“Drug dog” is also ok to say. There’s not a term for the dog exactly. There are bomb sniffing dogs as well. So “K-9 unit” can be said if you are unsure.
The general name for a dog that is used for a dog able to detect drugs or other items is 'a sniffer dog'
Eg "The custom officers used sniffer dogs to check the passengers' bags."
A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to
use its senses to identify illegal substances either on a person,
in their luggage or in their vehicles. These dogs use their strong
sense of smell and are trained to detect not only drugs but also
explosives, currency and contraband electronics. Contraband are
goods that have been imported or exported illegally.
A dog that searches for drugs using his/her nose in an airport of ferry terminal is referred to as a sniffer dog.
You can also use "drug sniffing dog" however in my opinion "sniffer dog'' is more commonly used.
The person who is with the dog is referred to as a dog handler.
Are you going to train your drug to do anything?
Yeah, I want to train it to sniff drugs.
Do you mean like a drug-sniffing dog at the airports?
Yeah, I would like it to have a job.
I hope this helps.
Have a great day.
Will
A more formal term is 'drug detection dog'.
An informal term is 'sniffer dog'. We use the word 'sniff' to describe the action of smelling with the nose. So the dog will detect the drugs using their noses and this is where the term comes from.
If you are looking for a more general term then 'working dog' is used to describe a dog whose skills are put to use in a profession. This includes police dogs, bomb detection dogs, medical dogs and dogs for the blind.
We can call them either a, "drug sniffing dog," or a, "drug detecting dog," and still retain the same meaning. "Sniffing," refers to using your nose to smell something whereas, "detecting," is just another word for searching or looking for.
A 'sniffer dog' is the commonly used term to refer to a dog that is specifically trained to locate illegal drugs or other contraband goods.
The formal name is a 'detection dog' and they are trained to 'sniff out' all sorts of items such as explosives, drugs, electronics, blood etc.
Any of the above two words can be used when talking about or referring to a drug detecting dog or a dog that can smell drugs.
Examples;
- There were police dogs at the airport, smelling for drugs.
- Policemen often briung their sniffer dogs to the airport to detect drugs.
It is common to see sniffer dogs at the airport, it is their job to sniff peoples bags and try detect if they have any illegal drugs in there, etc. These breeds of dogs have a very strong sense of smell, they are trained to pick up on illegal drugs, etc, then alert their handler if they pick up on something that is suspicious.