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Today, NPA has twelve accredited and operational Explosive Detection Dogs (EDD) and they are an essential part of NPA’s Mine Action efforts in BIH. The dogs are used in an integrated concept with mechanical tools and manual deminers. The first step is always the deployment of a machine with a flail, removing vegetation tripwires and other booby trap devices and breaking the surface crust of the soil. This kind of ground preparation makes the working environment easier and safer for the dogs and their handlers. The use of this concept dramatically improves the effectiveness of work. The NPA EDD Project has a local staff consisting of the MDD Coordinator, 2 Team leaders and 12 dog handlers. |
All staff in the EDD project are trained manual deminers and they have undergone 3 months of the basic dog handler training course prior to accreditation and operational deployment. All the dogs used by NPA are brought to BIH from suppliers in Norway and Sweden and preferred breeds have been German Shepherds and the Belgian Shepherd - Malinois. All dogs go through strict mental testing and an intense trial period prior to undertaking one year of specialist training to become an accredited Explosive Detection Dog with specialising in mines and ERW.
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NPA's EDD Teams use two different search patterns in their approach to clear the land of mines and ERW. Step 1, Long leash search pattern, here the handler will stay in the safe lane (cleared by manual deminers). The dog will, on command, search in one straight line 10 meters forward and then on command turn to the left and return to the handler. The handler will then move a maximum of 50 cm to the right in the safe line and he will send the dog out again. This will continue until the area is covered by the dog. If the dog discovers any target material, it is trained to alarm the handler by sitting, the dog will not move, scratch or bark but stay focused and sit still. |
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Step 2, The same area already searched by long the leash method will be searched by a dog using the short leash pattern, and here the dog handler will walk very close to the dog whilst the dog is searching Step 3, Destroy or remove objects found by the dog. ( this is done by a manual clearance supervisor specially trained for this kind of job). Step 4, Manually clear around the found object. |
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EDD operational procedure |
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