Detection dog

A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, semen, currency, blood, and contraband electronics, such as illicit mobile phones. The sense most used by detection dogs is smell. Hunting dogs that search for game, and search and rescue dogs that work to find missing humans are generally not considered detection dogs but fit instead under their own categories.

There is some overlap, as in the case of cadaver dogs, trained to search for human remains.

Back to Working Dogs & Detection History →

Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

SNIFFQUEST

Put your dog's nose to work — scent games, nose-work training, and the science of the canine sense of smell.

Get new guides by emailOccasional emails. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

InformationAbout Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Service Disclaimer Affiliate Disclosure Cookie Policy

Every entry, image, and fact is drawn from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, used under public-domain and Creative Commons licenses. No content is AI-generated.