Celiac service dog + agility + best friend = what breed?

Hi all,
I have celiac's disease and have decided to get a dog to train that can detect gluten. I currently have a wonderful 5 year old Kooikerjondje named Meadow.

I'm looking for a dog that is extremely intelligent and biddable and could do agility with me. I am very active, I can take my dog(s) to work, and I get there by biking or roller blading most days. I run about 30 miles a week and like to backpack, hike, and kayak.

I was leaning towards a GSD but I would really prefer a lighter smaller dog. Do you think a toller or a border collie could fit what I am looking for? Maybe a brittany, aussie, koolie, welsh springer?

Looking forward to getting another perspective
Rose

Um, that is the coolest idea ever. I have celiac and a service dog (not for the celiac though) and it never occurred to me to train my dog to detect gluten.

Big fan of a good rough or smooth collie as a service dog prospect. They are incredibly biddable, yet emotionally independent enough to handle situations appropriately if you are somehow incapacitated. For gluten detection, they do have incredible noses and it's pretty easy to teach them scent discrimination.

It sounds like most males might be a little too big for what you want, but a nice smaller female could be perfect. I've seen a lot of females in the border collie/springer/toller size range.

This is really interesting, I had never heard of this as a task before.
It looks like the first dog who was trained to alert was simply taught to do it, so it seems to be a task you can teach just about any dog? Maybe you can even teach Meadow.

Have you tried getting in touch with this lady? She might have some excellent advice for you.
https://www.facebook.com/WillowKai

I have met a few celiac SDs!

A lot of border collies tend to be too sensitive for service work, but the other breeds you mentioned sound like good prospects!

It could just be that I've not met great collies, but I never recommend them for service work. All of the ones I've known have just not had the right temperament or been drivey enough for most tasks.

Most of the collies I know are Moxie collies, and they are really driven and wonderfully stable plus have more than a few in working homes so that might be part of why I keep suggesting them. They are really solid and nice. Mel just placed a gorgeous smooth tri female in a companion home because she was on the small side and came from a line that is notorious for producing smaller dogs, and she would been a really good prospect for someone if the need had come along at the right time. Heck, I would have taken her and trained her for myself if I didn't already have one.

Whichever breed you go with, screen heavily for temperament and working ability. I honestly haven't met many springers or brittanys without orthopedic issues and temperament problems, but I'm sure there are good ones out there.