# Another reason not to own a GSD :)



## Guest (Jun 22, 2010)

Study: Dogs Can Detect Prostate Cancer

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100619/sc_livescience/studydogscandetectprostatecancer

"A study presented earlier this month at a meeting of the 
AmericanUrological Association by a team of French researchers found that a particular dog breed, Belgian Malinois shepherd dogs, can be trained to detect prostate cancer.
Doctors at Paris's Hospital Tenon trained the dogs to distinguish between the smell of urine from men with prostate cancer and those without it. At the end of the training and study the dogs correctly identified 63 out of 66 samples.
It sounds bizarre, but there might be something to it. Many animals have far keener senses than humans; cats can see in near darkness, elephants' sensitive feet can detect the footsteps of other elephants miles away, and so on. Dogs are of course known for their remarkable sense of smell, which is why they are used by law enforcement to sniff out drugs, explosives and escaped prisoners.
Canine sense of smell is said to be 100,000 times more acute than ours, and prostate cancer cells may release distinct odors. Lead researcher Jean-Nicolas Cornu concluded that the dogs "are certainly recognizing the odor of a molecule that is produced by cancer cells." While the new research is promising, the real value would be in identifying the specific molecules the dogs are detecting.
Some scientists are cautiously optimistic, noting that the study is a small one, and must be replicated by other researchers to prove there is a real effect. There is also the potential study design problem that the dogs might have been able to pick up subconscious cues from the researchers about which samples were cancerous and which were not. In research this influence is called the "Clever Hans effect," after a horse named Hans that, in early 1900s Germany, was claimed to be able to solve math problems, read and understand German, and other amazing abilities. Careful skeptical investigation revealed that Hans merely gave the illusion of being able to do these tasks; he was instead reacting to subtle (and unconscious) cues from his trainer.
If the study can be replicated, the dog-sniffing prostate cancer screening would be more accurate than the blood test currently used, which detects elevated levels of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) protein and has a high rate of false positives."


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

I'd say you need to be more concerned if a Malinois is sniffing your crotch :lol:


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## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

What does this have to do with NOT owning a GSD? :roll:

I'm pretty sure they could get any breed to sniff piss and detect smells.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Michelle Kehoe said:


> What does this have to do with NOT owning a GSD? :roll:
> 
> I'm pretty sure they could get any breed to sniff piss and detect smells.


Yeah it should be in the "Reasons to not own a Malinois"
I'm guessing the ring dogs that do the escort with their noses on the decoys butt are doing a prostate exam at the same time?


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Thomas Barriano said:


> Yeah it should be in the "Reasons to not own a Malinois"
> I'm guessing the ring dogs that do the escort with their noses on the decoys butt are doing a prostate exam at the same time?


When you see the dog slip on a latex glove on it's paw ... then be scared very scared! Pucker up!


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## Shane Woodlief (Sep 9, 2009)

*What is wrong with people.* 
Can you imagine one of those researchers talking about what they do for a living on a first date! Haha!
All the technology in this world and we have reverted to letting dogs sniff piss!


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## Steven Stroupes (Apr 3, 2009)

Michelle Kehoe said:


> What does this have to do with NOT owning a GSD? :roll:
> 
> I'm pretty sure they could get any breed to sniff piss and detect smells.


 
I think because the article said that only the Malinois could be taught to do this (according to the study).


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## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

Steven Stroupes said:


> I think because the article said that only the Malinois could be taught to do this (according to the study).


 I didn't catch that in the article, but if that is what they are saying...just goes to show how full of BS it is.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Steven Stroupes said:


> I think because the article said that only the Malinois could be taught to do this (according to the study).


Steven,

Only the French Malinois have a natural instinct to sniff crotches. The Belgian and Dutch lines don't.


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Thomas Barriano said:


> Steven,
> 
> Only the French Malinois have a natural instinct to sniff crotches. The Belgian and Dutch lines don't.


Soooo not true!!! :wink: My not so French Malinois...









OK, so maybe he's not "sniffing" per se....


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## Elizabeth Monty (Jun 24, 2010)

Oh my god, too funny. I love GSD, and Malinois the same. But that last post and photo was great, LOL


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## Diana Abel (Aug 31, 2009)

Candy Eggert said:


> I'd say you need to be more concerned if a Malinois is sniffing your crotch :lol:


<Snicker> GOOD one.


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