Bomb-sniffing dogs head to airports

Paw enforcement

Scientists say dogs have 20-40 times more receptor cells in their nasal cavities than humans.

By Marsha Walton
CNN Sci-Tech

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (CNN) -- With noses more sensitive than just about any machine, highly skilled, explosive-sniffing dogs are in huge demand by police departments and airports around the world.

They will also play a key role as the federal government rolls out its new guidelines at airports Friday, which require that all bags be checked for explosive devices.

In the United States, there's only one place that certifies dogs for airport bomb-detection duty. It's the Defense Department's Military Working Dog School at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas.

Thirteen new police officer/dog teams graduated from Lackland December 21. Travelers may soon see Demi or Nikki or Bona and their new human partners in airports from Tulsa to Chicago to New York.

WORKING DOGS Training & Technology: Discover why bomb-sniffing dogs have a nose for the job with our interactive features.

"When they leave here with an explosive detector dog, they now have the capability to save tens, hundreds, or thousands of lives, depending on how effective they are as a team when they get to the field," says Maj. John Probst, commander of the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland.

Probst oversees the training of more than 600 dogs for the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Along with explosive detection, these animals learn to sniff out drugs, do patrol work and work presidential security details around the world.

Most working dogs can put in about a six-hour day before they get tired or disinterested. During training at Lackland, their working hours are about 6 a.m. to noon. To keep a dog effective, say veteran trainers, it's important that they look at their "assignments" as both challenging and fun.

The rewards are simple: A loud "good boy!" or "good girl!" combined with some rough and tumble petting, and the ever-present hard chew toy known as a Kong.

How do they do it?

Scientists say humans have recognized a dog's ability to smell for more than 12,000 years, first using canines to help sniff out prey while hunting.

Along with explosive detection, these dogs learn to sniff out drugs, do patrol work and work presidential security details around the world.

"Sniffing is a complex physical process," says Dr. Larry Myers, associate professor at Auburn University's School of Veterinary Medicine. He says dogs have 20-40 times more receptor cells in their nasal cavities than humans, and there are other physical and biochemical differences between what humans and canines can detect.

"We know that dogs are excruciatingly good at sampling air, vapor and particles," he said.

But, he says, there's a lot that's not yet known about a dog's ability to detect even minute amounts of drugs or explosives.

"Sometimes you just scratch your head and go, 'wow, how'd they do that?'" said Myers, whose research involves both animal behavior and the development of artificial biosensors.

A two- and four-legged team

Staff Sgt. Ann Svitanek, who trains both dogs and handlers at Lackland, says both team members must have rapport and intuition.

More than 600 dogs are trained for the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The dogs and the handlers must have rapport and intuition to ensure a smooth working relationship.

And often that means having the same insight as one would with a spouse or a human partner.

"They say it travels up and down the leash. If you're having a bad day, the dog is going to have a bad day," said Svitanek. And vice versa.

She also says dogs can be like children, with dramatically different personalities: What works to motivate one might not work at all with another.

So who's easier to work with, the two- or four-legged students?

"Definitely the dogs," says Svitanek. "People all have opinions ... the dogs don't."