Can Drug Sniffer Dogs Smell Vapes & Nicotine Products?

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Stay safe and out of trouble by learning the facts about drug dogs

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: February 20, 2024 Fact Checked

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Can drug sniffer dogs detect nicotine?

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Capabilities of Drug Dogs

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How can you hide nicotine from drug sniffer dogs?

If you carry a vape pen with you regularly, drug sniffer dogs can be a real concern, especially if they make an unexpected visit to your school or workplace. While not all drug-detecting K9s are trained to detect nicotine, some dogs definitely are. Don’t worry, though—we’ll cover everything you need to know about these dogs and what they mean for your day-to-day life, so you can avoid getting in trouble.

Things You Should Know

Drug sniffer dogs are capable of sniffing out nicotine, but not all K9 units are trained to sniff out substances like nicotine and tobacco specifically.
However, some drug-detecting dogs are capable of sniffing out nicotine.
Leaving your nicotine products at home is the only foolproof way to hide them from a drug sniffer dog.

Section 1 of 3:

Can drug sniffer dogs detect nicotine?

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Yes, but not all drug dogs are trained to detect it. In many cases, drug-detecting dogs are trained to sniff out illegal drugs like heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and meth.^{[1]
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Research source} However, some dogs are trained to detect the scent of nicotine—these dogs are sometimes hired to sniff for vapes and similar paraphernalia (like nicotine pouches) at schools as a way to deter teens from vaping.^{[2]
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- Ultimately, it comes down to the agency that’s training the dog. Some agencies (especially those hired by schools) train their dogs to sniff out nicotine, while others don’t.
- Some agencies have dogs that are trained to sniff out tobacco products (including synthetic tobacco), but this isn’t necessarily the case for all dogs.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 3:

Capabilities of Drug Dogs

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If you thought humans had good noses, think again—a dog’s nose has up to 100,000 times the smelling power of a person’s. Their nose has two separate pathways—one to process different smells and one to provide basic respiratory function. They also have a special organ in their nose (the Jacobson’s organ) designed specifically to process pheromones from other animals.^{[4]
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Drug sniffer dogs are trained to identify specific scents. During training, dogs are introduced to a toy that’s made to smell like certain drugs. Using this toy, the dog is taught to search for the item and let their handler know that they’ve found it.^{[5]
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Research source} This training process typically involves illegal drugs rather than nicotine, but given a dog’s great sense of smell, they could definitely detect it.
- Dogs can be trained to sniff out all kinds of scents, including explosives and dead bodies.^{[6]
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  Trustworthy Source
  
  American Kennel Club
  The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
  
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Drug-detecting dogs are used by law enforcement in many different capacities, including road checkpoints.^{[7]
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Research source} While these dogs likely wouldn’t be sniffing for nicotine in a vehicle, it’s theoretically possible that they could sniff out nicotine in a car.

Section 3 of 3:

How can you hide nicotine from drug sniffer dogs?

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Your best option is to not have it on your person. A drug-detecting dog can’t sniff what isn’t there. As tough as it may be to go a school or work day without your nicotine product, it’s a much better alternative to getting in trouble with the powers that be.
- Some people suggest wrapping up the nicotine product in plastic wrap or wax paper and submerging it in a container filled with white vinegar (like a water bottle). However, this isn’t guaranteed to deter the dog, and can potentially damage your product if it’s not wrapped securely enough.