Transportation security officials at LaGuardia Airport say one of their most effective security tools has four legs and a sensitive nose. NY1's Matt McClure filed the following report.

A playful 5-year-old black labrador retriever named Buddy walked through the security line at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal D on Wednesday. But the cute, furry dog isn't someone's pet. He's a member of the Transportation Security Administration's canine explosive detection team.

"They can pick up trace amounts of explosives in the air and then track it back to its source," said Daniel Ronan, the federal security director at LaGuardia.

When a dog picks up on the scent of an explosive, like a decoy used for a demonstration Wednesday, it reacts by trying to chase after the source of the smell.

"They're incredibly effective and incredibly accurate in how they find those sources," Ronan said.

After Buddy and his teammates react to the scent of an explosive, it's play time.

"It's a game for them," said Transportation Security inspector and canine handler Michelle Ramos. "They detect and they get rewarded. And for them, that's what makes it fun."

Buddy's handler, Tommy Karathomas, says agents train the dogs using rewards, but always toys. They never train using food as a motivator.

"You definitely don't want a dog walking through a terminal, and all of a sudden, there goes a cheeseburger, and let's forget about what we're doing, let's go for the cheeseburger," Karathomas said.

This canine program has been in place since 2008, and TSA officials say while it may seem like a low-tech line of defense, the dogs' noses are highly sensitive to smell.

"When you and I smell pizza, we smell pizza. But when a dog smells pizza, he's smelling the pizza, the dough, the oregano, the garlic, the type of sauce. He may even tell you what company it came from. That's the type of sensitivity these dogs have," Karathomas said.

The dogs receive several months of training before being paired with a handler. Then, the new team goes through three more months of training together. After that, they start patrolling the security lines and other areas of the airport.

"Everybody loves the dogs, and when you see them work, you can't help but be excited for the program because of how accurate it is and how effective it is at keeping everybody safe," Ronan said.

TSA officials say they're expanding the canine program at LaGuardia and other airports, adding 60 to 70 dogs nationwide by this summer.