Ms Gladkova is a dog training expert with over 12 years of professional experience, and specialises in training sniffer dogs to detect drugs of all classes.

Nataliia notes that to be a dog training instructor it is important to have an extensive store of knowledge and to be able to apply it correctly in practice when training dogs, as each animal needs its own approach. The dogs trained by her work for the Kyrgyz customs authorities and have achieved excellent drug detection results throughout the country, as well as multiple successes in interagency and international competitions. In 2022, Ms Gladkova was nominated from the Specialized-Training Customs of the State Customs Service under the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic to attend a three-month course organised by the BOMCA 10 programme for dog experts on training drug detection dogs.

In Natalia’s opinion, it is her extensive theoretical knowledge of dog training and many years of practice that have helped her to achieve success in her profession.

As Ms Gladkova points out, despite the rapid progress in technology, working dogs and their use in the work of border, customs and law enforcement agencies have not lost their relevance in the twenty-first century. The use of specially trained service dogs combined with advanced technology makes it possible to effectively enhance the possibilities of both, allowing the relevant agencies to identify and investigate cross-border crimes linked to the illegal importation of explosives, ammunition, weapons and drugs more effectively.