Dexter dog
Finland’s first diagnostic dog
Once Pinja had decided to establish a company and train a cancer detection dog, the next step involved choosing a dog suitable for the task. Pinja initially planned to train a member of a traditional breed, such as a Labrador retriever or Alsatian, as a cancer detection dog. However, she opted for a beagle on the basis of her own prior experiences and tips received from a service dog trainer. This breed is ideal for working with patients, due to its small size and gentle appearance, which make it less frightening.
After several enquiries and introductions to litters, Pinja chose a gorgeous ’prince charming’, Ravasgangs Jubilee Diamond, from the newest litter in the Ravasgangs kennel. He was rechristened Dexter after the TV series of the same name, which happened to be on TV as the puppy was familiarising himself with his new home.
Dexter in training
Dexter was taught obedience right away, during the first weeks. Once he had mastered this, work began on passive alerting. Dexter, who has always been a fast learner, got the hang of passive alerting in just one day! He got to sniff out his first positive cancer sample when just a couple of months old. He practised with a positive sample for a while, until sniffing out samples and passive alerting had become second nature, and additional challenges had become the obvious next step. Dexter was able to identify positive samples from a group of negative ones before he was even one year old.
He now practises five days a week and does several short exercises throughout the day. This ensures that the dog does not tire and remains enthusiastic about his work.
In his free time, Dexter runs in the forest with his canine pals and visits a dog park.
Dexter and Pinja in the spotlight
Media interest in Dexter grew quickly. After all, he was Finland’s first dog to be entrusted with sniffing out cancer.
Find out more here:
- Lappeenrannan Uutiset 25.4.2015: Lappeenrantalainen Dexter on Suomen ensimmäinen syöpäkoira
- Ilta-Sanomat 18.4.2015: Supersuloinen Dexter voi pian korvata mammografian – syöpäkoira nuuhkii näytteitä
- Iltalehti 15.12.2014: Dexter on Suomen ensimmäinen syöpäkoira
- Studio55.fi 18.12.2014: Dexteristä koulutetaan Suomen ensimmäistä syöpäkoiraa
