General Questions
Dogs and rats are known for their incredibly sensitive sense of smell, which is thanks to a larger number of olfactory receptor genes compared to humans, specialized nasal structures, and a dedicated portion of their brain for processing scents.
They have complementary roles when it comes to landmine detection. Our landmine detection rats require ground that has been prepared in advance with little vegetation whereas our dogs are able conduct a technical survey in areas with lots of vegetation. The perfect deployment is a mix of dogs and rats.
Our Technical Survey Dogs and Mine Detection Dogs are mostly Belgian Shepherds (Malinois), but we have some Dutch Shepherds too.
Both Belgian and Dutch Shepherds are intelligent and energetic, easily adaptable to live in cold and hot weather, which makes them preferable breeds for working dogs.
The life expectancy of Belgian and Dutch Shepherds is between 9 and 12 years on average.
We feed our dogs dry kibble, where possible the Royal Canin brand, which provides a complete and balanced diet for strong bones and muscles, and healthy teeth.
Our Technical Survey Dogs live in kennels. Each dog has its own spacious kennel and they are looked after by trained kennel assistants who ensure they are comfortable, well-fed, and have adequate fresh water available.
Breeding and Training
We welcome dogs into the APOPO family at the age of 7 months, when much of the basic puppy training and socialization has already been completed. From then on, we start to train young dogs in basic search competencies using a Kong toy as the reward for correct behavior. We start landmine detection training only when dogs reach adolescence.
It takes on average 8-12 months to train a Technical Survey Dog for the field. We use a reward-based process where the dog is rewarded for desired behavior; once they’ve identified the correct target of hidden explosives, they’re rewarded with their favorite thing – a Kong toy!
Our dogs are examined internally and are required to pass internal accreditation before we declare them as ready for the field. Upon arrival in the host country, they are then required to pass a secondary accreditation test carried out by national authorities and the United Nations. Only dogs that have passed all of the tests with 100% accuracy pass accreditation. Additionally we perform monthly test to ensure the dog is on the desired level to keep working.
If a dog under training doesn’t pass the internal accreditation, the trainer decides whether they can continue training to reach the desired level, or if the dog is definitively not suitable for the job; in which case the dog is moved on to other types of work with external organizations.
Health and Wellbeing
At this stage we do not run our own breeding program. We instead buy our dogs from established and reputable breeders in Europe.
Our Technical Survey Dog handlers and kennel assistants have been trained in canine healthcare and are able to carry out basic daily health checks to ensure an animal is fit to work in the field. Each day, our dogs are checked over for any abnormalities, and veterinary assistance is sought if anything is found. Our dogs also receive regular scheduled visits by a veterinary professional for a thorough check-up.
Our dogs are exercised by handlers and kennel assistants every day. It is important for Technical Survey Dogs to stay fit as they spend long hours in the minefield each day. During weekends, the dogs are allowed time to rest and relax and are given a gentler walk.
Working on a minefield
Technical survey dogs work in overgrown areas, equipped with specialized equipment to track the performance of our HeroDOGs as they search for explosives. The handler directs the dog into the area to be surveyed in straight lines at regular intervals. The dog searches a pre-defined area of land to justify release whilst also identifying mined areas that are typically much smaller than the originally suspected area. If a landmine is found, the dog will safely sit at least 1 meter before the landmine and point their nose at the landmine until further instruction is given by their handler.
Our Technical Survey Dogs wear a Garmin T5 dog collar, paired with an Astro 430 tracker, which helps our team monitor their movements accurately. This setup is crucial for measuring the area the dog surveys and for locating them within a 9-mile radius for safety purposes.
The Garmin T5 Dog Collar, equipped with high-sensitivity GPS, allows us to track where the dog is and where they have been. This helps us ensure that the dogs cover all intended areas during a survey.
We currently have operational Technical Survey Dogs in Cambodia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan and are considering additional deployment to other countries with potential partners.
On average our dogs work around 5 hours per day but this can vary depending on the task at hand, or the weather. Dogs are typically deployed in the morning to avoid the rising temperatures later in the day; they work for anywhere between 30-40 minutes and then take a 10 minute break before another deployment.
Yes. Our dogs cannot work when it rains, as the scent molecules from a landmine typically rise up through the ground into the air, and that is what our dogs are trained to detect. A body of water sitting above a landmine disperses these molecules wider into the air and if ample time is not given for the water to drain, the dogs may indicate the presence or location of a landmine less accurately leading to false indications. As our operations are often in hotter climates, we stop our dogs from working if the temperature rises above 35°C (95°F) to ensure their well-being. At the other end of the spectrum Technical Survey Dogs can be deployed to work at lower temperatures, with a minimum of 5 degrees celsius.
No. The dogs have separate handlers with different expertise from those of the rats.
There is very little risk to APOPO’s dogs, and none have ever been injured or killed by a landmine. Our Technical Survey Dogs are trained to detect the scent of explosives and indicate the location by sitting — their nose, which detects the odor, naturally reaches the scent source before their paws, so they stop before stepping on or near the mine (usually around 1m away).
While dogs are trained to be as accurate as possible, there is always some level of risk when working in minefields. However, APOPO applies strict safety protocols, careful planning, and continuous supervision to keep both our dogs and handlers safe. Hidden tripwires are no longer present in the areas where our dogs operate. If we were ever to work in areas where tripwires might exist, those would be identified and removed before any dogs are deployed.
Retirement
We expect our Technical Survey Dogs to have a working life of around 6 years following their training and accreditation as puppies and juveniles, leaving them time to enjoy a peaceful retirement.
Dogs are retired when their work sessions become shorter, beyond a threshold where there is a considerable difference between their productivity and that of a younger dog. We also retire our dogs if we identify a health issue which would prevent them from working effectively, or that would cause them pain or discomfort. Some of our retired Technical Survey Dogs remain with us to aid the training of new handlers, in which case they enjoy all the same care and attention as our working dogs. Occasionally, we rehome our retired dogs after careful interview and assessment to ensure they are able to provide an adequate level of care, attention and handling.