If a trained drug-sniffing dog comes across a nice pile of blow on the ground, will it actually snort it up?
I assume they are somehow trained not to, and simply alert the drug handler.
Okay, I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt here and go on the assumption that you have never seen these dogs in action.
So called “drug sniffing dogs” have been trained to alert when they encounter the scent of certain illegal substances on someone or something.
Not every dog is fit for this kind of duty. Apparently the best kind of dog to do this job is one that’s so hyperactive that it loves play more than anything else in the world (The payoff for the dog is a few minutes of playtime with the handler, usually with a toy made out of a rolled-up towel.)
What would a dog do if it encountered a pile of blow on the sidewalk? A trained dog would bark and jump and do the happy dance, because funtime is just around the corner. An untrained dog would probably wonder why all those people are face down on the sidewalk.
your humble TubaDiva
I remember reading/seeing somewhere that sniffing dogs are just trained to play a game of find the drug/explosive/contraband. The trainers start with simple games like fetch the ball, and then they get more and more complex until you reach the stage of fetch the drug. So no, these dogs aren’t drug addicts looking for their next shot. They’re just having fun playing a game of fetch, and the best reward for them, aside from a pat on the head and a piece of cookie, is to send them out on another game of fetch so they can have more fun. Seems like a great job if you ask me…
>> A trained dog would bark and jump and do the happy dance
Tubadiva, you can see on PBS some documentaries on how they trian these dogs for different purposes (drugs, vegetables, detect people under collapsed buildings etc.).
The ones trained to detect drugs I believe are trained to SIT when they detect something. I remember the dog was sitting but wagging his tail at full speed, so happy he was…
(is "he"correct usage or shouldn’t dogs and babies be “it”?)
If you have a dog sniffing for drugs in an airport arrivals hall, as they often do, you do not want the dog to make a scene so he (it) is trained to SIT. But I guess you could train it to do whatever you want (except recite the Gettysburg address)
If it’s a dog it’s a “he” per the kennel club set.
And apparently these dogs are very good at what they do. I have an acquaintance who is a criminal defense lawyer, and he once went into traffic court to represent a client. The lawywer was, uh, as we say, greatly “under the influence” of the substance in question (hey, I don’t condone this stuff, I just report it), and he was sweating, because, according to him, it was also a hot day. In any event, a narcotics officer with a drug K-9 walked into court on an unrelated criminal matter, and happened to stand near where the lawyer was seated. The dog began to whine and “alert” on my acquantaince, straining and pulling at his leash to get to this guy. The cop paid no attention, as he had other things on this mind, and kept pulling the dog back. My acquaintance high-tailed it out of there before the dog could arrest him. Funny story, but absolutely true. Don’t you just love dogs?
On the subject;
Most dogs I’ve been around, when given the opportunity, will gladly eat pot.
Off the subject, but adding to KalEl’s story;
A few years ago an idiot friend of mine brought some shake to work for me as a gift. being an equal idiot, I stuffed it in my pocket. Well, on the way to my car at days end a security dude with his drug sniffing pooch passed right by me. Of course the dog went nuts, telling his human “He’s got weed, He’s got weed.” But for some reason the guy just corrected the dog and went on his way.
So I went on home, cleaned out my drawers, and fixed myself a nice bowlful of my contraband. 
Learned my lesson, though.
BTW; Shake = the stuff that falls to the bottom of a big bag of weed.
Peace,
mangeorge
I only know two things;
I know what I need to know
And
I know what I want to know
Mangeorge, 2000
I understand that we’ve pretty well answered the OP question, but now my idiot brain won’t stop trying to construct a scenario in which there would BE a “nice pile of blow on the ground”, with a drug-sniffing dog on a leash heading towards it. How would Hollywood handle it? I see–Gene Wilder? Smuggler drops a flowerpot containing an azalea with the “blow” under the rootball? But wouldn’t it be in a baggie? Or, wait, it’s in a Tupperware container, see, and the lid falls off, and all the “blow” falls out onto the ground…Yeah, yeah, that’s good…
Mangeorge: Thanks for providing the glossary.
Just one question: what’s “weed”? 
I am certain I heard/saw a story from APB new regarding a K-9 that accidently overdosed.
IIRC: it was during training and a baggie of either coke or speed ruptured and, ultimately, the accidental ingestion killed the poor beast.
I will see if I can find a link.
DOH! Wrong link!
So in order to train them, they must have the real drugs on hand? Hmmmmm.
Thanks, Commander! 
I enjoyed reading even the wrong link, and I’ve added apb.com to my Favorites list.
Golly, the poor dog…Talk about occupational hazards.
For Notthemama:
Pot, weed = Marijuana.
Idiot = Someone who has marijuana at work.
Dude = A man, esp. when he struts.
Drawers = Underwear.
Bowlful = Whatever’s in the bowl of a smoking pipe.
Contraband = Stuff you ain’t supposed to have.
Did I miss any?
“Sorry, I forgot the question.”
Peace,
mangeorge (I know he/she was kidding)
Yeah, handy, I think they do use the real drugs for at least part of the training. I expect that they keep some drugs on hand at the police academy to train the human officers, too. I mean to train them to recognize the drugs, not to use them.
I sometimes watch a show called K-9to5 on Animal Planet. It is about dogs and the jobs that they do. Neat show.
I think a career change is in order