What kind of dogs do TSA use? Simple and Effective Tips

The study exposed dogs to various pieces of clothing. Some had traces of Covid and others didnt.

Today, bomb detection dogs work in conjunction with TSA and local police forces at airports. In addition to monitoring the security checkpoints, canines and their handlers also screen checked baggage for signs of explosives.

The dogs in the trial could correctly determine which clothing items contained Covid 94% of the time. It didnt matter if the clothing came from an asymptomatic individual or someone with a severe case. The particular strain of Covid also had no bearing on the dogs efficacy.

While these things arent contraband in the most common sense of the word, passengers are still forbidden to travel with them in their luggage. Detecting dogs can easily be trained to recognize these scents and tip off a handler.

Even with these, there was still no good way of knowing if a traveler actually had Covid. Then, a promising trial involving highly-trained dogs emerged, offering a simple way to check large numbers of passengers. The scientific study confirmed that dogs may actually be able to detect positive Covid cases.

The adjustment to consider the appearance of dogs during the purchasing process was part of an informal internal decision, according to TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. No official document on the change was issued.

TSA uses five types of sporting breeds: Labrador Retrievers, German Short-haired Pointers, Wirehaired Pointers, Vizslas, and Golden Retrievers.

“We’ve made a conscious effort in TSA … to use floppy ear dogs,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said during a recent tour of operations at Washington Dulles International Airport northern Virginia.

TSA employs the second-highest number of dogs of any federal agency. Dogs retire daily from the agency this year due to the forces aging population, but TSA is using it as an opportunity to grow its floppy ear population, which are technically classified as sporting or hunting breeds.

It also uses two types of pointy-ear, or working breed, dogs: the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois.

Of the 1,200 TSA canines, one-third screen passengers at airports. The other two-thirds are certified to work at airports smelling for explosives on baggage, not people, and can be pulled to help with local law enforcement in the case of an emergency where the dog can be of assistance.

The adjustment to consider the appearance of dogs during the purchasing process was part of an informal internal decision, according to TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. No official document on the change was issued.

“We find the passenger acceptance of floppy ear dogs is just better. It presents just a little bit less of a concern,” Pekoske said. “Doesnt scare children.”

It also uses two types of pointy-ear, or working breed, dogs: the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois.

“Weve made a conscious effort in TSA … to use floppy ear dogs,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said during a recent tour of operations at Washington Dulles International Airport northern Virginia.

What TSA Airport Dogs Go Through In Explosives Training | Boot Camp

The Transportation Security Administration is in the process of swapping out pointy-ear dogs for floppy-ear ones in an effort to put more of the public at ease when interacting with its canines.

“We’ve made a conscious effort in TSA … to use floppy ear dogs,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said during a recent tour of operations at Washington Dulles International Airport northern Virginia.

“We find the passenger acceptance of floppy ear dogs is just better. It presents just a little bit less of a concern,” Pekoske said. “Doesn’t scare children.”

Around 80 percent of the 1,200 canines TSA uses nationwide are ones with droopy ears, versus 20 percent that have cone-shaped ones.

TSA employs the second-highest number of dogs of any federal agency. Dogs retire daily from the agency this year due to the forces aging population, but TSA is using it as an opportunity to grow its floppy ear population, which are technically classified as sporting or hunting breeds.

Over the past 12 months, 80 percent of the dogs TSA purchased from vendors were sporting breeds. Christopher Shelton, branch manager of the TSA canine training center in San Antonio, Texas, said part of the reason TSA has purchased more “sporting” dogs is because breeders are increasingly raising these types of dogs.

TSA uses five types of sporting breeds: Labrador Retrievers, German Short-haired Pointers, Wirehaired Pointers, Vizslas, and Golden Retrievers.

It also uses two types of pointy-ear, or working breed, dogs: the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois.

When it comes to deciding whether a dog will make the cut, it has to meet three criteria: its health, ability and willingness to detect odors, and its disposition to people and social abilities.

Shelton said they will not rule out a pointy-ear dog because of its ears or appearance, and they look at the quality of a dog first and foremost.

The adjustment to consider the appearance of dogs during the purchasing process was part of an informal internal decision, according to TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. No official document on the change was issued.

Of the 1,200 TSA canines, one-third screen passengers at airports. The other two-thirds are certified to work at airports smelling for explosives on baggage, not people, and can be pulled to help with local law enforcement in the case of an emergency where the dog can be of assistance.

“If there’s a bomb scare somewhere else in that town, they’ll pull that dog. We train them at our expense. We provide the dogs,” said Shelton.

Despite swapping out dogs so those engaging passengers appear less intimidating, Shelton and Farbstein said people should not try to approach them while on the job.

Its one of the reasons its public affairs office decided to print baseball-like cards for each dog and make them available to the dogs handler to give to children and adults who want to greet the canine while its working.