subject: Fire! Training Dogs For Arson Detection [print this page] Arson detection, or accelerant detection dogs, includes dogs trained for law enforcement, such as fire departments, as well as private detection companies who do searches for insurance companies.
Arson detection dogs require intensive training. Training usually begins even before the dog is assigned a handler. Dogs can be trained with small tins containing a couple of drops of evaporated gasoline. The dog is then rewarded. As you would expect, the dog begins to associate the smell of the accelerant with the reward. Many other accelerants besides gasoline can be taught.
The reward is very important for these dogs. Some trainers train with food while others use toys or give a tennis ball. But the reward must be consistent. Arson detection dogs are typically very enthusiastic and focused on their work.
Once the handlers arrive for their training sessions with the dogs, the dogs are taught how to alert the handler to the presence of an accelerant, either by sitting or by showing excitement. Together the dog and handler will work on other accelerants and the handlers will hide drops for the dogs to find in difficult places.
Once dogs and handlers are paired up they usually remain a team for several years with the dog living with the handler off-duty. After the dog is retired they can live out their years with their handler or be placed in a home with a family who wishes to adopt them.
Arson/accelerant detection dogs are more sensitive to finding accelerants than human electronic equipment. In one study to determine the smallest amount detectable by the dogs, they found .01 micro liter of 50 percent evaporated gasoline 100 percent of the time. A .01 micro liter sample is 1/1000th of a drop. Lab confirmation of a dog's sense findings is always necessary. The dogs tell the investigators where to take samples, usually finding the spots at the fire scene where the smell of the accelerant is strongest so the investigator can take the sample for the lab. The dogs can also help rule out arson if no accelerant is detected.
In more sophisticated training the dogs are trained using many scents they might detect at an arson scene, but they are only rewarded for alerting to accelerants. Some of the scents may be almost identical to accelerants so the dog must be very discriminating and precise. Some arson/accelerant dogs can alert to as many as 20 different accelerants.
Dogs and handlers must be re-certified yearly.
Arson/accelerant dogs have only been in use since about 1985 but they have proven to be very effective for fire departments, the ATF, and private detection companies. The dogs can work in both urban and rural settings and have been used to determine whether accelerants were used during wildfires. Demand for the dogs is growing and there should be more opportunities for trainers for these important dogs.
