Security dogs for Super Bowl 2011

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives demonstrated Thursday the effectiveness of explosives-detection canines that will be used during Super Bowl XLV.

The dogs will help provide security at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and venues throughout North Texas during the Feb. 6 event.

"We're going to have the most dogs we've ever had for a Super Bowl because of the size of the stadium," said Tom Crowley, an ATF spokesman.

The dogs – all Labrador retrievers – have been trained to detect 1,900 types of explosives, including homemade and commercial devices, Crowley said.

In addition to the ATF's 35 explosives-detection canine teams, the agency has trained 123 more dogs to work in federal, state and local agencies throughout the country, including a number of area police and fire departments.

Thursday's demonstration, at an empty office complex in Lewisville, culminated a three-day workshop for state and local agencies.