What Dog Has the Best Sense of Smell and Why

The Bloodhound is often considered to have the best sense of smell among all dog breeds. This is due to its unique nasal structure, which has a greater surface area and more olfactory receptors than other breeds.

With over 300 million olfactory receptors, the Bloodhound's sense of smell is truly remarkable. To put that into perspective, humans have only about 6 million olfactory receptors.

The Bloodhound's incredible sense of smell is also thanks to its long, droopy ears, which help to funnel scents directly into its nasal cavity. This allows it to detect even the faintest whiffs of a scent.

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The Beagle is among the best when it comes to sense of smell, thanks to its 220 million scent receptors.

Their compact size, weighing 18-30 pounds, makes them perfect candidates for hunting small prey.

The Beagle's ability to sniff out contraband at airports is a remarkable example of their keen sense of smell, with their friendly demeanor making them a great choice for security work.

Their scent receptor count is impressive, especially when compared to humans, who have a mere 5 million scent receptors.

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The English Pointer is a breed that's been around since the 16th century, developed in England to help with game fowl hunting. It's a gun dog with a remarkable sense of smell.

With its deep and long muzzle, complete with wide-open nostrils, the Pointer can sniff out the scent of upland game from a distance with relative ease. This is thanks to its ancestors, including Greyhounds, Bloodhounds, Bull Terriers, and Foxhounds.

The English Pointer's hunting instincts and scenting abilities are unmatched, making it one of the best "noses" among the pointers. It can even retrieve downed game, but its owner will need to train it to do so.

This breed is known for its characteristic "pointing" stance, where it freezes in its position, indicating the location of the game. Its intelligence and trainability make it a valuable asset in various settings.

The English Springer Spaniel is a popular sporting dog that comes in two types: field-bred and show-bred.

Field-bred English Springers have a remarkable nose, with liver-colored or black broad nostrils that allow them to detect a wide range of odors.

They're highly prized by hunters for their exceptional scenting abilities, which can detect explosives, narcotics, fake currency, bee hives, and human remains.

English Springer Spaniels are also incredibly intelligent, making them one of the most intelligent gun dogs on the planet.

Their trainability and soft mouth make them perfect for retrieving downed game and delivering it to the hunter.

Field-bred ESS dogs are preferred for their hunting ability, trainability, and astonishing scenting abilities, which help hunters track their quarry.

English Springer Spaniels have a unique way of scenting, moving in a zigzag pattern to keep the hunter behind them and within range of a shot.

The Labrador Retriever is the most popular breed in the United States. They're known for their fine nose, which makes them excel in scent-related jobs.

Labs are frequently used in vital roles such as bomb detection in the military and search-and-rescue missions. Their high intelligence and great sense of smell make them fantastic service dogs.

Their incredible sense of smell ranks them number 5 on our list. If they can sniff out bombs, your secret treat stash probably isn't so safe after all!

The German Shepherd is a well-known herding breed with 225 million scent receptors in their nose, allowing them to air scent and pick up human scent carried by the wind.

They're highly versatile and often employed by police, military, and search and rescue groups due to their exceptional scenting abilities.

The German Shepherd is not a scenthound, but it has an astonishing number of olfactory receptors that enables it to pick up scents in the air, making it a favorite among hunters, search and rescue organizations, and police and military units.

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Their intelligence is also a major factor in their popularity, ranking them as the world's third most intelligent breed.

With their intelligence, scenting abilities, trainability, obedience, and dedication, German Shepherds make perfect all-around working dogs.

They're also known to love playing sniffing-related games and will thrive on having a job to do, whether it's searching for drugs or serving as guidance/therapy dogs.

Their incredible sense of smell has earned them many highly valued jobs, including searching for survivors in disaster scenarios, like the 9/11 attacks.

German Shepherds are highly valued for their bravery and loyalty, making them a popular choice for police and military work.

They're also known to be loving and loyal companions, making them a great fit for many families.

Their imposing presence can be intimidating, but they're often used in airport security to sniff out contraband without causing alarm.

In contrast to their German Shepherd counterparts, Beagles are often seen as lovable and cute, making them a great choice for families and airport security personnel alike.

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Despite their small size, German Shepherds have a remarkable sense of smell that can rival that of the German Shepherd, making them a valuable asset in search and rescue missions.

Their ability to pick up scents in the air makes them a favorite among hunters, search and rescue organizations, and police and military units.

Their intelligence and trainability also make them a popular choice for guidance/therapy work and as beloved family pets.

German Shepherds are highly valued for their bravery, loyalty, and exceptional scenting abilities, making them one of the top dog breeds for many purposes.

The Basset Hound is a French breed built to follow a scent trail. They are low to the ground, which is why they're called Basset, from the French word for "low".

Their long, heavy ears sweep the ground, bringing scent upward to their powerful nose. This allows them to pick up scents more easily.

The Basset Hound's loose skin beneath their chin, known as a dewlap, helps to trap scent, keeping it easily accessible as they work. This is one of the reasons they're so good at tracking.

The Basset Hound has an incredible sense of smell, with up to 250 million olfactory bulbs in their large nose. This makes them one of the best scenting dog breeds.

Their long and large drooping ears help to channel scent particles to the front of their face, where their nose can pick them up. This is a key feature of their anatomy.

The Basset Hound's short legs, which are a result of achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, allow them to be close to the ground at all times. This helps them when they're tracking.

Their long upright tails also allow hunters to see them when they're working in tall grass. This makes them a valuable companion for hunting.

The Bloodhound is the dog breed with the best sense of smell, with approximately 230-300 million scent receptors - 40 times more than humans.

These incredible animals have a nasal cavity with a lining filled with about 300 million olfactory bulbs, making their sense of smell at least 1000 times better than humans.

Bloodhounds are built to be the perfect tracking dog, with a large, long head, a nose with large, open nostrils, and a cape of loose skin around the head and neck to trap and retain the scent.

They can follow a scent on the ground and in the air, and can distinguish a human scent from other types of scent even if it's already several days old.

With their powerful sense of smell, Bloodhounds are famous for trailing fugitives and lost persons, and are often used for police-related work and search and rescue teams.

Their stubbornness and dedication to the job make them unrelenting in their pursuit of a scent, and they will try to backtrack and move again if they lose it.

Bloodhounds can follow a scent for miles on end, making them invaluable for tracking and trailing.

The Belgian Malinois is an exceptional breed that's renowned for its incredible sense of smell. With millions of olfactory cells under its black muzzle, it can track scent particles in the air with ease.

This breed is often credited with helping bring to justice high-profile targets like Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Its remarkable sense of smell makes it a valuable asset in various scent-related tasks.

Belgian Malinois dogs are trained to detect explosives, narcotics, and fire accelerants, making them a vital part of law enforcement and security teams. They're also excellent at tracking and trailing humans, whether it's fugitives or lost persons.

Their sense of smell is so impressive that it can even detect certain types of cancers, such as tumors in the colon, breast, and prostate. By sniffing at skin, breath, or bodily fluids, these dogs can identify the presence of tumor cells.