Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Odor Recognition Testing

Image
A K-9 and their handler participate in National Odor Recognition Testing

The National Odor Recognition Test (NORT) is a nationally recognized standardized method to evaluate a canine team’s ability to detect selected explosives.

The ATF National Canine Division mobile training team travels to jurisdictions throughout the United States to administer NORT. This team is comprised of personnel from the National Canine Division and National Laboratory Centers, including canine trainers, explosives specialists, forensic chemists, and instructors certified by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's Law Enforcement Instructor Training Program.

Canine teams who participate in the NORT training have a variety of backgrounds, including unique training methodologies, reward systems, canine breeds, canine drives and temperaments, experience level, time-in-service, and proficiency. ATF trainers possess extensive experience providing training recommendations to enable canine teams to successfully complete NORT.

Image
A K-9 participates in National Odor Recognition Testing

This program serves as an opportunity for local, state, federal and military canine teams to learn new techniques from the nation’s best teams and experts in the field. NORT is available to federal government, law enforcement, fire service, intelligence agency, and military personnel. There is no cost for participating handlers or their agencies.

The National Canine Division offers approximately 12 NORT course sessions nationwide to approximately 500 teams annually.

Contact Us

For more information, email NORT@atf.gov.

Last Updated: April 7, 2026
Last Reviewed: April 7, 2026

ATF.gov

An official website of the U.S. Department of Justice

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov