Extraordinary Dogs: Bomb Sniffing Dogs
There‘s a growing breed of crime specialists known as “vapor wake” dogs. Bomb detection K-9s have been identifying explosives in packages that were stationary. A sniffer dog targets the moving bomber.
Moving bombers have claimed hundreds of lives. The widely publicized attempted airplane bombing of Detroit by the so-called “underwear bomber” prompted change in counter terrorism tactics and has enlisted the snouts of highly trained canines.
Training
Training used to involve nose down, checks of suitcases, and abandoned backpacks. With the increased threat of people carrying explosives, the dogs are being trained to hone in on moving targets.
Sniffer dogs are put through 6-months of rigorous training. Dogs master obstacles to enhance their climbing and searching in conditions similar to that of an airport. They master the ability to detect a vapor trail and learn to chase it down.
Los Angeles LAX, the sixth busiest airport in the world adopted this new way of sniffing out bombs. As of mid-2011, the (Pro-Active Canine Team) PACT was not available in any other airport.
Technique Advancements
A PACT dog has the incredible ability to detect a whiff of explosives floating in the air as passengers pass by; or within seconds thereafter. Had this level of security been in place, the shoe-bomber and underwear bomber would have never come close to boarding a plane.
With today’s scanning procedures, explosives are less likely to be carried on in luggage, but more likely to board the plane heavily concealed on a passenger.
Los Angeles is one of the top four terrorist targets in the United States, handling 60 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo each year.
Vapor wake dogs have added a new line of defense at LAX. The effort is funded by the LA Police Foundation in an effort to implement another critical line of security. LAX may be the first airport to implement this program, but a program of this caliber is bound to be adopted at many more, and soon.
Most Desirable Breeds
The breeds of dogs that have shown the greatest success in this intense training includes Labrador, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. These breeds are favored for their high intelligence, determination, ease of training, sense of smell, eagerness to learn, and overall disposition.
Advanced Training
An interesting fact of PACT training is a portion of the training carried out in prisons to allow the dogs to encounter the obstacles of slick tile floors; heavy traffic flow, and the noise factor, all of which are similar to the elements of a congested airport.
Dr. Susan Wright DMV is the staff invisible fence alternatives expert for Dog Fence DIY. Dr. Wright has been a practicing veterinarian for more than 10 years. Susan has an appreciation for the extraordinary abilities of dogs and experesses that appreciation through writing.
Published in Education