Drug Detection Dogs

　　Drug detection dogs refer to professional dogs that have been specially trained to follow the commands of police dog trainers, inspecting different items in various environments to discover objects hidden with narcotics. These dogs have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, capable of detecting the scent of more than 2 million substances, and can also distinguish one scent among dozens of mixed odors. In America's multi-billion-dollar war on drugs, nothing seems to surpass the nose of a good dog.
　　1. History
　　The use of drug detection dogs does not have a long history. The earliest drug detection dogs in the world were trained at the West German Brecked Customs Police Dog School, which was only in the 1960s. Initially, the school trained drug detection dogs only for the country's border defense and customs, but police departments worldwide gradually recognized the power of drug detection dogs, actively sending people to learn and introducing breeds. From then on, police dogs participating in drug detection became global.
　　Although China started training drug detection dogs relatively late, the progress has been smooth. There are three major police dog bases—Nanchang base, Shenyang base, and Kunming base. These three bases have nearly 10 excellent dog breeds and have successively bred and delivered batches of “outstanding trainees” to police dog training centers across the country.
　　2. Breeds
　　Among most drug detection dog breeds, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Kunming dogs, Labradors, and Springer Spaniels constitute a large part. To choose these breeds, we first need to understand the nature of drug detection work. Firstly, dogs need to concentrate, be highly and persistently excited, and have a strong desire to search for items in order to find drugs. Secondly, dogs must have a sensitive sense of smell, good vision and hearing, and be courageous. Finally, dogs should not be too large, be about one year old, and be healthy.
　　1. Olfactory Recognition Ability
　　Olfactory recognition ability refers to how well a dog responds to the trainer’s “sniff sniff” command, or conditioned stimuli, by seeking and sensing the odor source. This requires sensitivity of smell and enthusiasm toward sensing the odor. For drug detection dogs, it specifically means the dog’s ability to accurately find narcotics based on one or several drug odors.
　　2. Search Ability
　　Refers to the drug detection dog’s ability to search for drugs in various environments and objects (such as rooms, vehicles, luggage, or sites).
　　3. Flexible Movement Ability
　　Refers to the dog’s agility to pass various obstacles and adapt to operational objects.
　　4. Moderate Attack Ability
　　Indicates that the drug detection dog has a strong attachment to the handler police officer, can actively protect the handler during drug enforcement activities, and deter criminals.