Henny's training began months before her human counterpart showed up for class. The Accelerant Detection Dogs are conditioned to pair the smell of hydrocarbons with the reward of food. The dogs quickly learn to associate the smell of gas with a food reward. By the end of the training program, the dogs are able to detect accelerants like gasoline, paint thinner, kerosene and charcoal lighter fluid. Experienced dogs can alert to over 20 hydrocarbons.

At the end for her training course, Henny was certified by a chemist as capable of discriminating scents of a variety of substances at very small amounts used to start fires. This certification is crucial because the evidence uncovered by the dog and handler can become a key point in any criminal and civil trials resulting from the fire.

Henny's training did not end with graduation from the Accelerant Detection Canine Program. Henny's skills are practiced and honed everyday with the help of her handler.

Henny is not fed like normal dogs. She gets fed three times a day but only if she is "working". This means her handler must perform training drills with her three times a day and rewards her with food when she correctly alerts during the drills. This daily training keeps her nose strong and her skills sharp and speaks to the level of dedication and caring her handler has for her and she for him.

Each year, the ATF hosts a mandatory recertification seminar for trained canine teams. During this seminar, Henny and her handler must pass proficiency tests in order to be recertified and her handler must produce training logs from the previous year for review. These seminars also include training on the latest advances in canine health and safety, practical field testing exercises and formal testing.

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Last Modified:   May 01, 2009