Loading...
Physical exercise impacts the performance of explosives detection dogs
Judd, Elle Howarth, Emmeline
Judd, Elle
Howarth, Emmeline
Citations
Altmetric:
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
Affiliation
EPub Date
Publication Date
2025-10-23
Submitted Date
Collections
Files
Loading...
Article - VoR
Adobe PDF, 1.01 MB
Other Titles
Abstract
Dogs (Canis familiaris) are widely used as scent detectors due to their sensitive olfactory capabilities, endurance, and ability to cover large areas quickly. They are in high demand due to a global rise in terrorist threats using specialized explosive contraptions. Detection dogs are often faced with high temperatures and physical exertion, which can increase panting rate as a function of evaporative cooling, inhibiting olfactory ability. This study examined the impact of exercise on the search performance of 11 explosive detection dogs (eight labradors and three springer spaniels). They completed two trial sets: one after exercise with a ball thrower and one without exercise. They were timed while searching for three types of explosives: trinitrotoluene, composition-4, and ammonium nitrate. Data were analyzed in R using mixed effects models, revealing that exercise significantly affected search duration and success for all types of explosives. Searches averaged 29.58 seconds without exercise, while post-exercise searches took 44.91 seconds. Dogs were 1.14 times more likely to locate explosives without prior exercise. Dogs took the longest to find trinitrotoluene and were fastest with ammonium nitrate and composition-4. These findings highlight the importance of allowing detection dogs adequate rest, as even brief exercise can impact their search performance.
Citation
Judd, E., & Howarth, E. (2025). Physical Exercise Impacts the Performance of Explosives Detection Dogs. Dog Behavior, 11(1), pp. 13-29. https://doi.org/10.4454/db.v11i1.195
Publisher
Edizioni ETS
Journal
Dog Behavior
Research Unit
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Type
Article
Language
Description
Series/Report no.
ISSN
2421-0684
EISSN
2421-5678
ISBN
ISMN
Gov't Doc
Test Link
Sponsors
N/A