What can sniffer dogs smell?

Hi guys,
I'm curious to know whether anyone has any knowledge regarding what sniffer dogs can actually smell drug wise. Weed, naturally, but speed, pills, coke, that sort of thing? And how much is their sense of smell affected by airtight bags, putting things in coffee, etc.
These are not airport dogs (which I assume would be better trained), just standard police type sniffer dogs - if there is such a thing.
I've searched the AU drug discussion forums without much result, there's bits scattered here and there but nothing too detailed.
Any help - weblinks, advice, etc. - is greatly appreciated
Cheers,
Isfael.

im not 100% sure..
but i believe they can only accurately smell out weed.. im sure they could smell out other drugs if they were lying about loose in a bag etc..
i believe they use peoples reactions to the dogs as an indication of people possibly carrying drugs?

Dont worry. They can't smell pills if they are well wrapped in an airtight plastic bag. If they did, me mate DAVE would have been busted heaps of times 'wink'
Not sure on otha stuff tho.

Sniffer dogs can detect one billionth of a gram (one nanogram) of c..... studies in britain and us have shown that 95-99% of all bank notes contain traces of c...., hence the wiley sniffers often react to c.... contaminated cash on travellers.
reference:
Ralph: latest issue(wrongly dated as september 01)
page number 108. at the bottom of the page.

Yeah, this is just an opinion, but I reckon that pills and speed have a distinct enough smell that a well trained dog could probably detect it if you weren't careful how you carried your stuff.
Please tell me if I'm wrong, wouldn't want to peddle an incorrect rumour.

Apparently if something is encapsulated in wax it is almost impossible to pick up the scent.I wouldnt really know though of course.
Get those little round candles in the metal container things and scrape out room for two pills,wrap a pill in gladwrap and insert it into the hole then pour a little hot wax over the hole to reseal.

If your that worried about sniffer dogs, buy some dog repelent spray. Its unsented to human noses but dogs can smell it and will stay away.
Just look around on self defence products websites..
izz all good..

I was of the opinion that MDMA (in its pure form) is odourless... hence a sniffer dog, no matter how highly trained it may be, would not be able to smell that FAT MDMA capsule you have in your left pocket...
hmmmm.
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mdma in its pure form fuckin reeeeekkkkks of saffrole....
or thats what me mate dave told me...
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...got a place for watching that will paint pictures and colour lights...
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more on what bmradio said...
dogs can smell that note in your wallet which someone in its past (b4 the note got to u) has used to snort his cocaine.
i think this topic has been covered b4 in Other Drugs. try a search there for interesting answers.

Hmmn, yes. I also heard that often dogs are not trained just in the scent of particular drugs, but to react to scents that are out of the ordinary. Scents that differ from those usually present in a certain environment, such as drugs. Obviously this makes the dogs more sensitive in a stable clean setting (read airport) and less so in a more chaotic environment (club, trainstation). However this is secondhand, and perhaps is mere conjecture. Makes sense though...
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The woods are dark and deep, and you have miles to go before you sleep...

As I understand it, dogs are trained to notice smells which are 'out of the ordinary'. So when they smell clothes, they wont react to soap, tobacco, deodorant, etc. They sniff shoes and smell some shit, dirt, etc.
The police handling them react mildly to everything they bark at, then they investigate it... If it's found to be what they were looking for/illegal posessions, they make a big fuss and reward the dog. If it smells that thing again, it knows to bark, as a reward is on it's way. If it's something out of the ordinary which isn't illegal, the cops make no fuss what so ever and the dog now knows to ignore that smell...
Feed it something, and it'll never notice it again... Peakin' dogs
Disclaimer: This has got to me through the grape vine. It may or may not be correct.
Disclaimer #2: I just posted this and read Thoth's reply...
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wisest is he who knows that he does not know...
[This message has been edited by nostalgic (edited 28 July 2001).]

Thanks a lot for all the help guys...
Much appreciated

How does something reek of saffrole when saffrole as a substance is no longer present in the final compound?
...unless you 'soak' it in saffrole for some twisted reason before giving it to your buyers..
I just found a number of texts that state it is 'odorless' (american texts obviously) butt hen again im just spitting out whats already written down so theres no accounting for my judgement here...

BTW. has anyone actually seen a sniffer dog bark?
Cos I havent, as ive previously stated im related to a retired member of the QLD police force, who said that S.Dogs are encouraged in their training NOT to bark. (for obvious reasons).
If a dog detects something it KNOWS its supposed to alert its controller about, it simply sits down next to it.
Ive seen it happen to one of my friends near the pyrmont hotel, sydney. He started PATTING the fucken thing before he realised.
(Interestingly enough his bag of speed was confiscated and the three pills they found while 'searching' him but he was NEVER contacted, thus never charged. or so he tells me... he lives in VIC.)

K9, there is plenty of safrole left in MDMA after synth. This is because street MDMA is not properly lab processed and washed. Remember, alot of this is illicit 'kitchen chemistry,' cooked up by people who could give less of a fuck about how it appears...
While the MDMA itself may be odourless, its near impossible to remove all the pungent safrole from the mix... I *heard* it kind of smells like licorice. Sniff 'em and then say they dont smell! Heh..
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The woods are dark and deep, and you have miles to go before you sleep...
[This message has been edited by -Thoth (edited 29 July 2001).]

I bought some really strong powder caps, the contents tasted very much like licorice.

ive never seena dog bark, nor have i seen them sit down...
ive run past em a couple times...
all i know from personal experience is that they cant smell pills (understandbly, they werent good, so probably not mdma, but still) unless they concentrate... or at least take some time to read the smells, its not like a fart wofting through the air...
i ran past bout 4 dogs on the NYE 2000 at LOve nation... they didnt smell shit from my shoe...
i also heard that putting them in latex hides the smell...
and yeah i think mdma smells like licorice, i had contact with some good BB's, twas a nice licorice smell...
[This message has been edited by melancholic (edited 29 July 2001).]

just smear VICS vapour rub over your baggy or wrap em in glad wrap then spear glad wrap with vics...no WAY will a dog sniff it.
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Yeah nice one brov!

FYI
If you are referrring to the sniffer dogs cruising around the cross/oxford street lately I would not right them off so easily.
All sniffer dogs I have seend in the patrols around sydney have been operated by customs officers.
YES THEY CAN DETECT MDMA, is has a very distinctive smell and seeing that dogs have a ridiculously accurate sense of smell its cause for concern.... However as mentioned in the previous posts you can mask the smell or throw a dog off the smell, also you have to remember that inn oxford st or the cross, the dog is very much out of his environment and picking up scents from everywhere.
Something with a potent vapour (menthol, superglue, coffee) will work however if the handler detects this smell he will be suspicious. Best bet is to be smart and not cary a large amount on you at once, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE A SNIFFER DOG.
A friend of mine once worked in juvenile justice, they were a smoker and carried their tobacco in a metal tin inside their jacket pocket. It was about 3 in the afternoon and a sniffer dog patrol was going through the wards. My friend had forgotten their tobacco that day so had not had a cigarette or tobacco that whole day. The sniffer dog (in a juvenile centre smoking is not permitted) went straight to my friend and held them until the handler let them go.
peace