Main reasons why you should never trust a human to conduct a drug search, yet trust man’s best friend.

1. A Canine’s sense of smell is approximately 100,000 times stronger than humans, depending on the breed. Some researches put this number closer to a million.

A Dog can detect odors that humans could never imagine. Items that have no odor to a human can have a very distinct odor to a trained K9. To gain more respect for your dog’s olfactory ability, compare it to a person’s nose. Inside the nose of both species are bony scroll-shaped plates, called turbinates, over which air passes. A microscopic view of this organ reveals a thick, spongy membrane that contains most of the scent- detecting cells, as well as the nerves that transport information to the brain. In humans, the area containing these odor analyzers is about one square inch, or the size of a postage stamp. If you could unfold this area in a dog, on the other hand, it may be as large as 60 square inches, or just under the size of a piece of typing paper.

Though the size of this surface varies with the size and length of the dog’s nose, even flat-nosed breeds can detect smells far better than people. A dog’s brain is also specialized for identifying scents. The percentage of the dog’s brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is actually 40 times larger than that of a human! They clearly have the “gift of sniff.”

2. Dogs naturally have a more thorough nature than human counterparts when it comes to specific search related tasks.

A dog perceives its environment through use of its senses just like Humans. However, the way a dog utilizes its senses is much different. Dogs utilize JND which stands for “just noticeable differences.” This can be defined as smelling a weak odor as opposed to a strong odor, the hearing of a low volume compared to a high volume or a low pressure versus a high pressure. This applies to all senses of the animal. JND in regards to scent is extremely sensitive in dogs, especially those canines that are trained to detect odor in exchange for an award. Once a dog has noticed a JND, they will track the odor until it gets progressively stronger and stronger until they make a hit. Once they find the exact source of the odor, a trained working K9 will give a response. Most trainers train the dogs to simply sit and stare at the source. Once they display this reaction and the substance is found, they receive a reward. Their unrelenting drive for this reward will keep them searching odor and focused.

3. When humans utilize their skills of touch and sight to conduct a manual search, often failing to find any illicit substances, this can be intimidating and insulting experience.

K9s can effectively search the same grid without ever touching another human’s belongings or interfering with personal space. During narcotic detection, the goal is to detect without interfering with the belongings of the person or the organization. A canine can easily smell and odor and give a passive response and alert the handler that an illicit substance is present.

 4. While a human uses his or her eyes to detect illicit narcotics, a dog sees the world through its nose with each nostril as an independent source of odor reception. This means that a canine can effectively search an area 20x the size of a human in 90% less time.

What does all this mean? That a dog's sense of smell is its primary form of communication. And it is a phenomenal one, because dogs don't just smell odors that we can't. When a dog greets another dog through sniffing, for example, it’s learning an intricate tale: what the other dog's sex is, what it ate that day, whom it interacted with, what it touched, what mood it’s in. It’s no wonder, then, that while a dog's brain is only one-tenth the size of a human brain, the portion controlling smell is 40 times larger than in humans.

We are ranked # 1 when it comes to protecting schools from firearms, bombs, and drug possession and distribution. Utilizing consistent safety sweeps, our handlers are trained to search entire campuses including lockers, classrooms, school buses, and surrounding grounds. We can conduct searches during or after school. We accommodate schools of all sizes. Unfortunately, drugs are too common in high schools across the country. We believe constant sweeps is a crucial deterrent.

Drug Detecting Dogs located in Miami, FL provides sweep services to local homes and business owners from Miami-Dade to Martin Counties. Visit www.drugdetectingdogs.com or call us at 855-561-3647 to learn more about how we can help.