Breed dogs for cancer and bio-detection research dogs? Advertise here
Buyers and trainers use this page to find breeders whose lines do this work. List your kennel free, tick the industries your dogs work in, and advertise litters and stud dogs from proven working lines.
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About cancer and bio-detection research dogs
Bio-detection dogs are trained to recognise the odour of disease in samples such as urine, breath or skin swabs. In the UK this is research with NHS and university partners, aimed at informing faster, non-invasive tests. It is not a public diagnostic service, and the dogs are trained by a charity, not bought ready-trained from breeders.
What this work involves
Cancer detection dogs in the UK work in a laboratory-style room, not with patients. Anonymised samples are presented to the dog, with positive samples mixed among controls, including samples from patients with other diseases, and the dog gives a trained indication, such as a sit or a stand and stare, at the positive one. During testing nobody in the room knows which samples are positive, and “blank runs” with no target odour help reduce false positives.
Medical Detection Dogs says its dogs have been trained to detect diseases including cancers, malaria and Parkinson’s, that 18 dogs currently work in its Cancer and Bio Detection team, and that 11 different breeds have done the job. Examples of its work include:
- Parkinson’s. In July 2025 the University of Bristol, the University of Manchester and Medical Detection Dogs reported in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease that two dogs, a Golden Retriever and a black Labrador, detected Parkinson’s from skin swabs with sensitivity of up to 80 per cent and specificity of up to 98 per cent.
- Prostate cancer. The charity reports, citing a paper in PLOS One, that its dogs detected aggressive prostate cancer with 71 per cent sensitivity and 74 per cent specificity. A dog-inspired electronic nose is being trialled on more than 500 urine samples the dogs had already screened, supplied by Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
- Bowel cancer. A study with Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust began in 2024, using urine samples and sensor-fitted stands developed with the Open University to record the dogs’ responses.
Together these studies suggest that trained dogs can pick out disease odour with measurable accuracy under controlled research conditions.
Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK
Medical Detection Dogs (registered charity 1124533, and SC044434 in Scotland) runs its bio-detection research programme from Great Horwood near Milton Keynes. It sources dogs in several ways: puppies from reputable breeders, chosen after research into lines, health checks and personality tests; a small breeding scheme; occasional puppy exchanges with other assistance dog organisations; and dogs from rescue centres, naming Battersea and Woodgreen. It trains its dogs within its own programme.
The University of Bristol is a long-standing research partner. It evaluated the charity’s diabetes alert dogs in a 2019 study and was a partner, with the University of Manchester, in the 2025 Parkinson’s study.
NHS collaborators supply the samples, which the charity says are collected under strict ethical guidelines and anonymised.
The supply model: the charity selects puppies or young dogs and trains them in-house; breeders supply puppies, never trained detection dogs.
Breeds and lines
The charity says it works mainly with gundogs for cancer and bio-detection: Labradors, Labrador x Golden Retriever crosses, Cocker Spaniels, Cocker x Springer Spaniel crosses, Flat-coated Retrievers and German Shorthaired Pointers. In Royal Kennel Club terms that means the Retriever (Labrador), the Spaniel (Cocker), the Retriever (Flat Coated) and the German Shorthaired Pointer, plus crosses with the Retriever (Golden) and the Spaniel (English Springer). It also says short-nosed breeds are generally unsuitable for odour work.
The charity says these dogs need high work drive, confidence in their own decisions and the ability to search under pressure without cues, because nobody in the room knows which samples are positive. Lines with strong search drive and a love of hunting are the ones to discuss with the charity.
What to ask a breeder
- Have dogs from your lines gone into scent or detection work, and with which organisation?
- How do the parents search: independently and persistently, or do they look to their owner for help?
- What health tests have the parents had? For English Springer Spaniels, the Royal Kennel Club recommends the BVA/RKC hip and elbow schemes, the eye scheme and DNA tests.
- Are the puppies introduced to scent games, new surfaces and unfamiliar rooms before they leave?
- Would you allow a charity assessor to see the litter?
Legal and welfare notes
A bio-detection dog’s indication is not a diagnosis: the dogs work within research projects, not as a diagnostic test. Medical Detection Dogs says it does not offer a detection or diagnostic service to individuals or families. The samples it uses come from NHS collaborators, collected under strict ethical guidelines and anonymised. On welfare, the charity has a no-kennel policy: its bio-detection dogs live in the family homes of volunteer fosterers and travel to the centre to work.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send my own sample to be tested by a dog?
No. There is no public testing service. Supporters occasionally contribute samples for specific studies, but the charity gives no feedback on individual results.
Will cancer detection dogs be used in hospitals?
The charity’s stated aim is to use what the dogs detect to inform scalable technology, such as an electronic nose, not to station dogs in hospitals.
What happens to bio-detection dogs when they retire?
Medical Detection Dogs says retired bio-detection dogs are usually rehomed with the volunteers who have cared for them. Younger dogs that do not pass training may also stay with their volunteers or, for a few dogs a year, go to carefully matched external homes.
If your Labradors, spaniels or Labrador crosses have a strong, independent nose, or your puppies have gone on to scent work, list your kennel on Canine Breeder so research programmes and scent-work owners can find you.