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Breeds
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The breed of dog isn't as important as personality, but many detection dogs are hunting dogs such as German shepherds, malinois and Labrador retrievers or hounds, such as beagles, that have strong noses.
Personality
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Future custom dogs must be able to remain calm in the face of loud noises, a variety of people and general chaos. They also must have the energy to work for hours and enjoy sniffing and retrieving. Generally, these dogs don't do well in pet homes because they have high exercise requirements. However, they make great working dogs.
Training
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All U.S. Customs dogs are trained at the Canine Enforcement Training Center in Virginia. They learn to retrieve scents on towels and then to find those same scents in sealed bottles. As the training gets tougher, they must find the scents hidden in difficult locations behind stronger scents.
Alerts
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Once detection dogs find the scent, they must alert their human handler. Many dogs are taught to do this by sitting or pointing, known as a passive alert. Others have a distinctive bark or scratch, known as an active alert. It often depends on the dog which alert it is trained to do.
Detection Jobs
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Once the training is completed, the dog begins work, which usually consists of a full 8 hour day, sniffing imports at airports and docks. Dogs are rewarded with treats or games of tug for every illegal drug they detect.
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Customs Drug Dogs
One of the most important weapons against the war on drugs are U.S. Customs detection dogs, which use their nose to sniff out drugs being smuggled into the country. These dogs can also be trained to sniff out food and currency.