BANGALORE: One-and-half-year-old Malinois breed, Angaar, made a break through when he cleared a number of explosive detection tests with distinction last week. The result of which, brought immense joy and smiles to its Americans and Punjabi trainers at the academy in Derabassi, reports Rohan Dua/ India Times.

Angaar is the first alumnus of the International Tactical and Canine Training Centre (ITAC) he belongs to an Indian multibillionaire. The joint venture of ITAC is between the Punjab government and ESD, this was started by Chandigarh-based entrepreneur Newton Sidhu. And although more dogs are expected to arrive from the industrialist's lavish owners, trainers still consider the fine-tuning of their K-9 regimen largely falls on the conditioning of "food and praise rewards" for dogs.

A fairly good number of ITAC's trainers have come in from U.S.; they have worked with special effect teams of big blockbusters that include 'Taken' and 'The Bourne Identity' series, several of which also managed to work with S.W.A.T teams in the U.S. Adding weight to the skills and experience of these trainers, are now attracting government agencies and a number of corporate that are keen on using ITAC for their canine security. The dogs receive training in locating explosives, narcotics through sniffing as well as general policing. Michael Fauteux, deputy director, tactical operations at ITAC said "We want to make world a better place. We don't need dogs that just know how to salute, sit and stand or sniff. "

As Angaar returns home, his friends Angel, Bob, Sheru, and Carrie from the Punjab police will now be exposed to a handful of odors, from heroin, cocaine, live explosives  and currency notes.

Sidhu said "I use live explosives like BSF and Indo-Tibetan Border Police training. No one else trains them like this." The act of detecting various odors through smelling is called imprinting. Robert Sessler, a partner in the firm said “Which means Angaar completed imprint on essences from six chemical explosive families as deadly as Nitroaromatics (TNT), acid salts (Ammonium Nitrate), nitramines (RDX) and peroxides (TAT),"

Over the last eight months, they are being moved from their home in Chandigarh and the centre in a so called "Americanized pick-up truck". The dog handlers are certified by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as well as personnel trained in counter-terror operations and counter-insurgency.

Initially the centre that shares its facility with Punjab home guards had been built with an investment of Rs 10 crore. Moreover the period for training a dog last for  five weeks while the handler is between 6-10 weeks.

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