to jump over walls and climb stairs.
How is a dog trained for bombs or drugs? People often wonder if dogs sniff out hidden drugs because they want to eat them, or because they're addicted themselves. In fact, the dogs have absolutely no interest in drugs or explosives or even fruit. What they're actually looking for is their favourite toy. Their training leads them to associate that toy with the smell of drugs. The toy used most often is a white towel. Police dogs play a game of tug-of-war with their favourite towel. To begin the training, the handler simply plays with the dog and the towel, which has been carefully washed so that it has no scent of its own. Later, a drug is rolled up inside the towel. Soon the dog starts to recognize the smell of the drug as the smell of his favourite toy. The handler then hides the towel, with the drugs, in various places. Whenever the dog sniffs out the drugs, he digs and scratches, trying to get at his toy. He soon comes to learn that if he sniffs out the drugs, as soon as he finds them he'll be rewarded with a game of tug-of-war or chew toys.
As training progresses, different drugs are placed in the towel, until the dog is able to sniff out a host of illegal substances. The same method is used for bomb-detection dogs, except chemicals used to manufacture explosives are placed in the towel or ball. When a police dog finds what he's sniffing for, he lets his handler know it's there by giving the alert signal. They dig and paw at the spot where they smell the drugs, trying to get at the toy they think is waiting there. A bomb dog would get everyone into trouble if he pawed it so they are trained to sit down as soon as they discover the explosive.
About ten years ago a new way of teaching was been invented which changed the training from a craft to a science: teaching dogs to sniff out corpses or drugs or bombs with synthetic substances. Scents that captured the smell of death and human corpses were bottled and made into ampoules that are given to dogs to sniff and find. Dogs are a vital part of today's security forces, government or private. For military patrols throughout the world, a bomb sniffing dog can mean the difference between life and death. These "dogs of war" have saved countless lives. The soldiers trust these dogs more than metal detectors and mine sweepers.
The first police dog appeared in the Northwest Frontier Provinces (now Pakistan) in 1941. Madras raised a kennel in 1951, then Bihar in 1955. I am told there is a standing advisory committee that coordinates the breeding, supply and training of police dogs in India but I have no idea where it is. In India, the facilities for police dogs are pathetic. In Chhatisgarh, two dogs, Seema and Liza who have smelt out explosives and narcotics, have had babies suddenly. The dog’s trainers have been suspended but they say that the blame lies with a lack of proper kennels at Chhattisgarh Armed Police's VIIth battalion. The Indian police departments have no scheme of retirement and dogs are made to work until they are too ill or old to work.
All over the world dogs are retired at 8 years and given pensions so that they find adopters. I would like the police and army to take Indian street dogs and train them instead of importing expensive dogs. This way, we will prove what I have been saying for years, that Indian dogs are much smarter than foreign breeds.
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.