A
detection dog or
sniffer dog is a
dog that is trained to and works at using its
senses (almost always the sense of
smell) to detect substances such as
explosives,
illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, or
blood.
Hunting dogs that search for
game and
search dogs that search for missing humans are generally not considered detection dogs. There is some overlap, as in the case of
cadaver dogs, trained to search for human remains. Some
police dogs that are used in drug raids are trained not only to locate narcotics, but also persons who may be hiding from the police, as well as stashed currency. Some detector dogs can locate
contraband electronics, such as illicit
mobile phones in prisons.