Terriers 1. The “Scottie” dog is recognizable to almost everyone. Traditionally used as a hunting dog, this four-legged friend is now putting its nose to work for search and rescue, police work, and therapy work. They are also fast, strong, and brave. These charmers need to be kept busy, or they will chew up everything. Second in popularity only to the Lab in America's rankings, the German Shepherd (or “GSD”) is a great all-around dog that proves itself by sniffing out bombs and drugs, and playing the family dog. It's one of the most popular police dogs today. Dogs have long been used to search for Drugs, Bombs, Firearms, Cash, Missing People and Contraband, but its not just operational dogs that can do scent detection. Cons – While the excellent sense of smell is great for hunting vermin, it is also great for digging. However, do you know why this breed is the best and which breeds are similarly gifted in this department? You’ll most often find coonhounds working as criminal tracking dogs and search-and-rescue dogs. Their floppy ears and characteristically droopy eyes are no coincidence—their ears pull smells from the ground to their noses, and their droopy skin helps trap scents. What dog has the best sense of smell? The Scottie is an avid vermin hunter, using its strong sense of smell to dig and find its prey. They are family dogs that love being in a pack of others dogs, too. They are also strong, agile and loving. They love to eat and will pack on the pounds if they are allowed to eat how much they want to. According to a recent survey, approximately 35% of Canadians have a dog in their home. The Sport of Scent Detection. Like all “Coonhounds”, this breed was designed to be a nocturnal hunter because of its skills and being one of the dogs with best sense of smell. ... All breeds, ages, sizes and ability of dogs are welcome. They also compared dogs with best sense of smell, breed by breed. Pros – A great nose is not all that makes these pooches prized for hunting. Pros – Eager to please and devoted, this breed is easier to train than some other hound dogs. Some breeds you might want to consider are the Bloodhound, the Basset Hound, the German Shepherd, the Labrador Retriever, the Belgian Malinois, the English Springer Spaniel, and the Coonhound. The basset hound was purposefully bred to be a skilled sniffer. He has 225 million scent receptors in his nose, which helps him detect narcotics, and bombs, and makes him excel in law enforcement activities. The conclusion of the study was that it's possible to measure the dog's olfactory capacity and determine which breeds have the best sense of smell. Canines have approximately 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, whereas humans only have about 6 million. If you don’t provide the fun, they make their own by digging holes and tearing stuff up. Cons – While Labs are popular, they are still not for everyone. Bloodhounds are popular choices for search-and-rescue dogs. These traits combined with a great nose make American Staffordshire Terrier an ideal choice for “search and rescue” operations, which is why this breed is becoming more popular among working dogs. Pros – Healthy and intelligent, these pups are great as companion dogs and working dogs. This combined with their high sense of smell, agility, and obedience make them another favorite as a tracker in search and rescue, and a locator of bombs and drugs. Posted January 18, 2017 by Dog Trainer College. Historically, Togo and Balto were the two famous sled dogs assisting human teams in extremely adverse weather conditions. Much like basset hounds, they can track ground scents, but they can also follow scents in the air. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. They make a good watchdog as well. 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