Is a Bomb Sniffing Dog a Service Dog?
With homegrown terrorism and mass shootings becoming everyday news in the US, the demand for bomb sniffing dogs is skyrocketing. But a good explosive detection dog is more than just a super smeller.
Sense of Smell
Dogs have a strong sense of smell. But a bomb sniffing dog has a special nose, trained to pick up on the odors of explosives and other dangerous materials. That’s why they are so important in security. They are used to detect bombs, but also to find weapons and drugs. The dogs are able to sniff out things humans can’t—like Covid, drugs and bodies. But they aren’t immune to shortages.
When Brandy sniffed the C-4, she was smelling the odors it contained, including its distinctive signature of a mix of sulfur and nitrogen based chemicals. This odor hit her nose, and then traveled to the part of her brain called the somatosensory cortex, where it was processed. It told her that she smelled something dangerous. Then, she sat down to await further instructions from her handler.
While there is no single central school for explosive detection dogs, California Service Dog Training start when they are between 1 and 3 years old. That’s when they are at their most playful, and that helps them learn to do their work. That’s why TSA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives choose dogs with a good work ethic and good socialization, he adds.
Researchers recently conducted a series of experiments after two certified explosive detection dogs failed to alert to a suspicious bag in an open field containing 13 kg of a putative ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) mixture, reports Wired. The investigation showed that the dogs were unable to spontaneously generalize to the large sample of ANFO that they had been tested with. This suggests that their performance was affected by unfamiliarity with the large sample, and possibly by its concentration and odor intensity, which was much higher than the samples used for training. Interestingly, the sensitivity of these dogs to the large sample improved with short-term training.
Nose Wiggle
When you see bomb sniffing dogs at airports, or on trains or buses or city subways, the likelihood is they're working for the Transportation Security Administration. They are there to inspect hand luggage, passengers and cargo, as well as planes and aircraft baggage compartments. But you may also spot them at crowded public events, like the Olympics or concerts, checking for hidden explosives and improvised bombs. Local police forces also use them, checking school and workplaces when they have bomb scares.
But a nose that can smell the difference between spaghetti sauce and an explosive device is just part of a bomb sniffing dog's superpower. The best canines have the right temperament, too. They must be happy to work, friendly with humans and not afraid of loud noises or other distractions.
Training a bomb-sniffing dog is not an easy task. It takes weeks to teach a pup that it must investigate every piece of luggage at the security checkpoint, and find the one that has a scent that signals an explosive. It's a long, tedious process that involves repeated training sessions in which the dog is rewarded only when it finds the right bag.
After a dog passes the training program, it is put on the job. At first, the handler must teach it to seek the correct odor by placing it near the bag. Once the dog begins to follow this smell, it gets rewarded again and again. Eventually, it learns to smell the bag for itself and to follow it if it appears.
The final step in a bomb-sniffing dog's training is learning to wiggle each nostril separately. This helps it pinpoint precisely where a particular odor is coming from, a very useful ability for detecting concealed bombs and other illegal substances.
All of this hard work means that a bomb-sniffing dog doesn't exchange many words with its handler. In fact, most communication happens through the leash, with a simple sit signal telling the handler that the dog has found something.
Ability to Listen
Dogs are great at smelling food, but they also can sniff out danger. That’s why they’re used by departments like police and Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration to sniff out potential bomb threats before they can do any harm. It’s dangerous and heroic work, and it saves lives every day.
There’s no central school for bomb dogs, but the training occurs at Lackland Air Force Base. The dogs start their training between the ages of 1 and 3. That’s when they are most playful, willing to learn and can concentrate for long periods of time.
The trainers expose them to all kinds of odors during their training, from various types of explosives to gunpowder and paint. They’re also taught to distinguish the odors of different people and places so that they can find a bomb if it’s hidden anywhere.
Some breeds, such as German shepherds and Belgian Malinois, have historically been the most popular among law enforcement agencies. They’re often chosen for their tireless work ethic. Labrador retrievers are also favored for their hunting instinct and ability to transfer those skills to bomb detection.
A trained bomb dog can search an entire building in a few minutes. This allows the human handler to focus on other tasks, like talking to people or evacuating the area. But even the most experienced dog can fail to detect a bomb sometimes. In one case, two bomb-sniffing dogs missed a 13 kg explosive during a search. Researchers studied the incident to see what went wrong.
Their analysis revealed that the dogs likely did not smell the threat, or that they misinterpreted the scent. They also found that the dogs may have been confused by “blanks,” training materials that don’t contain real explosives but still elicit a response from the canines.
Dogs can be invaluable for people with disabilities, and they help their handlers regain some independence. They can also offer companionship and emotional support. However, it’s illegal to bring a service animal into non-pet friendly places for the purpose of providing companionship or emotional support.
Communication
Dogs can sniff out a lot of things, including their owners' food, illegal drugs like heroin and even bombs. These sniffers are used by police, Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration to keep people safe at airports, stadiums and other public places. They have to be good at what they do because it's dangerous work. In fact, a bomb sniffing dog can die if they aren't able to find the right scent in a timely manner.
You might have seen bomb dogs working at an airport before, but they also patrol trains and subways, ferries and post offices. They can even help with countering Improvised Explosive Devices, which are common in war zones, by finding the explosives and reducing civilian casualties.
The best bomb sniffing dogs are German shepherds, Belgian Malinoises or Labrador retrievers. They are the best breeds for this job because of their tireless work ethic and olfactory prowess. At MSA, which provides service dogs for the military and TSA, one of the biggest bomb sniffing training schools in the country, the trainers start their pups when they are 1 to 3 years old, which is the sweet spot when the dog is most playful and willing to learn.
Most of the time, a bomb sniffing dog's sense of smell will be enough to find a suspicious scent, but it's not foolproof. For example, if a dog smells a certain type of explosive but it turns out to be something else, such as a firework or a paintball gun, the bomb sniffing dog will still alert its handler.
To make sure they can detect as many different types of bombs as possible, the TSA and other agencies train their dogs with a number of chemical compounds from five basic explosive families. Each time a bomb sniffing dog alerts on one of these chemical compounds, they get a reward, which encourages repetition.
Because dogs are so good at what they do, their ability to find dangerous items has saved lives around the world. However, these dogs also provide important companionship and emotional support for their owners. It's important to remember that a dog who provides companionship or emotional support is not a service dog and may not be brought into non-pet friendly places, nor can it be falsely claimed to do so.
With homegrown terrorism and mass shootings becoming everyday news in the US, the demand for bomb sniffing dogs is skyrocketing. But a good explosive detection dog is more than just a super smeller. Sense of Smell Dogs have a strong sense of smell. But a bomb sniffing dog has a special nose, trained to pick…