Ahead Of I-Day, Delhi Police Dogs Trained To React Through Gestures Not Bark On Detecting Explosives
Delhi Police dogs are being trained to indicate presence of explosives by wagging their tail or looking at their handlers instead of barking.
Published : July 27, 2025 at 7:54 PM IST
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing security arrangements for the Independence Day celebrations in the national capital, the Delhi Police are on high alert. Likewise previous years, the Delhi Police Dog Squad is playing an important role. This time the dogs are being given a special training.
Sub-Inspector Jitendra Dogra, in-charge of Delhi Police Dog Squad, said dogs are now being trained to react silently when explosives are detected, as some types of explosives can also be activated by loud sounds, such as barking. "We are training our dogs to sit quietly and indicate the presence of explosives through gestures, such as wagging their tail or looking towards their handler," he said.
These dogs will be deployed at various sensitive places including Red Fort and Chandni Chowk area, to help maintain security during the Independence Day celebrations.
The Delhi Police Dog Squad currently has 64 dogs. Of these, 58 are trained to detect explosives, three to detect narcotics and remaining three to detect criminals.
"A dog has to be raised like a child. The behaviour of a dog depends on its mood, but we come to know if our dog has any problem or not. In the morning, when we take him out of the kennel, he starts playing, which means he is happy. If we understand that he is unwell, we take him for a check-up. If needed, we also take him to the hospital. We train our dogs every day," Ashok Kumar, dog handler of Delhi Police said.
These 64 dogs are of different breeds. There are 22 Labradors, 17 Belgian Malinois, 16 German Shepherds and 9 Golden Retrievers. Around 40 percent dogs in the squad are female and the remaining 60 percent are male.
According to officials, efforts are underway to include 30 new dogs. Thirteen dogs were inducted in 2024. Some dogs come from the Army and many are bought through private tenders. Last year, cost for purchasing each dog was around Rs 5 lakh.
The dog squad operates 24/7. The Delhi Police Dog Squad has 121 personnel, including one sub-inspector, 28 assistant sub-inspectors, 53 head constables and 39 constables. All have been trained to handle dogs, they added.
The main headquarters of the squad is in Model Town, which has nine district units namely East, South-West, Dwarka, North-West, Central, North, New Delhi and North-East Delhi. Every unit has comfortable kennels equipped with all kinds of facilities including air coolers for the comfort of the dogs, they said.
Read more
