Canine olfactory sensitivity to cocaine hydrochloride and methyl benzoate

Methyl benzoate is a consistent product of cocaine hydrochloride exposed to humid air. The detection responses of dogs trained to detect illicit cocaine hydrochloride may be controlled by vapor from cocaine, methyl benzoate, or other constituents of illicit cocaine. The present study addressed the following questions: 1) How capable are dogs of detecting methyl benzoate compared to cocaine hydrochloride, 2) When dogs are trained to detect methyl benzoate, do they respond to cocaine hydrochloride as being the same or different from methyl benzoate. These questions were investigated using random source dogs trained and tested under laboratory conditions. Odor stimuli were generated and delivered by a vapor generation systems, the outputs from which were characterized by thermal desorption GC/MS. ONe group of dogs was trained to discriminate pharmaceutical grade and illicit cocaine hydrochloride from clean air and tested using a two lever procedure to determine their sensitivity to these substances. A second group of dogs was trained to discriminate between methyl benzoate and clean air and tested for their sensitivity to the substance. The dogs in this second group were then tested using a three lever procedure to determine their sensitivity to these substances. A second group of dogs was trained to discriminate between methyl benzoate and clean air and tested for their sensitivity to the substance. The dogs in this second group were then tested using a three lever procedure to determine whether they responded to cocaine hydrochloride as the same or different from methyl benzoate.