How to Train a Dog to Sniff Out Drugs

It is thought that dogs get just as much information from scent as we humans do from vision. (In "Insomnia," Stephen King suggested that a dog's soul rested in her nose.)Dogs can be trained to detect one particular scent from the millions that abound in the air. Dogs who do this professionally need to have a high play drive in order to want to do their jobs. For this reason, many drug-sniffing dogs are found in animal shelters, abandoned by people who couldn't handle an energetic dog. Here's how to train a dog to sniff out drugs.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• High-energy dog with intense focus
• Special toy
• Small packet of desired illegal drug or pseudo drug
• Box with at least two holes, preferably four

1. Find out what toy makes your dog really excited. Your dog should be so intent on getting this toy that nothing else can distract her. This is the toy you will use only as a reward in drug detection.

2. Get a packet of drugs or pseudo drugs (fake drugs that put off an identical scent to real drugs). Let the dog sniff it. When the dog sniffs, tell the dog to sit, scratch or bark, depending on the dog's personality. This is to let you know that your dog has found a "strike," or illegal drugs.

3. Put the packet of real or pseudo drugs in one of the holes of your box when the dog is not there. Remember which hole the packet is in.

4. Bring in the dog and use a short command you will always use to tell the dog to sniff for drugs. This command could be "Find" or "Search" or "Show me!"

5. Reward with verbal praise when the dog makes any move to the correct hole. When the dogs gets to the correct hole and then sits or barks to let you know there's a strike, immediately drop the toy and play with the dog as a reward.

6. Repeat, moving the box or packet to increasingly challenging locations. This will take weeks. Eventually, you want your dog to be able to sniff out drugs in locker rooms, warehouses and cars.

Tips & Warnings

• Reward as soon as your dog signals a strike.
• Your dog must know basic commands in order to undergo this intense training.
• Be sure your dog gets a good diet and regular exercise.
• Make this seem like play to your dog, rather than work.
• Not all dogs can learn to do this. And, all dogs learn in their own time. Patience and persistence is key to sucess.

Resources

• Q&A on narcotics dog training