What exactly don't you think is possible? That a dog could be trained to detect explosives on a person. Detecting explosives on a person has already been done. at any rate, i'm just curious as to what you don't think is possible.

DFrost

DFrost: " What exactly don't you think is possible? That a dog could be trained to detect explosives on a person. Detecting explosives on a person has already been done."

Ah. . .no shit Sherlock. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

That isn't what I don't think is possible. What I don't think is possible is this:

1)The dog will not be able to detect the explosives from a practicle range. (If your goal is stopping suicide bombers at their target destination, not at border checkpoints. Such as the example given in the article.)

2) The dog could have problems alerting on civilians or persons that are not suicide bombers.

3) Deploying a dog on a suicide bomber would only be practical when the bomber is not around a bunch of people. Where is that going to happen? (At entrance points to populated areas like road blocks and security checkpoints. Not in any civilian areas, like a lobby to a hotel.)

I could go on, but my point is that perhaps the article is inaccurate. An excellent use for a bunch of dogs would be to help clear areas where there will be a bunch of people gathering. To search people at checkpoints BEFORE they enter populated areas. (like at the checkpoints along the new 75 mile wall they are building.)

More traditional uses for detector dogs. The find and kill model I don't think will work like they describe in the article. 2000 dogs patroling the streets of Haifa air scenting for suicide bombers and then attacking them? Sounds a little Lassie to me.

I'm sure there would be many advantages to expanding their K9 programs and having lots more teams available to help sniff out explosives under certain situations, but the search and destroy bomb dog isn't one I would want to waste my time on if I were an Israeli.

Maybe I read the article differently than you did.

The dogs would be trained to smell explosives at a distance and attack the bomber, pinning him to the ground before he could get into a crowd of civilians, Landau said.

Maybe a better way to put it is, how exaclty is that going to work???

Good points brought up by everyone. I doubt if we see this happen. Additional dogs at check points and at random locations maybe, again doubt anything else will be seen. This disscussion could go on forever with nothing being done at all.

I agree this topic is closed. I think the entire issue is a knee jerk reaction to a deeper problem that dogs are not going to solve. Anyone who has ever worked narcotics dogs know that this is a flawed prgram.