The German shepherd puppy has been specifically bred as a medical detection dog - he will eventually be putting his nose to work smelling out diseases such as cancer and Parkinson's disease, or as a medical alert assistance dog.
For now, though, trainer Pauline Blomfield is trying to harness her enormous charge's boundless energy and have him focused enough to begin training.
"At 9 months old he is just learning about life, and right now what I am doing is making sure he is calm and confident in any environment, because we don't know what he will be when he grows up.''
Several overseas studies have found a dog's sense of smell is so acute that it can detect the "signature smell'' associated with cancer and other conditions, with a more than 90% success rate.
Mrs Blomfield's K9 Medical Detection NZ Charitable Trust, the University of Otago and a full medical advisory team are now working together to use dogs as a diagnostic tool to sniff out prostate cancer.
Levi has been specifically bred for the task - semen from his father, a Danish police dog, was sent to a New Zealand breeder to sire a puppy with a work ethic and a keen nose.
"It's a proven working line,'' Mrs Blomfield said.
"All dogs have an amazing sense of smell . . . but we need a dog which can work all day and which wakes up in the morning wanting to go to work.''
One dog, Frieda, has already been trained at a facility in the North Island and has been put to work.
Assuming her results match the performance rates found in overseas research - and assuming Levi proves a diligent pupil - Mrs Blomfield hoped a similar facility could be opened in the South.
"We know he is halfway there because of his breeding, and because his drive is fairly strong and fairly intense.
"We will train his commitment to the job and his work ethic of continually wanting to work.''
Levi would start out familiarising himself with scent patches which were 100% of the smell of cancer, and would be rewarded if he detected them.
Eventually, the ratio would be lowered to about 5%, and with success at that level Levi would be confirmed along his medical career path.
Two more puppies are ready to be enlisted in the programme, and if more funding was secured, Mrs Blomfield hoped more dogs could be trained.
If the proof of concept trial is successful, the university will begin a new trial testing for ovarian cancer and Legionnaires' disease.
