Dogs enjoy an incredible sense of smell. In fact
they can smell odors 1,000 times better than any
human being. By teaching a dog to perform a certain
behavior when they are exposed to a tiny, almost
non-exsistent amount of the odor they are trained
to detect, these creatures can become amazing tools
for their handlers whether serving as personal detection
dogs, narcotics dogs, arson dogs, search and rescue
dogs or even termite dogs!
Southern
Star Ranch has been training detection dogs of many
kinds for years and have proudly placed service
dogs with individuals and law enforcement agencies
around the country and abroad.
Narcotic
Detector Dogs are trained to detect many types
of narcotics in a variety of situations and search
environments. They are hearty, active dogs which
are generally too hyper to make good house pets.
Their work is a game, and when they win, they
get rewarded. Although they have no concept that
they are helping in the ‘War on Drugs’
by taking drugs and drug dealers off the streets,
they take their work very seriously because they
love the game. Narcotic Dogs are typically placed
with Police or Sheriff Departments, School Systems,
or private security companies.
Accelerant
Detector Dogs are often referred to as ‘Arson
Dogs’. They are trained to detect accelerants.
These dogs are used by fire investigators working
with fire departments, private fire investigation
companies or insurance companies. When searching
fire sites, the Accelerant Dogs assist the investigators
in locating accelerants. The locations and patterns
of these finds help to determine if a fire was
started by arsonists. Like the Narcotic Dogs,
they love their work and ‘playing the game’.
Termite
Detector Dogs are trained to detect termites.
Because of their keen sense of smell, they can
detect termites in places that, outwardly, show
no visible signs of their presence. This makes
them an invaluable tool for the termite inspector.
Although Termite Dogs are one of the more recent
applications for detection work, they are fast
becoming popular in the pest control industry
as news of their value spreads.