The dogs-Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, and one mutt-were purchased from vendors or rescued from animal shelters. These dogs must have as strong a desire to retrieve as narcotic detector dogs. In addition, explosive detector dogs must be well socialized to be able to interact with passengers. The dogs must also be highly intelligent with a real desire to get the job done.

By the end of the first week of training, the dogs were already detecting five different explosive odors. As of week six, they were up to 14 odors.

The "coffin"
The instructors for the 11-week training are all former military explosive detector dog handlers and trainers. Along with the program officer at Headquarters, they have redesigned the passive training course to fit the needs of the new explosive detection training.

In the past, passive training was conducted with a towel thrown by the handler as a reward for detecting a trained odor. This method had the handler doing several things at once-correcting the sit position of the dog after an alert, and reaching for and throwing the reward towel. A new passive method was developed. This gives the handler-in-training more freedom to correct the response of his dog and to keep him in place until the towel is presented. It also focuses the dog's attention on the odors instead of the handler.

Training comes full circle
In the 1980s, the Virginia State Police (VSP) came to the Canine Enforcement Training Center for assistance in training narcotic detector dogs. The VSP then modified the training curriculum to suit a particular need of their own: to train dogs to detect explosives and accelerants. When Customs was ready to start an explosives detection program of its own, the agency went to the VSP for help. Customs took the VSP explosives curriculum and modified it to meet their own requirements. The VSP assisted with basic explosive courses and provided expertise in explosive disposal. The VSP also provided the initial explosive substances to begin the Customs training program.

The program officer and the instructors attended the Post Blast Investigators School at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. The team also worked in close coordination with the FBI Explosives Laboratory and Bomb Data Center. FBI special agent/bomb technicians conducted explosive safety courses for the trainers and the trainees with the assistance of the Virginia State Police bomb technicians.

The cooperation between the VSP, FBI, and Customs has been unprecedented and has provided the Service with an exceptional training regime.

What the future holds
This pilot training program has required no special or additional funding. The success of this program will determine the future of explosive detection training for U.S. Customs canines and their handlers. These dogs and their handlers could be a very important new tool in the fight against terrorism.