We are British family living in Normandy, France. Through Peanut Pets, we seek to help make allergen detection dogs more accessible and available to those who need them.
How did we begin?
Dan previously trained dogs for scent work in conservation and fishery protection as a warranted officer in Scotland. Recently, he developed a food allergy following surgery, which led us down the path of training allergen detection dogs.
We began by training multiple peanut detection dogs from our home. Milan became our first dog to be externally assessed and pass his gold assistance dog award. Amongst the thousands of dogs trained through Adolescent Dogs Ltd, they were impressed with our work training peanut support dogs and we were honoured when they featured Milan on their social media channels.
We soon found that there was enormous interest in our training process. In 2025 we launched our online course to guide and support people in training their pet dog in peanut (or other allergen) detection.
FAQs
What does an allergen detection dog do?
Dogs learn to harness their powerful sense of smell to detect the scent of peanuts, trace peanuts or other allergens, in products, meals and on surfaces (such as chopping boards or picnic benches). We then teach them to communicate what they smell clearly, to assist in managing allergies.
For an insight into how a peanut detection dog might be helpful for you or your family, check out the amazing videos of Harley Detective F.A.D.D on Youtube or TikTok. (Disclaimer: We are inspired by Harley and the videos his owners share, but we did not train Harley).
For general information on dogs' incredible sense of smell check out this TED-ED talk.
Remember: You must always carefully read labels and continue your usual precautions. Allergen detection dogs are only another form of support and insight.
How accurate are allergen detection dogs?
In our course, you take on the roles of both instructor and examiner for your dog. As you develop trust and connection, you'll be able to determine when your dog is ready to move forward through each phase of the course. This will give you the confidence to know when they're ready to offer real-world allergen detection support. Your dog's accuracy will depend upon the time and dedication you are able to put into the training.
All that being said, it is important to remember that dogs are not machines and they can sometimes make mistakes. Different factors, such as illness, tiredness and distractions, might impact on their scent detection at a given moment. You can work towards reducing this through building your dog's endurance and training your dog in different locations, with distractions. It is important to remember that dogs offer another form of information / another line of safety, but you must always carefully read labels and continue your usual precautions.
What is our approach to training?
We take a balanced, respectful approach to training dogs. The dogs we train ourselves are raised in our house and our philosophy is to train well-behaved companions with the additional super power of peanut detection. These are dogs you can play fetch with and who can also check each item you buy from the supermarket, or a prepared meal, for trace peanuts or peanut cross-contamination.
Our whole family of five has been involved, each adding to the training in their own ways (from specialist peanut detection challenges, ball fetches and cuddles, to noise, dress-ups, dancing and wild play...). This helps to raise dogs who are confident and comfortable to work in the real world.
When training your own pet through our Allergen Detection course, you will do your own obedience and general training. The course focuses specifically on allergen detection skills. However, working through the course activities with your dog will give your dog an added sense of purpose and build your bond with your dog, which might help with general training and obedience.
What certification will dogs receive?
Our Allergen Detection course focuses closely on allergen detection skills, as these are so important and valuable. Beyond assistance dog training, there is no specific, recognised international certification for these skills that we are aware of. More important is your confidence in your dog's abilities. Therefore, in our course, rather than providing a completion certificate, you take on the roles of both instructor and examiner for your dog. As you develop trust and connection, you will develop the confidence to know when they're ready to offer real-world allergen detection support.
In the role of a pet, your dog can:
-
check items brought home from a supermarket;
-
check takeaway meals;
-
accompany their owner to picnic areas;
-
to outdoor public events;
-
to pet-friendly / outdoor restaurants and cafes; and,
-
the houses of pet-friendly friends and relatives.
In this way, allergen detection pets, can potentially offer added freedom, peace of mind, inclusion, and safety for individuals living with allergies. And, the training process is considerably faster and more focused.
It is important to be clear that our Allergen Detection course alone will not certify your dog to become a fully qualified assistance dog. If that is your goal, you will need to combine this course with general assistance dog training. Our course will give your dog their mitigation skill - their reason for being an assistance dog - which are needed to progress through the assistance dog certification levels.
Can an allergen detection dog support my child?
Depending on where you live there may be a legal age to be an assistance dog handler (often around age 14). However, pet dogs have more flexibility. As a parent, you decide, when your dog is suitably trained and your child is appropriately responsible to handle your dog outside of the home.
For our Allergen Detection course, we recommend that an adult undertakes the training of the dog (perhaps alongside a teenager). Remember that training a dog will require handling peanuts, so this should be done by the person without the allergy.
I have other allergies too, can a dog support me?
Yes, through our Allergen Detection course you can train your dog specifically for your needs (such as to detect peanut and sesame). Let us know when you sign up and we will guide you in adapting the course activities for different or multiple allergens.