If you are a dog owner, you have probably heard numerous heroic news stories where a dog has dialed 911, awoken their owner during a dangerous situation or even detected an illness with their keen sense of smell. This type of dog training may require enrollment in a special center specifically used for the purpose of training animals to respond to certain medical or emergency situations. Although the cost of professional medical or rescue training is often very expensive, the results can be priceless. The Pine Street Foundation recently conducted a study that revealed how a canine's nose may be able to detect cancer. The research involved five professionally trained scent dogs, whose noses were used as "medical devices" during the experiment. The results were astounding with an average accuracy of 90% when it came to distinguishing between the breath samples of cancer patients and those who were healthy.
Of 169 total subjects, 55 had been diagnosed with lung cancer, 31 with breast cancer and 83 were used as healthy controls. Labrador retrievers, one of the most popular dog breeds in America, made up the majority of the scent dogs used in the study by the Pine Street Foundation. At the conclusion, the organization had performed over 12,000 trials in a four-month investigation. The dogs were believed to be able to detect both early and late stages of the cancers and, according to the Pine Street Foundation, even ordinary dogs can be trained to detect cancer with only a breath sample. In addition to medical use, professional dog training may used for rescue and/or emergency response actions. Some dogs may be trained to help those with eyesight problems and may even be able to help with everyday tasks, such as getting the morning paper, dialing emergency numbers and acting as a guide when outdoors.
For others who have disabilities involving movement, professional dog training may be used to teach dogs how to act as a brace for someone who needs help getting dressed or other necessary activities that often require a little extra help. Because of their high level of intelligence, labrador retrievers are often used as rescue dogs. In order to effectively learn the necessary techniques, however, dog training with a specialization in rescue may be required. All dogs love their owners and would often do anything possible to save them from a dangerous situation.
As their protective instincts take over, dogs may become a very passionate defender or often a rescuer for those that they love. In addition to benefitting your dog, the proper dog training may just save your life one day and there is no better reward for either you or your pet. There are many great resources for dog training available on the internet. One of the best ways to find these resources is by reading independent reviews and comparison rankings.
In this way you can be confident your pet is getting best training possible.
Brian Dolezal is a contributing editor for TopConsumerReviews.com, a leading provider of independent reviews and rankings for hundreds of consumer products. You can find out how top dog training programs compare by visiting TopConsumerReviews.com today.
