Yes, drug dogs can detect carts. They are capable of detecting vape cartridges and vape pens. However, drug dogs are not specially trained to find such products. This article will further talk about the drug dogs and vape devices.
What Are Drug Dogs Trained To Smell?
Drug dogs are trained to find illicit drugs, including vape products. However, handlers can train a drug dog to find out about anything through intense training.
Drug sniffing dogs trained to sense unopened vapes go through a vigorous training process. Trainers start the training process by giving a custom dog a scentless toy. The sniffing dog, therefore, becomes used to playing with the toy and constantly seeks it out.
Some of the other substances that a drug sniffing dog can detect include:
- Explosives
- Currency
- Electronic devices
- Blood
- Animal feces
Source- Pixabay
How Can You Conceal Drugs From Drug-Sniffing Dogs?
It is enormously challenging to conceal drugs from well-trained sniffer dogs.
Mainly they involve ‘masking’ the smell by surrounding the drugs with something more pungent (coffee grounds, perfume, whatever).
So, to answer this question it is really difficult to conceal vape products or any type of drugs from drug sniffing dogs. The research on this is still ongoing.
How Drug Dogs Sense Vape Pens And Cartridges
Sources from Police dog handlers in the law enforcement agency said that Police dogs could only detect within the range of two to five different drug substances. This implies that if you train a dog to see THC (cannabis), it will detect the cannabis wherever it is present. Even if mixed with other substances, it will still detect it, no matter how hidden the smell is.
If a drug dog is trained to detect nicotine, it will detect it, even in a vape pen and cartridge. These highly trained dogs are usually used at borders where tobacco trafficking is common. They are used to check for tobacco and other hard drugs.
Even if the drugs are mixed with a liquid, for instance, in juice, these trained dogs will detect their complex substances. This is due to the ability of these sniffer dogs to differentiate between mixed odors. An instance is when you, as a human, cook a stew, the smell you perceive is a smell of stew. On the other hand, when a dog smells the stew, it can sense the scent of individual ingredients present in the stew. If a dog is trained, it detects the seasoning in a portion of food, even when mixed up in the food.
Source-Pixabay
Final Thoughts
As we said, the answer is yes, they can. With their highly sensitive noses and specialized training, it’s easy for a drug dog to smell vape products. They can’t be fooled easily.
But, if they haven’t been specifically trained to do so and are not looking for it, they will likely pass it by.