German dogs can sniff out 'corona odour' coming from cells in infected people SECTIONS Last Updated: Feb 04, 2021, 02:00 PM IST Share iStock Dogs can really sniff out people with infections and without infections, as well as asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID patients. Related HANOVER, GERMANY: A German veterinary clinic has trained sniffer dogs to detect the novel coronavirus in human saliva samples with 94% accuracy. The dogs are conditioned to scent out the 'corona odour' that comes from cells in infected people, said Esther Schalke, a vet at Germany's armed forces school for service dogs. Filou, a 3-year-old Belgian Shepherd, and Joe Cocker, a 1-year-old Cocker Spaniel, are two of the dogs being trained at Hanover's University of Veterinary Medicine.