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I didn't realize they were known for their sniffer's being terriers.

I say for a sniffer go with Labs for drugs and stick with bloodhounds for searches.

RPL said:

NO - You need a dog with a longer snout. Bulldogs, bull terriers, pitbulls, pugs - anything with a short snout is out. My dog can't find a treat I just plopped in front of his nose! Short nosed or muzzled dogs, referred to as *brachiocephalic* usually have trouble breathing and also snore a lot. I mean a *LOT*. The short nose is not conducive for sniffing things out. The pitbull is a terrier and is used primarily for dispatching rodents on farms, etc. My pits can "out mouse" a cat any day of the week. Good eyes and lightning quick.

Bloodhounds, Beagles. Shepherds, Malinois, anything with that long nose...good to go!

Most police k-9's are not just drug dogs but rather a combination of drug detection,tracking,handler protection,cadaver and so on. That being said, a pitbull or bull terrier, would not have the temperment (too agressive, not easily diciplined) nor the stamina to accomplish that mission. German sheperd, malanois thats about it. When I first started, (early 80's) our department had dobermans. They were very intelligent and good drug detectors, but their stamina didnt cut it. you dont see any departments that I know of that still use them.

My pit snores alot, till I grab his head and put his neck straight while he's laying down instead of bent.  He usually doesn't even wake up when I do this, he just continues sleeping away without snoring... lazy ass

Once again, it goes back to selection. As a breed, Pitties are a working dog. They do have a good nose on them and can make fine drug detectors. There is a rescue agency that specializes in rescuing pits that have been behavior tested for law enforcement work. It's called "lawdogs (?) or lawdawgs (?) something like that. Their short snout can cause some overheating problems in particularly hot, humid weather. The biggest problem facing the use of the Pit breed is public perception. We had an excellant drug detector dog that was a Pit. Lucy was so good in fact she was poisoned. Not a mean bone in her body, but a great dog. The department was particularly fond of having her and my instructions at the time were to place her in a rural county. None-the-less, selection is the all-important criteria. The majority of our single purpose detectors are Labs, Goldens etc, as they are certainly ideal. As a trainer though, I don't care so much about breed, pedigree or which kennel the dog came from. I select dogs based on what they can do for me, not where they came from.

you should check out lawdogsusa.org they are an agency that trains pitbulls for LE use only. they train them for narcotics , explosion, cadaver and arson detection free of charge. they use some dogs that are rescued from dog fighting rings and some that they get from their own breeding program.

"Beauty without vanity,

Strength without insolence,

Courage without ferocity,

and all the Virtues of man without his vices...

This is the PIT BULL." RPL

Rpl, what a perfect description.

I love my babies . . . would they protect with me their lives . . . oh, yeah. . . The same as any other breed that loves its' human  

The real sorrow is those that posture out of fear of their human . . .

The LEOs where I live all know my babies and my babies have made friends with all of them.

For if anybody were to come to my rescue it would be a LEO and I want them safe to do what they have to do and not worry about the dogs being present.  

It is the POSs that have ruined  the rep of the breed

OH . . . mine have awesome sniffers . . . and Boy do they SNORE :-)

I have trained and certified numerous dogs and breeds in drug detection. I have also trained and certified 2 bloodhounds. I have worked with beagles and have trained shepherds. In reference to the question of "pit bulls" as Drug detectors... I would say why not? Anything is possible in the right time and place. I would recommend training to begin at the earliest possible age. Most of the training I had the best success and produced the best workers from was began at 8 weeks old.  Temperament and drive are the factors. My American Staffordshire had some of the best drive and temperament I have ever seen... With an abundance of protection instincts thrown in...that didnt have to be taught or reinforced. It was before my K9 career began though, so he missed that part...he was there for the beginning of the training on my first 2 labs though. He could have done it. You have air scenters and ground scenters. Your sporting dogs like labs....shepherds...springer spaniels...we could even throw the terriers here somewhat... are air scenters.... great for narcotics. Then you have your ground scenters...Hounds...beagles...etc.. they have the long droopy ears for channeling the scent up to their noses. The main thing to remember in training any dog..any breed..is that if they don't have the drive for prey...ball...reward...then they won't make a good working dog. No matter the amount of work you put into them. I have spent weeks on the road going into countless animal shelter and rescue shelters and have found some of the best throw away dogs and mixes with top notch skills at drug detection for their off the wall drive..which most likely drove their masters out of their minds....and led them to give them away. I worked all the jails in the state of Maryland and would have jumped at the chance to work a Pit in any or all of them. Confidant in my ability to train and control them in the job, and in their ability to detect the drugs, and obey the rules...without fear. I Love my PIT...Best dog I ever owned.

Popcicle is a Bomb and Drug Sniffer for the US Customs Dept (Read Homeland Security) that happens to be a Pit Bull.  She's also considered a sworn officer and has actually won her and her partner a few awards and medals if I recall properly.