Can canine units get addicted tothe drugs they are trained to sniff out?

Question

Anyone ever thought about this? Credible answers and opinions are both welcome.

Answer 1

No. When we train dogs to search for narcotics we start their training out using a powder substance call "Sudo" which is not available to the general public. Sudo come in different odors and is nontoxic to the dog. Each one has an odor that mocks different chemical odors in certain narcotics. If you were to smell these different types of Sudo it would not smell like drugs to you i.e Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana, Meth. Each one has a different chemical odor that mocks one certain chemical odor in each type of narcotic. A dogs nose doesn't work the same way a human's does. Best example that I can give is when you smell beef stew cooking what do you smell? Beef stew right? A dog can smell all the ingrediance in the same beef stew i.e Beef, Salt,Pepper, Potatoes,Carrots etc. So when a dog that is trained to detect narcotics comes across real drugs he is recognizing that one chemical odor that is an ingrediant in that one type of drug that he is smelling. They never really come in direct contact with the real drugs because direct contact with real drugs could be harmfull or possibly deadly to the dog. As soon as the dog indicates to the handler that their are drugs preasent. Usually by scratching and pawing at the area (Aggressive indication) or by sitting and staring at the odor(Passive indication) which is the same way that explosive detection dogs are trained to indicate. He is then rewarded with his toy which is what he thinks he was looking for in the first place and totally looses interest in the area he was indicating on. The reason he thinks he is looking for his toy (Rolled up cotton towell) when he is finding drugs is because when they are training the towell or "Toy" is coated with these different sudo powders and we simply play fetch and tug-a-war with the scented towel or "Toy" and so the dog associates the scent of the drugs with his toy. The dogs only motivation to locate the odor is the desire to play because he doesn't think he is looking for drugs but instead he thinks he is looking for his toy and when he picks up the odor of the drugs he thinks he has found his toy and all he wants to do is play with the toy. We do use real drugs at times during training exercises to get the dog used to finding actual drugs but they don't get direct contact with the drugs because it's done the same way as if we were on an actual scene doing a drug search. As soon as the dog indicates on the odor he is rewarded with the toy. I hope that answered your question.

Answer 2

They would have a hard time becoming addicted since they are never given the drugs they are sniffing out. They train them by using a synthetic sent of the different drugs on a rag. Since all dogs love to play pulling on a rag with you the dogs learn to sniff out thier rag to play from the smell that the trainer has sprayed on it. If you ever notice the drug dogs never will sniff out unless told too. A person could be loaded with drugs and standing next to the dog and the dog wont make a move unless the officer instructs the dog to sniff out the rag.A friend of mine used to thing that they would give the dogs the drugs and thats why the dog would look for them because it would be going thru withdrawl. I about fell over when I heard that one.

Answer 3

they are no more adicted then the dogs that are trained to sniff out cancer have the disease. Dogs have a stronger smell sense then humans. The can detect an array of smells. They never have any chance of inhaling the drugs as they are in containers or plastic bags. They still can detect the smell through these. If you are asking because you are running drugs give up those dogs are so much smarter then you are. Stupid questions come from dumb humans can you relate to that.

Answer 4

No. No more than you can get addicted to marijuana by smelling someone else using it.

The dogs are trained with toys. A toy the dog is already attached to is scented with the item the dogs are being trained to search out, whether it is gun powder, cocaine, bomb building material...whatever.

The handler shows the dog the scented toy, lets him sniff it. Then the toy is hidden and the dog is told to find it.

The dog is NOT allowed to play with that specific toy, but instead another toy is substituted for a reward when the dog finds the first toy. When it comes to the real thing, the dog is shown a scented toy and given the signal to search (but obviously the toy isn't hidden, the dog has to find the real stuff in the building/car/whatever.)

Answer 5

Yes animals can be drug addicts. Monkeys are often used in drug testing. I've heard that the handlers intentionally get the dogs hooked to motivate them to search thoroughly. Although I don't know how they would work with a dog going through withdrawal symptoms. I would think that the trace amounts the dogs can detect wouldn't get them high. They'd have to actually inhale some of the drug to see any effects.

Answer 6

No, their handlers do not allow them to eat the drugs and dogs are not people, it's not like they think hmm, I wonder what this is like. They just sniff them out and look for the reward they get after working.

Answer 7

yes,it happens.just like dogs that drink alcohol.don't laugh!it's true.i am a retired vet.dogs are really not that much different than people when it comes to "highs" shall we say.it's especially true of dogs that sniff out meth.although most believe it's a reward for a job well done that they are after,dogs are still affected by the drug as much as people.

Answer 8

They just smell where it is the drugs don't enter there body in any way

Answer 9

they need to have the dog looked at if it is addicted

Answer 10

ha that's interesting. well i think they won't get addicted because they probably won't sniff it enough to get high. so they'll never know the wonderous feelings of getting high so therefor they can't get addicted.