CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton hosted 30 local, state and federal explosive detection canine teams in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for specialized training, June 6 to 8, 2017

The training gave participants the opportunity to take the ATF-administered National Odor Recognition Test, or NORT, a voluntary test used to evaluate a canine team’s ability to detect 10 fundamental explosive odors. NORT has been administered to over 2,000 canine teams since September 2005 and is recognized by Congress as the standard for canine explosives detection.

In addition to the testing and ability to network and discuss tricks of the trade, the training gave handlers the chance to ask questions of ATF canine and explosives subject matter experts.

“They’re coming here and they’re learning new explosives, something they’ve never had,” said Cody Monday, a former Marine Corps Canine Handler and ATF Lead Instructor. “We bring commercial explosives, military explosives and our chemists make homemade explosives.”

This is Camp Pendleton’s second time hosting NORT, which is carried out about 12 times a year at different locations across the country. Not only is the base a central location for other bases and agencies to access, it also has a realistic training environment for the teams to perfect their skills in.

“Since we’ve been participating with the Marine Corps over the last few years the dogs have just been getting better and better,” said Monday. “It’s amazing.”

ATF is a principal law enforcement agency within the U.S Department of Justice dedicated to reducing violent crime, preventing terrorism, and protecting the nation.