Police dog special training
After basic training, police dogs are trained in one special area: searching for narcotics or explosives, searching for bodies or searching for flammable liquids.
Additionally, we train specialist dogs that only work within their own specialization, not as patrol dogs. Specialist dogs specialize in searching for narcotics or explosives, searching for bodies, searching for money, searching for semen or aiding in fire investigations.
During training, we teach the dog not to touch what it finds and to alert searchers by sitting or lying down, barking, standing still or using some other sign that its handler understands.
Searching for narcotics
Most patrol dogs are trained in narcotics searches.
Dogs can search for narcotics and derivatives of narcotics that they have been trained to recognize in various and changing conditions. Search targets may include vehicles, residences, warehouses and terrain.
At no stage are the dogs allowed direct contact with narcotics.
Searching for explosives
We train dogs to recognize both civilian and military explosives, as well as weapons and their components.
The police use dogs for various searches and other tasks. Police dogs play an important role in security arrangements during state visits and other situations in which the police need to search an area for explosives.
Searching for bodies
We train dogs to recognize the scent of a dead body and locate it. The dog will alert searchers when it locates a body or body part above ground, under ground or in water. The dog can also recognize the scent of human blood, identify blood spatters and will alert its handler if it detects that the deceased has come into contact with a surface or object.
The specially equipped search boats used by police make it easy for police dogs to search waterways as well.
Money tracking
Money tracking dogs learn to recognize the scent of banknotes.
Police use the dogs to find hidden caches of money in buildings and terrain. Money tracking dogs are used for purposes such as in investigating organized crime and cases involving the grey economy.
Searching for semen
Semen-sniffing dogs assist the police in the investigation of sexual and violent offences in particular. These dogs can detect traces of semen that the police would be unable to find by any other means under field conditions.
Flammable liquids
We train dogs to search for flammable liquid residues at investigation sites where a fire has taken place. By using dogs, police can locate the best place to take a sample and consequently speed up the investigation. Dogs may also be used to search for the container that was used to transport the flammable liquid or to alert investigators of traces of that liquid remaining on clothing and footwear.