When it comes to the detection of explosives, canine teams are still considered the gold standard (1). However, detecting explosives in the ambient air can be challenging for man’s best friend (as well as instrumentation) – especially because national security measures necessitate real-time and high sensitivity detection of a large range of chemical classes and concentrations. “Like any thorough scientist, canine trainers would like to validate vapor presentation to the canine,” says Ta-Hsuan Ong, lead researcher of a recent MIT study into canine bomb detection (1). So how can we teach these dogs some new tricks?

“Knowledge gained about the vapor environment can help with choosing the right training aids. Our new vapor-analysis mass spectrometry method provides trainers with additional information on vapor presence, concentration, and identity,” says Ong. “Our goal is to iteratively improve canine training best practices by combining the experience of canine teams with knowledge of instrument vapor analysis. By validating vapor presentation and learning more about the canine training vapor environment, we can improve how efficiently canine teams are maintained at their optimal performance.”