Bomb sniffing dogs are amazing!

[Rubycon]

So these trained animals can detect propellants quickly and with amazing accuracy.

How long before a sensor is developed that can rival the speed of a canine's olfactory senses? Something along the lines of a halon pump used by HVAC techs. It would have a small diaphragm pump to pull in air through a tube (sniff) and this would flow across a sensor.

Can a dog still find PETN that's been carefully vacuum sealed?

Their noses are amazing.

I bring this up because of all the news about smuggling IEDs on one's person and the dogs are not allowed to sniff a crotch, for example. Looks like the full body scanners have some serious opposition as well.

At Miami security was noticeably tightened at the port this past weekend. More dogs were present sniffing bags.

 

[jonks]

Slight tangent but I was channel skipping yesterday and passed by fox news and saw probably the only thing that would ever make me pause on that channel (besides the inevitable Palin/Prejean sex-tape), doggies. It was a segment on service dogs in the military and adopting them. Needless to say, I was glued for till the segment ended.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581471,00.html

 

[Capt Caveman]

Not just for bomb sniffing but rescue, drug enforcement, seizures, special needs, etc...

Man's Best Friend...

 

[Rubycon]

Not just for bomb sniffing but rescue, drug enforcement, seizures, special needs, etc...

Man's Best Friend...

Well yes development of something to replace their senses and brain in round robin fashion is still decades away.

 

[darkxshade]

I know a lot of women who are amazing at sniffing out chloroform. :sneaky:

 

[Farang]

I think they're overrated. A friend of mine carried hashish around Europe in a shampoo bottle and the dogs walked right in front of me many times without doing a thing.

 

[darkxshade]

I think they're overrated. A friend of mine carried hashish around Europe in a shampoo bottle and the dogs walked right in front of me many times without doing a thing.

I imagine those dogs won't do a thing unless it was rigged to blow.

 

[Rubycon]

I think they're overrated. A friend of mine carried hashish around Europe in a shampoo bottle and the dogs walked right in front of me many times without doing a thing.

They aren't trained to sniff people except in a few high risk countries in the Middle East IIRC.

If that was a bottle of AXE it probably would fry the dog's nose.

 

[JeepinEd]

So these trained animals can detect propellants quickly and with amazing accuracy.

How long before a sensor is developed that can rival the speed of a canine's olfactory senses? Something along the lines of a halon pump used by HVAC techs. It would have a small diaphragm pump to pull in air through a tube (sniff) and this would flow across a sensor.

Make that a biological sensor, such as a trio of bees and you're on to something....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7d0bze4kM

 

[CycloWizard]

Sensors capable of "smelling" chemicals are already available. However, they are usually only designed to pick up one particular chemical (or, at best, a family of related chemicals). None of the sensors I've seen can rival the sensitivity of a dog's nose. Whether a dog could pick up a carefully sealed bag of the stuff depends on how carefully the sealing is done. It literally only takes a few molecules of the stuff to allow the dog to smell it, so even a bit of residue on the outside of the bag could foil your plot.

 

[thepd7]

I know a lot of women who are amazing at sniffing out chloroform. :sneaky:

nice

I think they're overrated. A friend of mine carried hashish around Europe in a shampoo bottle and the dogs walked right in front of me many times without doing a thing.

Well if they were bomb-sniffing dogs then it's not surprising that they didn't alert to hashish.

 

[Rubycon]

Sensors capable of "smelling" chemicals are already available. However, they are usually only designed to pick up one particular chemical (or, at best, a family of related chemicals). None of the sensors I've seen can rival the sensitivity of a dog's nose. Whether a dog could pick up a carefully sealed bag of the stuff depends on how carefully the sealing is done. It literally only takes a few molecules of the stuff to allow the dog to smell it, so even a bit of residue on the outside of the bag could foil your plot.

It's amazing how sensitive their nose is!

 

[destrekor]

nice



Well if they were bomb-sniffing dogs then it's not surprising that they didn't alert to hashish.

precisely.

No dog is trained to sniff out anything and everything under the sun.

There are dogs specifically trained for ordnance teams, a different group of dogs trained for rescue teams, and a different group of dogs trained for drug teams.

You can train a dog for scents of different types, but you lose sensitivity to specific smells. If a dog is trained to smell for drugs and explosives in a crowded area, it's going to miss far more drug and explosive smells than it would if you had it trained for one type of task.

 

[Rubycon]

precisely.

No dog is trained to sniff out anything and everything under the sun.

There are dogs specifically trained for ordnance teams, a different group of dogs trained for rescue teams, and a different group of dogs trained for drug teams.

You can train a dog for scents of different types, but you lose sensitivity to specific smells. If a dog is trained to smell for drugs and explosives in a crowded area, it's going to miss far more drug and explosive smells than it would if you had it trained for one type of task.

How does one tell if the canine is trained to smell drugs or propellants?

 

[DrawninwarD]

Would be nice if you could train cats to sniff out bombs. But even if you could, I think cats would be too lazy to do it.

 

[Farang]

precisely.

No dog is trained to sniff out anything and everything under the sun.

There are dogs specifically trained for ordnance teams, a different group of dogs trained for rescue teams, and a different group of dogs trained for drug teams.

You can train a dog for scents of different types, but you lose sensitivity to specific smells. If a dog is trained to smell for drugs and explosives in a crowded area, it's going to miss far more drug and explosive smells than it would if you had it trained for one type of task.

I understand this but my friend had so many dogs pass by him he figured at least one had to have been drug sniffing.

 

[Rubycon]

Would be nice if you could train cats to sniff out bombs. But even if you could, I think cats would be too lazy to do it.

Scratch 'N Sniff catnip packaging?

 

[Ausm]

Not allowing dogs to sniff crotches would take all the fun out of it for them

 

[Red Squirrel]

Would be nice if you could train cats to sniff out bombs. But even if you could, I think cats would be too lazy to do it.

The cat would meow to say there's a bomb "overthere", and be facing the oposite direction.

 

[l0cke]

Would be nice if you could train cats to sniff out bombs. But even if you could, I think cats would be too lazy to do it.

More like too smart.

I was talking to someone who trained drug sniffing dogs for use at schools about breeds. They said they can not use border collies because they are too smart and will simply pick a locker at random and say it has drugs in it so that they get a treat.

 

[ViviTheMage]

How does one tell if the canine is trained to smell drugs or propellants?

i don't think you can..you'd have to ask the copper with the dog. Or if he's wearing a specific badge/uniform.

 

[AMCRambler]

My buddy's dog will sniff your crotch and he's not even specially trained.