Inside a dog training center located in a shipping container in the Czech Republic, three dogs, Renda, Cap and Laky are being trained to sniff out COVID-19.

The dogs sniff at six vessels, each containing a piece of cloth with scent from patients with COVID-19, people who do not have COVID-19, and fake samples.

According to the dog trainers, who are working in their own time, there is a 95 percent success rate in COVID-19 detection.

Project head Gustav Hotovy told AFP, "The study is designed to verify dogs' ability to detect COVID-19 and generate a method enabling the use of trained dogs in combatting the pandemic."

He pointed out that this should work with other diseases as well.

Dog trainer Lenka Vlachova told AFP that the first ever study to confirm that dogs are able to detect tissue attacked by a virus was conducted in the US approximately 10 years ago.

Hotovy said the signature scent of the person changes "so much that it is immediately discernible for the dogs."

Samples are obtained by rubbing a piece of cotton against a person's skin, which are tested to ensure they are coronavirus-free, so as to protect the dogs. 

Vlachova said the team would like to work with other teams in Finland, France or Germany who are currently working on similar projects.