How is it that a dog can smell something we can’t?
A canine with a long nose, such as a Labrador Retriever or a German Shepherd, has around 225 million scent receptors in their nose, as compared with a human, who has only about 5 million scent receptors. The dogs scenting ability far exceeds human capability. As such, the canine has superior ability to detect even the smallest quantity of drug.
How are the dogs trained?
Our dogs have been through rigorous training with their handler and are certified as a team. They go through the same training and certification as those dogs used for law enforcement and government agencies. The dogs are hand selected for their ability to sniff, and are put through a complete training program. After that, they must pass field certification testing, and subsequently recieve their certification with their handler. The dogs have their training reinforced on a continuous basis. They must recertify yearly with NNDDA. Additionally, the dogs have frequent reinforcement training sessions.
In a home search, why do we prefer to not have the teen present when we do the search?
This is a situation that we must be sensative to. Doing the search this way will lead to less anxiety for the individual in question. Also, if the dogs do not detect a scent, it allows you more options for future searches should you so desire, without provoking defensive reactions from those in question.