No matter how good technology becomes, you can’t beat instinct, especially if it is of an 11-month-old canine fresh out of training. Take the case of Anny. It was routine prancing around at Mumbai Airport for her when she suddenly sniffed something that made her sit up. In seconds, she was running towards a woman with such force that her handler fell. The woman on Anny’s radar was a South African national who had just alighted from an Ethiopian Airlines flight at 4 am. The haul amounted to Rs 3.2 crore. The drugs were concealed in cardboard boxes wrapped so well in embroidered lace that they would never have appeared suspicious but for Anny’s sense of smell. This was Anny’s first catch after a three-month training at the BSF institute near Gwalior. SHAlIINI SAKSENA caught up with Anny’s co-workers and handlers at this premier facility
Her day starts at 6 am. At 6:15 sharp, she reports on the ground, runs around the approximately 25 acres, does jumps and other warm-up exercises. She then undergoes a thorough physical examination before training starts. First, she learns how to follow her handler’s commands. This means learn how to walk at the handler’s heels and not get distracted. This is how a typical day kicks-off for Binny aka Bali, one-year-old female German Shepherd, at The National Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD), Border Security Force’s premier dog training institute in Tekanpur, Gwalior.
Bali is not the only dog undergoing rigorous training of four to five hours daily. The centre, established in 1970, trains around 200 dogs a year. These dogs are then sent to various Central, State Police and other law enforcement agencies.
“We are the largest training centre in India. There are other institutes where dogs are trained in various fields like explosives detection, narcotics detection, search and rescue dog training, tracker dog training, infantry patrolling, poison detection training and vigil duties but ours is the oldest and largest. We provide refresher training courses as and when the dogs need it, or if new explosives or narcotics come into the country. Many handlers and dogs from Nepal and Bangladesh come here for refresher courses,” Dr Raj Mahesh, assistant commandant, training officer at NTCD, says.
He is quick to point out that the latest star at the centre is Bali, the only dog to be trained in detecting poison — insecticide, pesticide and common poisons that have Organophosphate (OP) compounds used by poachers in national parks and sanctuaries to kill wild animals. Bali, Mahesh tells you, is very good at her job. “She is so well-trained that she can sniff poison even if it is less that 0.0062 per cent. In other words, if the dead animal has the minutest level of poison in its body, Bali detects it,” Mahesh states. At present, Bali’s services are being used by rangers in Orissa’s national parks and she has, so far, located a couple of poison dens deep in the forest.
While Bali is busy in Orissa, life for other dogs at the centre is no cakewalk. Over a 100 labradors, Dobermans Pinschers, German Shepherds, Cocker Spaniels and Golden Retrievers are always in training at various stages. Sub-Inspector Bhim Singh Rawal of infantry patrolling tells you that labs, Retrievers and German Shepherds are the best for patrolling duties.
“They are mid-sized and, therefore, easy to handle as opposed to big dogs. Second, they have cone-shaped ears — at 45 degrees angle. This means their hearing is razor sharp, a must in Maoist areas or where there is danger of foot soldiers being ambushed. Third, their eyesight is brilliant and finally, these dogs can walk up to 5 km without getting tired. These breeds are physically very fit,” Rawal explains. Another reason for using mid-sized dogs is, they are people-friendly.
Training these dogs is not easy. It is one handler to one dog. When the pup is six months old, the trainer introduces himself to him. This is what they call a “marry period” which means that the handler has to put his bed in the cage where the dog stays for 15 days. During this period, the animal is taught control and sense of timing. He is taught when he can go relieve himself, where and how many times a day. “While animal lovers may feel we are torturing them, in times of emergency, we can’t have a dog wanting to relieve itself. After all, lives of hundreds of people hangs in balance. An early detection of ambush can save lives of many soldiers. Also, the 15-day period helps develop a bond, the most crucial aspect in the training period of 24 weeks,” Rawal says.
The dog is also taught house manners. Once he is in his kennel, he can’t invade the handler’s space. He is taught to heed the handler’s commands and walk at his heel. Once the basic training is completed, the dogs are segregated. Some are trained in narcotics search, some as trackers and others as explosives detectors. For every category, the training is different.
“In infantry patrolling, the dog is taught not to bark, sit in one place and turn its head in the direction from where he is getting human smell other than those in the platoon. The animal is also taught to look at his handler and crook his ear in the direction from where he is getting the smell. But to catch this signal, the handler has to be just as good. A little indication from the dog should be enough warning for the person to pick it up and take necessary action,” Rawal says.
Agrees Mahesh. “The training of the handler has to be just as good. We can’t have a handler who will hit the dog. If he does that, it will ruin weeks of training that has been put in. The dog has to be cajoled into enjoying the work assigned to him. He should get excited when he is on the job and not get distracted. For this, his handler has to ensure that the training is perfect. The dog should know that if a job has been well done, he will be rewarded. Three pats on the back or a small treat is enough to keep him interested. He knows that if he does find explosives or narcotics or fish out people under a debris, he will be rewarded. He shouldn’t find the work a boring chore and a lot depends on his handler,” Raj says.
This is because if the handler doesn’t know how to take charge of a dog, the professional life of the animal, which is 10 years, gets ruined. Over 150 novices who are trained every year, are first given theory lessons on dog behaviour, taught basic first aid and told how a dog reacts in certain situations. “Once the theory classes are over, a major part of the training is about practicals. New handlers are put under a master trainer. Usually, a master trainer has four to five people in his charge. The training is imparted to a trained dog to encourage the trainee,” Raj states.
