

You probably know that a dog’s primary sense is the scent. They’re born with their eyes and ears closed, with only their sense of smell to guide them to their mother and her milk.

This part of the reason scientist’s world over are astonished by the dog’s primary faculty. As we speak, some researches are trying to replicate the capabilities of a canine nose by inventing an artificial replacement.

Science has told us that a dog’s sense of smell is somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 times more acute than ours. Moreover, the section of canines, grey matter that reads and processes olfactory information is forty times bigger than a human’s.



This is why dogs are easily trained to identify in very precise manner things like explosives, drugs, and even diseases and cancer cells.

It’s astounding how cadaver dogs working in open fields and woods can detect a single drop of blood or something as small as the tooth of a victim.

They can even tell in what direction someone went to by smelling the path. They do this by perceiving each step coordinates they pass where each scent is newer of fresher than the previous scent. On this note, we’ve compiled a list of the dog breeds that are the superstars of smell.

The Bloodhound

This one is a dog famous for hunting, tracking and used in important search and rescue operations where people’s lives are on the line. It has ears that are floppy and quite big, their ears are used to help their smelling routing by filtering the scent in order for the nose to easily receive it. Meanwhile, the folds of skin on its neck capture the scents proximate to its nose.

Its nostrils are of a considerable large size in order for absorption of scent to be easier. This breed has the most olfactory sensors compared to any breed. Science points out that it has 300 million scent receptors.

This breed is also a tireless and persistent worker. It can be shy and sensitive to praise and scolding. Now that its a powerful and tenacious dog, it needs to be handled firmly.

The Basset Hound

This one has ears that function in a way where it collects scent up from the ground, while the dewlap the folded skin under the chin is responsible for trapping scents proximate to his nose. Its bones are one of the heaviest among different breeds, it’s endurance is, of course, no joke. It can traverse through different environments.

It was actually bred to live in packs. It’s a very easy companion to live with. This breed is known for its friendliness towards family and great loyalty.

The Beagle

This one was originally bred to hunt rabbits. They’re friendly and non-threatening, they are regularly employed by the USDA and US Customs to search for contraband food and other undesirable items at airports.

They’re also wonderful with children and other dogs. They should follow all commands given, with great confidence and assertiveness. That’s what makes this breed worthwhile to have.

The German Shepherd

This is the second most popular dog in America. It has a ton of receptors for scents. Almost as much scent receptors as the beagle.

They are mostly used in crucial operations where peoples lives are at stake, like rescue missions and is commonly seen being used by the armed forces and airport personnel and also for operations related to searching for illegal drugs.

It’s a very conscious, extremely sentient and flexible breed. It excels at a lot of tasks that require agility speed and coordination. It’s also considered to be a breed with extreme loyalty to the person taking care of them.

The Labrador Retriever

These ones have incredible noses. They are trained to identify forms of cancer just by smelling peoples breath. How incredible is that? There’s more to this breed than one can describe. Overall a great companion as well.