• Scubus@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    He didn’t say they don’t smell anything. He said they’re trained to respond to their handler. What he said is true. Even if it’s not what they’re intentionally training, it is a verifiable fact that most k9s respond more to their handlers body language than to any actual substance they’re smelling.

    • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Of course K9’s aren’t trained to actually smell anything

      He didn’t say they don’t smell anything

      Anyways, I wasn’t able to find data on police K9 units. I found this which has some good data with references further down the page, but it’s pretty far from a field environment. Do you have a study (“verifiable fact”) that has this data?

      • Scubus@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        they are not trained to smell

        but that doesn’t mean they don’t smell anything

        These are two different statements saying different things. Yes, police dogs often have noses that function. No, police dogs often do not require their noses in order to get the response the handler is wanting.

        And I was specifically referring to US k9s, but here are polish dogs. Their efficacy in cars, which is what I was referring to although did not explicitly state, is only 57%. Im still looking at other sources to find a more reliable, hopefully first hand, study.

        • Wrufieotnak@feddit.org
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          2 months ago

          The question wasn’t about the efficacy of dogs but about the “only respond to handler” part and you didn’t provide a source for that.

          Edit: another comment provided a study for that.