A special visit from some Australian Federal Police (AFP) dogs, complete with bunny ears and non-scratch booties, has brought smiles to small faces at the Canberra Hospital this Easter long-weekend.

The highly trained dogs usually sniff out guns and explosives, but this weekend they had a different mission — spreading joy to children in the Canberra Hospital.

AFP dog trainer Jayson Mesman said special occasions and holidays were especially difficult for children and their families in hospital.

"They're obviously having a pretty rough trot, so it's good to just come in let them have a happy day and a bit of a smile," he said.

Mr Mesman said while the kids got a fun visit, the dogs — dressed in little shoes to prevent scratches — were also learning some social skills.

Ava, 3, took an immediate liking to Jeff the sniffer dog. ( ABC News: Elise Pianegonda )

"The more things the dogs are exposed to, the better they're going to perform their roles as well," he said.

"It's good for them to socialise with kids, grown-ups and other dogs, so when they're searching around the airports they're not scared of anything."

Dan Andrews said there had been a dearth of helicopters landing for his son to watch out the window on Friday, so the dogs' visit was a nice surprise.

"Sebastian just loves them, he thinks it's just great," he said.

"I've been plotting how to get the cat into hospital but the cat wasn't up for it, so the dogs will have to do."

Armani, 2, is in hospital for the weekend because of her asthma. ( ABC News: Elise Pianegonda )

Mother Cheyenne Shooks' daughter, Armani, was brought by ambulance into hospital for asthma on Thursday.

"It's really good, it takes her mind off things and gives her something to do," she said.

"It's something positive from being in here."

'She has bunny ears on and she looks funny'

Benny had just undergone surgery for a broken arm and was especially excited to meet Foxy the AFP dog. ( ABC News: Elise Pianegonda )

Dog-lover Ben Berman had seen a police dog on a school excursion, but he was excited to meet Foxy — a police dog with a twist.

"She has bunny ears on and she looks funny," he said.

But when Mr Mesman told Benny, in hospital with a broken arm, that some of the AFP dogs were trained to sniff out cash he became a bit concerned — having recently acquired some money from the tooth fairy.

While Benny was happy to meet Foxy, he said he was waiting for her to leave the room before he ate his custard.

He said his dog at home, Walter, had a habit of stealing his sandwiches.