Customs dogs in use: record hunt against smuggling and drugs!

Customs dogs in use: record hunt against smuggling and drugs!

Wien, Österreich - In 2024, the customs service dogs in Austria recorded remarkable successes. According to a report by the Ministry of Finance, almost 2.5 million euros of cash, almost 100,000 cigarettes and over 200 kilograms of tobacco were secured. In addition, there are 1,333 cigars, around 224 kilograms of addictive and twelve species protection offenses, which have been revealed by the fine flair of dogs. Overall, the team of the service dogs participated in 1,150 missions, whereby over 9,420 controls were completed and 1,120 intervals could be carried out, as well as the ots reported.

Currently 25 dogs are active for the Austria customs office, five of which are still in training. The majority of the trained dogs are German and Belgian shepherd dogs, including other breeds such as seven German shorthairs and a Labrador. These dogs go through comprehensive training to recognize different smells: from drugs and tobacco to cash and species protection. Particular attention is paid to the training of species protection detection dogs, which can identify about 15 to 20 different smells and work closely with the Schönbrunn zoo. These dogs show a "passive" display behavior, which means that they remain in the source of odor perceptions, which is of crucial importance for the customs officers, such as the 5min emphasized.

training and binding

The training takes place in a playful way via clicker training, which rewards the dogs for their excellent performance. After about ten years of active search, every service dog is retired, often with its long -standing partners. This work is not only of great importance for customs, but also shows how intensive the bond between humans and animals in the police service.