"We've made a conscious effort in TSA ... to use floppy ear dogs," Pekoske told the Washington Examiner during a tour of operations at Washington Dulles International Airport. "We find the passenger acceptance of floppy-ear dogs is just better. It presents just a little bit less of a concern. Doesn't scare children."

TSA trains seven breeds of dogs,German short-haired pointers, wire-haired pointers, golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers and Vizslas, which have floppy ears, and German shepherds and Belgian Malinois, which have pointy ears.