It is quite difficult to train a dog to find only certain kinds of food and plant material.

A quarantine detector dog needs to sniff out fruit, and meat, and other food, as well as plants and even feathers! They must be able to sniff out animals or reptiles, and also eggs.

Out of every twelve dogs that try out for the job, only one passes the course, and succeeds in becoming a quarantine detector dog.

To choose a beagle to train, they take it to the airport to see if it is happy working in with all the people there. It must be between one and three years old, and fit and healthy.

To be a good detector dog, the beagle must be very keen on hunting, and love food, and love to play. They think that looking for these items is a good game, because they are given food as a reward for finding something!