The International K9 Institute has done pioneering work in Finland with explosive detection dogs. They have already been used at several different mining sites to search for unexploded explosives.
He's whipping with excitement. Animal trainer Tanja Karpela a four-legged colleague knows that the workday is about to begin. “These are easy colleagues to work with. Just looking for explosives is rewarding, but the best thing is to be able to play with the instructor after the task,” he says with a laugh.
In Finland, explosive detection dogs have long been used by the police, border guards and armed forces. In Sweden and Norway, explosive detection dogs
The use is also common on mining sites. “My colleague Karita Häkkinen and I started thinking about why this couldn’t work in Finland too, and a little over a year ago we started training explosives dogs for mining sites, quarries and mines, for example,” says Karpela.
The dog is first taught to freeze.
The task of an explosives detection dog is to search for unexploded explosives, for example in a pile of rubble. The risks of the work environment must also be known during the dog's training.
"The dog is not allowed to scratch the ground or do anything else to the target while searching. I first teach it to indicate that it has found the target by freezing in place and staring at the target until I release it with a reward tag. After that, I teach the dog to identify different explosives based on their smells," Karpela says.
The training takes place in an authentic environment. “It’s great that Swerock is excited to offer us a good setting for training explosive detection dogs at their aggregates site in Salo.”
A new generation of puppies is growing up
Karpela has a degree in social work, but after a long career in politics, he says he graduated as an animal trainer and founded a company that offers training and dog boarding services for working dogs. The training side was transferred to the International K9 Institute a couple of years ago, which Karpela founded together with Häkkinen. They also have many other working dogs that do
for example, mapping flying squirrels and bedbugs.
"We also have a new generation of puppies growing up to be explosives dogs. I hope that their use will become established practice in Finland before long."
What should you consider if you order an explosives detection dog for a construction site?
When searching for explosives, a working dog's nose usually doesn't linger for very long. Site operations can also continue in other areas without interruption, as long as the route is carefully planned in advance.
If an explosives detection dog is ordered for a large construction site, for example, but only a specific area needs to be checked for unexploded explosives, the site usually wants to continue operations in other areas at the same time.
Tanja Karpela from the International K9 Institute emphasizes that the method of proceeding and the time allocated for searching for explosives must therefore be determined in advance. “A rough estimate is that an explosives dog can accurately examine approximately 2 square meters or a couple of kilometers in a straight line per day. In one location, the inspection may take one day and in another several days.”
Additional security for the construction site
According to Karpela, the easiest way to order an explosives dog is to contact their company by email or phone. “The cost estimate is always prepared on a case-by-case basis, but the most important factors are the difficulty of access to the site and the size of the area to be inspected. First of all, you need to find out together with the customer what discoveries or suspicions have been observed on the site, what the terrain is like and how dense the soil is in structure,” he says.
And what are the benefits of using an explosives detection dog for a construction company?
"The key advantages are the dog's accuracy, speed and cost-effectiveness. At least, no human has yet been able to develop a device that can identify smells anywhere near as accurately as a dog. It can also find very old, unexploded explosives. An explosives dog naturally also brings additional security to the construction site," Karpela answers. The use of explosives dogs is best suited, for example, for excavated foundations in building construction before excavation and further construction. They are a great help when carrying out embankment excavation in several layers, before starting to drill a new embankment.
Text: Kaisa Salminen
Photos: Janne Erjola
The article was originally published in Jokka magazine in spring 2023..