Explosive and Narcotic Detection Dogs - Page 1

I understand that they are two different dogs. It is not advisable to cross train.

i need to know:

1. How do you know whether the dog/puppy is trainable?  What are the traits?

2. How do we train? Which are the best schools in Europe to train? Cost of training?

3. Handling a trained dog? Gear required? where can one get the gear.

4.Can anyone recommend DVDs, training books etc with a practical orientation. No text book stuff needed.

Sure shot detection dogs cost a packet, I understand. If one goes into training how long does it take?

Anybody wants to reply to me directly they are welcome to write mathewajit@hotmail.com

A.Mathew

+91-9849466344

http://www.caninetrainingsystems.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?keywords=Police&search=action

these videos should be good starters

cheers

Contact an airport near you.  I live in Orlando, Florida near the GOAA (International Airport), they have EOD (Explosive Ordinance Dogs) they work at the Airport.  They hire handlers and train them with a K9.  You may be able to get some assiance and/or info there.  

If you train narcotics or explosives you are going to have to get a hold of some actual sources to scent imprint the dogs on and that is going to be a BIG deal if you are not LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) or agency with specific rights to handle these products.

You need a pup that is very social, obedient and GREAT food, ball and/or prey drive.  For explosives you will have to teach a PASSIVE alert (sit, down or bark at the source) for obvious reasons. :o)  You don't want the dog scratching an explosive! :o)  Narcotic dogs are allowed to scratch but it will mostly depend on the agency you work for and what they want/prefer.  Look up info about training a dog for a line-up.  You can use any container (boxes, concrete block's, etc.) you put the source in one of the containers and if the dog shows any interest you click a clicker, say yes or good (only do one of these and do the same thing every time!), then you either feed the dog or throw a ball or play tug with the dog.  Note:  you need to try each of these and see which one the dog likes the best!!!!  And then use that reward everytime.  Eventually you add in the trained alert (sit, down, bark).  Food for thought, I like the bark because the sit and/or down a dog will do naturally when tired.  The only bad thing with the bark is depending on the dogs proximity to an explosive devise it is possible to vibrate to box and set it off should the dog be in contact with package, ietm in question and go boom!  Not good.  Some explosives have sensors that detect movement and some sunlight.  So you don't want the dog moving it or tearing the container open or you end up with a mess and back at square one. :o(  Narcotics are a different story much safer for you and the dog but more complicated due to the number of drugs you scent imprint the dog on and the levels (amount of pure drugs vs watered down drugs) not to mention a HUGE source vs a small baggy.  Johnnie Joyce has a bunch of info on her web site.  Do a search engine to find her, she is retired LEO and puts on seminars for these disciplines.           

Are you going to attempt to train dogs to sell to agencies or train a dog(s) to work yourself?  I would check the market in you area to see if there is a need for such dogs.  Most LEO and/or Airports provide their own.  Also check the requirements for obtaining and having possession of these sources this is a BIG legal issue.  There are a lot of course you will need to take depending on what discipline you choose and what agency you decide to test with.  Also look up NAPWDA (North American Police Working Dog Assiciation), IPWDA, I can't think of any others off the top of my head.  This will be a good start and they will have links to lead you on your journey.

Good Luck

Teri 

To try and answer some of your questions;

1) If you buy a pup, you can not be 100% sure he is going to grow up and do the work. If you want to raise the puppy yourself, you want to look for a confidant pup. You want him to be very willing to play retrieve games with you. If they retrieve unusual objects( like a water bottle with rocks in it or better yet something metal) that is a good sign. If you throw it where they cannot get it and they show some interest in looking for it, that is a big, big plus. Look for signs of environental stability by taking him to different places and see if the pup will play ball with you the same way they do at home. Have the pup walk on strange surfaces (slick floors, metal grates, rock and lumber piles.

2) as for training, if you teach an aggressive alert (dog scratches to indicate a find) that is easy. It would take far to long to explain it here, but it is easy. I have never taught a passive alert so I can't comment on that. Training here in the US ranges from about $3500- to $10,000.

3) Google search dog training equipment

4) Same as #3