Mohali, Sept. 28 -- Before most of the tricity is awake, the day begins for the 100-odd dogs at the Punjab Home Guards Canine Training and Breeding Institute, tucked away amid fields, forest tracks and open ground in Dera Bassi, around 40 km from Chandigarh.

Sitz (sit), platz (lie down) and such (search) are among the German commands the dogs learn to follow, allowing handlers to direct them during field operations without others easily understanding their instructions.

From narcotics raids and explosives detection to election security, the dogs are trained to respond to these commands while identifying real substances rather than artificial substitutes. Some have also been deployed for election-related security duties, including the Lo...