Unfortunately, the Supreme Court in Illinois v. Cabelles, ruled that this is not a search.blackmind wrote:
When the dog alerts, a warrant could well be issued, yes, but it's a warrant to search that is predicated on a "search" that was already conducted -- albeit a passive one.
A dog may be used in any "public" space. It is not a search. If the dog alerts, then the police have probable cause. In the case of these apartments, they will get a warrant to breach privacy. In the case of your car, they may conduct a search based upon probable cause without a warrant.
This is what happens when you look at the constitution through the lens of the law, instead of looking at the law through the lens of the constitution.