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First-ever AKC K9 Detection Dog Challenge airing on ESPN2 tonight

By Wesley Coburn

EXETER, ENGLAND - MAY 18: Police dog Tag during the Devon and Cornwall Police skills demonstration day on May 18, 2021 in Exeter, England. The Devon and Cornwall police are preparing their teams for a wide variety of potential incidents from demonstrator control to the possibility of sea-based events as the G7 Summit takes place on the Cornish coast in mid June. It will be the largest policing event to have ever taken place in Cornwall and officers and specialist teams will be drafted in from various UK police regions. (Photo by Hugh Hastings/Getty Images)
EXETER, ENGLAND - MAY 18: Police dog Tag during the Devon and Cornwall Police skills demonstration day on May 18, 2021 in Exeter, England. The Devon and Cornwall police are preparing their teams for a wide variety of potential incidents from demonstrator control to the possibility of sea-based events as the G7 Summit takes place on the Cornish coast in mid June. It will be the largest policing event to have ever taken place in Cornwall and officers and specialist teams will be drafted in from various UK police regions. (Photo by Hugh Hastings/Getty Images) /
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The first-ever AKC/USPCA K9 Detection Dog Challenge presented by Trupanion will air on ESPN2 tonight, Sunday, November 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

This event is a joint venture between the American Kennel Club and the US Police Canine Association, and can also be streamed on the ESPN app or their website, if you have an ESPN Plus subscription.

It brings together 10 teams each of the nation’s best narcotics dogs teams and explosives detection dogs teams, who will compete against each other to find their respective substances the fastest.

Some of the breeds competing include the Belgian Malinois, German Shorthaired Pointers and Weimaraners, in addition to traditional police dogs like the German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds and Bloodhounds.

There will also be obstacles and other distractions places in the teams’ paths to make things more challenging.

The first-ever K9 Detection Dog Challenge will air on ESPN2 on Sunday night.

The K9 Detection Dog Challenge will be judged using three criteria: The accuracy of their search, perfection of their alert (letting the human handler know where the hidden item is), and the find itself (the combination of the dog and handler’s abilities to tell the judges where the hidden item is).

The USPCA was founded in the early 1970s, and they offer certifications for police dogs and their handlers, becoming an official AKC partner in late May 2021.

USPCA membership is open to all full-time police officers involved in canine handling, training or administration, whether that be at the municipal, county, state or federal levels.

As most people know, a dog’s sense of smell is far greater than that of humans, to the point where they can sniff out things like lung cancer or COVID, or in this case, finding bombs or other contraband in airports or stadiums or other public places.

The K9 Detection Dog Challenge should provide a good demonstration of these dogs’ elite training and skillsets.

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Check your local listings to find which channel ESPN2 is on in your area.

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