Encouraging the dog and rewarding it for a job well-done is crucial. “Every time a dog trained in sniffing out explosives finds them, the handler has to give him an indication that he has done a good job,” constable Bhagat Singh who trains dogs in explosives detection, tells you.
The dogs are trained in sniffing out latest explosives and this type of training is the most intense. This, because it is natural for a dog to bark and paw when it finds something.
In explosives detection, the first lesson he has to learn is how to not bark or paw. This is because many modern-day explosives just need a small sound to get triggered. Making them recognise the smell of each and every explosive is the next step. This done, they are taught to sniff out the explosive from various objects. Then comes the training of finding an explosive buried in the ground.
“Usually a well-trained dog can sniff out 100 gm explosive buried nine inches into the ground. He is trained in five types of search areas like vehicle search, human body, market search, aircraft and ground,” Singh explains, adding that a relationship between a handler and his dog is beautiful. “We treat them like family. The way he greets us when he sees us and responds to our command is humbling. The love they shower and them wanting to please the handlers moves us,” Singh states.
Does this mean that the trainers have the same relationship with his dog as an individual has with a petIJ “Yes. In some ways, our bond is much stronger. Our dog will not take food or listen to a command given by anybody else. So, in case the handler has to go on leave, a person who will look after him during his absence has to be introduced to the dog. This takes 15 days. Only then can the handler go on leave. After all, the services of the dog can be required any time — day or night,” assistant sub-inspector Balwant Singh, who trains dogs for tracking operations, says.
In tracking, again breeds like labs, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are the preferred lot. Their fitness is paramount. “Their brilliant ability of smell helps in tracking a thief or a murderer by sniffing their footprints or any other object they may have left behind,” Balwant says. Since spot finding is vital, much of the training centres around this. “The dog is trained to walk long distances (5 km) without getting distracted. He is taught to walk ahead of the handler — 21 feet in front. He is trained to sniff out criminals even with blood in case of a murder. In case he looses the scent trail, he is made to go back from where he made the diversion and pick up the smell again. In such cases, the dog is reprimanded by words like ‘bad dog’. Probably, the most challenging part of the training is to be able to smell out the loot in case of a robbery. In most cases, the stash is well hidden elsewhere. So the dog, after catching the thief, has to lead us to spot where the loot is,” Balwant says.
For this, the dog has to trace the loot by not only finding out where all the thief had been but also the stolen articles from various other things. “During training, we have to first ensure that he is able to pick the correct person (dummy thief) from 50-odd people. Once that part is tackled, then comes searching out the loot. This is a bit complicated as the dog has to smell out the exact location.
But why is it that only mid-sized breeds are usedIJ Why not go for smaller breedsIJ “The problem is that smaller dogs don’t have the stamina for long hours of work. They can’t walk long distances, they get tired easily. But we have found that Cocker Spaniels are best placed to find narcotics. In fact, we have had good success with this breed. In sniffing out drugs, the main requirement is a long snout. Cocker Spaniels are used where one has to sniff out narcotics in tight and small places. Here a lab or German Shepherd will be of little use simply because he can’t reach the crevicesIJ This doesn’t mean that we don’t train labs or Retrievers. We do. They have an excellent sense of smell. But since the work is not so strenuous, smaller dogs with long snouts can also be trained,” assistant sub inspector Rajnath Singh says.
Cocaine, opium, heroin, morphine and other local drugs are the easiest for these dogs to sniff out. Training in smelling out drugs on a person is also given. They are trained to be on high alert for flights coming in late at night and when drug smuggling is more frequent. They are trained specifically to sniff out drugs even if they are camouflaged or hidden among eatables. Their handlers are trained to understand the pattern of a bark to find out what kind of drug the person may be carrying.
While, the dogs are not paid a salary for services rendered, they are given specific diet of freshly prepared meat, dog food, eggs and milk which approximately costs Rs 3,000 per dog per month. They are also given sufficient rest and kept in kennels that are cleaned daily. Besides the dog training, NTCD has other courses like veterinary, nursing assistant and dog handling and management courses for officers and sub-ordinates. Till date, 3,215 dogs have been trained in the institute.
The institute has also been declared as Centre of Excellency by MHA and awarded with ISO certification 9001: 2000 in 2006 and further upgraded 9001: 2008 in 2009. The dogs trained at the NTCD have won 141 medals during All India Police Duty Meet Competitions, including 58 gold and 35 silver medals.
Notable Achievements
ANNY: Works for Airport Customs, Mumbai. In December 2013, nabbed a drug smuggler carrying 16 kg Ephedrine worth Rs 3.2 crore.
HERO: Helped seize drugs over Rs 100 crore for Bombay Customs in 1987-88.
SHIKHA: Recovered 11 kg high grade heroin estimated at Rs 2 crore from a Spanish woman for Customs at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, in 1995.
SONU: Seized 22 kg high-grade hashish worth Rs 2.2 crore at Delhi airport and foreign currency of various countries valued Rs 3.8 lakh in 1997.
FANTA: Instrumental in detecting 10 kg RDX during Amarnath yatra, averting what could have led to a major tragedy in 1993.
SUKKA: Seized 14 kg high-grade hashish worth Rs 1.4 crore for Delhi Customs in 1997.