There's just under a month to go till the Asian Games open in Guangzhou. More than 400 police dogs have joined security forces to safeguard the event.

F1 is a four-year veteran of the police force. One of his assignments was the military parade on National Day 2009. The five-year-old sniffer dog may be small, but he's agile.

F1 is one of 400 dogs taking up a new mission at the coming Asian Games.

The members of the canine squad have come from across the country to Guangzhou. Most of them aren't used to the heat. But training goes on.

Morning and dusk are the best times for training. Every day before six, trainers give them a workout. The dogs practice each move thousands of times so it becomes automatic.

In one test, the trainer puts an explosive in one of the suitcases and asks the dog to find it. The dog sits besides the suspicious one to alert its trainer.

Cui Ran, team leader of Guangzhou Precinct Criminal Police Team said, "These dogs can detect explosives from a meter away. They will patrol in train stations, ports and stadiums at the Asian Games."

When on the job, these police dogs will no doubt prove to be man's best friend.