Training for inspection

BEIJING - A 6-month-old dog is at the ideal age to begin training for quarantine detection, said veteran trainers, who select candidates by their physiques and dispositions.

"In addition to a robust figure, we prefer dogs with a strong desire to hold articles in their mouths and strong senses of possession," said Chen Qi, who has been a trainer of quarantine detective dogs for six years.

"Only male dogs are recruited, because a female dog will make all the males circle round her out of animal instinct," Chen said.