New Taipei City’s K-9 Unit recently welcomed a new batch of baby Labrador retrievers. They are being trained to be the team’s future sniffer dogs, following in their parents’ footsteps.
Two-month-old pups sniff out blood on cloth and when they do well, are treated to some dog snacks.
While training is sometimes serious and intensive for the six puppies, the unit also makes sure they have fun and form a bond of trust with their handlers.
Soon, some will advance to sniffing out drugs and explosives.
READ MORE: Family mourning lost dog shocked when pooch returns home during TV interview
But competition in the force is fierce — each puppy will be eight to 12 months before officially joining the force. Only a quarter of them will eventually succeed in becoming actual police dogs, depending on their performance on the job, and also how they interact with humans.
The K-9 Unit employs 30 adult police dogs and 25 human police officers and are focussed on training to keep security in tip-top form at the 2017 Summer Universiade in August this year.