How can a Dog Identify COVID-19 affected person? Can You Train Your Dogs to Sniff-Out?

Dogs have smell receptors 1000 times more than humans. In 2018, there was a study conducted in Ruhr University, Germany, on whether dogs can sniff out cancer affected people by their highly evolved sense of smell or not? This research succeeded and dogs pick out blood samples of cancer affected people with 97 percent accuracy. Thus, expensive cancer screening methods and processes became much easier with those dog's sniffing power. 

Trained dogs can detect drugs, explosives, track and find lost people and so many. 

The Science Behind Sniffing Out

A dog has 300 million receptors at its nose as humans have only five million. Dogs can also sniff out human diseases, just as they can detect drugs and murderers. 

A study conducted in the UK with trained dogs which can recognize malaria. A group of school children asked to wear socks overnight and the next morning those socks were given to trained dogs. Those were sniffed out malaria-affected children's socks with 90 percent accuracy. 

Malaria is one of those 100 diseases that a dog can sniff out. It's just like the tip of the iceberg. If proper training is given to dogs, it can be even more effective for all types of diagnosis by just sniffing out. Because every disease has its own smell. If we train dogs to pick out the smell we want, it is possible to diagnose any disease. 

Trained Dogs for COVID-19

These types of dogs known as Medical Detection Dogs (MDD) According to the study by German Veterinary University, trained dogs can sniff out Coronavirus. It became successful for them after they trained dogs for a week. They can sniff out COVID-19 infected people with 94 percent accuracy. 

A researcher from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in collaboration with Charity Medical Detection Dogs and the UK's Durham University involved in the project and they say body odor changes when we get affected by any disease. 

The UK government has allotted around 5,00,000 Euros for this research and training purpose. 

How can the process be done? 

Professor Steve from Durham University, UK says that 'they collect odor samples from humans such as their used handkerchiefs or face masks. By these samples, dogs then distinguish between COVID-19 affected people and those who are not affected by the disease. 

No human contact will be allowed to these dogs since there are no medical records that COVID-19 spreads from dogs to humans or not. It will only sniff the air around people. Thus, only the professionals are allowed to handle the dogs. So it's safe for the people who live with it. 

Soon after the research finishes, COVID-19 detection dogs could be deployed at the airport. A single dog can sniff up to 250 people per hour. This will help to kick-start tourism across the countries.' 

Tissues infected with pathogens release unique Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in exhaled breath, urine, sweat that carry much information on the state of human health. A type of odor for which a dog is being trained, that can identify the odor from the virus affected people. 

How to train your dog for sniffing? 

As owners, we need to give the time to dogs for sniffing. Just five minutes of sniffing time are enough for dogs. It's equal to an hour of exercise for them. Because it tires the dog more than an hour of physical exercise because, in that process, not just their nose is working, a large part of their brain is involved in that activity too. For an active dog sniffing training is very essential. 

What can you do?

When you are going out for a walk with your dog, leave it for at least five minutes to sniff and you take rest till your dog moves from the place. Don't think it's a waste of time or do not pull your dog's chain for a walk. 

When someone comes to your house for the first time your dog will sniff their smell. The dog will not bark at them the next time that person comes to your house. It identifies people with their smell also. 

If a thief comes to your house while the dog is sleeping at night, it wakes up only for the different smell which the dog never smelled before. The smell wakes it up. 

If you want to keep your dog's sniffing task better, then you need to give them time for it. Take your dog to a different place for walking rather than going to the same place. So, it helps to sniff out different smells. 

Not only odors dogs also sense fear and anxiety via their noses. Thus, smelling sense means a lot to them to protect you as well as protect their own self.