Can Drug Sniffer Dogs Smell Vapes & Nicotine Products?

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Stay safe and out of trouble by learning the facts about drug dogs
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If you carry a vape pen with you regularly, drug sniffer dogs can be a real concern, especially if they make an unexpected visit to your school or workplace. While not all drug-detecting K9s are trained to detect nicotine, some dogs definitely are. Don’t worry, though—we’ll cover everything you need to know about these dogs and what they mean for your day-to-day life, so you can avoid getting in trouble.

Things You Should Know

  • Drug sniffer dogs are capable of sniffing out nicotine, but not all K9 units are trained to sniff out substances like nicotine and tobacco specifically.
  • However, some drug-detecting dogs are capable of sniffing out nicotine.
  • Leaving your nicotine products at home is the only foolproof way to hide them from a drug sniffer dog.
Section 1 of 3:

Can drug sniffer dogs detect nicotine?

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  1. In many cases, drug-detecting dogs are trained to sniff out illegal drugs like heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and meth. [1] However, some dogs are trained to detect the scent of nicotine—these dogs are sometimes hired to sniff for vapes and similar paraphernalia (like nicotine pouches) at schools as a way to deter teens from vaping. [2]
    • Ultimately, it comes down to the agency that’s training the dog. Some agencies (especially those hired by schools) train their dogs to sniff out nicotine, while others don’t.
    • Some agencies have dogs that are trained to sniff out tobacco products (including synthetic tobacco), but this isn’t necessarily the case for all dogs. [3]
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Section 2 of 3:

Capabilities of Drug Dogs

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  1. If you thought humans had good noses, think again—a dog’s nose has up to 100,000 times the smelling power of a person’s. Their nose has two separate pathways—one to process different smells and one to provide basic respiratory function. They also have a special organ in their nose (the Jacobson’s organ) designed specifically to process pheromones from other animals. [4]
  2. During training, dogs are introduced to a toy that’s made to smell like certain drugs. Using this toy, the dog is taught to search for the item and let their handler know that they’ve found it. [5] This training process typically involves illegal drugs rather than nicotine, but given a dog’s great sense of smell, they could definitely detect it.
    • Dogs can be trained to sniff out all kinds of scents, including explosives and dead bodies. [6]
  3. Drug-detecting dogs are used by law enforcement in many different capacities, including road checkpoints. [7] While these dogs likely wouldn’t be sniffing for nicotine in a vehicle, it’s theoretically possible that they could sniff out nicotine in a car.
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Section 3 of 3:

How can you hide nicotine from drug sniffer dogs?

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  1. A drug-detecting dog can’t sniff what isn’t there. As tough as it may be to go a school or work day without your nicotine product, it’s a much better alternative to getting in trouble with the powers that be.
    • Some people suggest wrapping up the nicotine product in plastic wrap or wax paper and submerging it in a container filled with white vinegar (like a water bottle). However, this isn’t guaranteed to deter the dog, and can potentially damage your product if it’s not wrapped securely enough.

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/narco-dogs-understanding-how-they-do-their-job-can-make-your-job
      2. ↑ https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/vape-detecting-k-9-coming-to-florida-school-district-to-sniff-out-thc-nicotine-other-drugs
      3. ↑ https://www.k9deployment.co.uk/services/tobacco-detection-dogs/
      4. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/dogs-sense-of-smell/
      5. ↑ https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/narco-dogs-understanding-how-they-do-their-job-can-make-your-job
      6. ↑ https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/family-dog/cadaver-dogs-how-canine-noses-help-find-dead-bodies/
      7. ↑ https://www.sog.unc.edu/blogs/nc-criminal-law/drug-dogs-and-checkpoints

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