How Does TSA Train Its Bomb-Sniffing Dogs?

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) trains dogs to detect bombs at mass-transit sites across the United States.

The TSA has more than 1,000 “explosives detection canine teams.” Every dog must graduate from the TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Program.

The TSA Canine Training Center is located at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where dogs receive 24 to 32 weeks of training and work in a variety of environments, like mock aircraft and airport terminals.

Trainers use classical conditioning to teach the dogs to search for odors from explosive materials. After six to eight weeks of training, the dogs are paired with a handler, whom they’ll finish the course and graduate with.

The program graduates more than 300 dogs and 150 handlers every year.

“There is nothing more effective out there in all of TSA’s arsenal,” said Zebulon Polasek, branch manager at the TSA Canine Training Center.  “A well-trained dog team is truly a force multiplier that really combats terrorism.”

The TSA has more than 1,000 canine teams deployed nationwide.

“So the first thing when we start is teaching the dog the basic fundamentals of how to use their nose to find something,” Polasek said.  “Luckily for us, dogs already naturally do that.  So we just manipulate the environment so we can tap into their natural abilities.”

Every day at Philadelphia International Airport, handler Gary Stoerrle and his TSA dog “Bock” screen 3,000-4,000 passengers for explosives.  They spent 16 weeks training together in San Antonio.

“If my dog screens a person, then I would put myself, my family or my mom on that plane,” TSA handler Gary Stoerrle said, givng you an idea of his level of confidence in his bomb-sniffing canine.

“My dog is that good,” Stoerrle said.  “Nothing has come past him.”