Which of the following is NOT an NPCA event?

• A. Obedience
• B. Building search
• C. Area search
• D. Scent discrimination

Answer: (D)

This item tests which activities are included in NPCA competitions by focusing on the kinds of tasks those events emphasize—about real police work, not just nose work in isolation. Obedience shows the dog’s control and reliability under distraction, a fundamental requirement in all police work. Building search challenges the team to work through a structure and locate a target using scent cues, testing navigation, search strategy, and communication between handler and dog in confined spaces. Area search takes that nose-work outdoors, requiring thorough coverage of open terrain and systematic searching to find a target over a larger area. Scent discrimination, while a valuable detection skill, is not part of NPCA event offerings; it belongs to other types of detection-focused competitions where the dog must select a specific odor from several options. So, the option that doesn’t fit NPCA events is scent discrimination.