Training The BioDetection Dog

A bio-detection dog is a dog trained to identify conditions and diseases in humans using its sense of smell. Dogs can be trained to identify cancer, or minute changes in body odor that reflect dangerous sugar levels in people with diabetes, Addison’s Disease, or the smell of an oncoming seizure. These alert dogs can warn their owners, bring vital medical supplies, and even call for assistance. Dogs possess a sense of smell many times more sensitive than even the most advanced man-made instrument. Just how powerful is a dog’s nose? Powerful enough to detect substances at concentrations of one part per trillion—a single drop of liquid in 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. With training, dogs can sniff out bombs and drugs, pursue suspects, and find dead bodies. And more and more, they’re being used to detect human disease—cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, and now, malaria—from smell alone.