HIGHLY trained dogs are helping to save the lives of city soldiers in one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

For troops on the ground in Afghanistan, the dogs are an invaluable asset as they search out hidden explosives, provide protection and offer reassurance.

Similar to police dogs, the animals are trained to recognise certain scents as they learn to pick up and seek out traces of explosives.

Corporal Daniel Baron, of the Royal Army Veteran Corps, who is based in Cyprus, is training soldiers from 6th Battalion The Rifles, from Exeter's Wyvern Barracks, to work with the dogs at an extensive training camp on the Greek island to prepare them for their eventual deployment to Afghanistan.

The 27-year-old said: "The dogs are a very important asset to the troops in Afghanistan. They are fantastic.

"They are there to search for potential IEDs [Improvised Explosive Devices] and there is no doubt that these dogs help to save lives."

Nasher, a six-year-old black labrador, is one of a number of dogs trained for months before being deployed to Afghanistan to provide assistance to troops.

Corp Baron added: "The dogs receive training to a basic level for three months. They then go to operation units and progress from there.

"We use labradors or springer spaniels for the IED training, where the dogs are trained to recognise the scent of different samples of explosives. We also have dogs that provide protection and normally use German shepherds for this purpose.

"The training is constantly changing as new intelligence comes back from Afghanistan.

"The dogs have had many finds since they have been out there and they will go on to have many more."

The Army has only lost one dog during the conflict when it was shot by an insurgent.

"The insurgents will target anything that is deemed to be helping the troops," said Corp Baron.

The dogs not only save the lives of soldiers but provide companionship and entertainment when they are off duty.

"It's great for the soldiers to have fun with the dogs. They provide reassurance to the guys out there and add another level of confidence for the troops."