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You've seen it in the movies or even had the rare show in your neighbourhood—a narcotics search that involved trained detection dogs. It's fascinating just to see how the dogs skilfully sniff through rooms, bags, drawers and floors in search of drugs. Eventually, they start barking wildly and jumping around a spot, and alas! The officers turn the area upside down and come across rolls of drugs. How do the dogs do it? What does it take to train a dog to attain such capabilities? Whether you have a dog that you feel has the potential for narcotics inspection or are just an enthusiast, this article will teach you three things that are necessary to train a dog for narcotics detection.
The type of dog breed
Unfortunately, not any kind of dog can sniff out drugs that are hidden in a room or deep in the ground. There are specific genes which are known to give certain dogs a heightened sense of smell which enables them to sniff out items that other dogs wouldn't. Research shows that dogs' sense of smell is powerful, even more than that of humans. The most common breeds used across the world for narcotics detection are bloodhounds, basset hounds, German shepherds, English springer spaniels, coon hounds, and pointers, among others. Note that mixed breeds and crossbreeds also make excellent candidates. That's because the qualities from two breeds can dramatically enhance the capabilities of the offspring.
Physical capabilities
Sniffing dogs need some physical qualities that will enable them to search through various areas and find narcotics. Besides their sniffing capabilities, the dogs also need to be physically healthy and fit. These qualities will enable the dog to search devotedly without showing signs of fatigue. Dogs that make excellent detection dogs are those that hunger to be praised for their superb work. This means that they will overturn a room if necessary to make their handler happy. Additionally, the dogs should show agility, as the narcotics detection process should only take a few minutes.
Ability to take instruction
Dogs that qualify for drug detection are those that can obey the handler to ensure a successful mission. This means that those that disregard commands or run off when they should be working will not qualify for this task. Dog trainers will take potential candidates through a test that will examine the dog's physical qualities, sniffing capabilities, agility, thoroughness, and ability to alert the handler after making a discovery. These are the parameters that will pass the dog for this task.
A lot of hard work goes into training dogs for narcotics detection, and that's what makes them effective every time they go out on a drugs-hunting mission.
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