Dog ownership has soared nearly eight percent in the past two years according to the Dog clubas the lockdown meant people felt more empowered to open their homes to a new pup.
But with 221 different pedigree dog breeds to choose from, there’s a lot of thought to be done before choosing your perfect pooch – whether you want a big dog, family dogor cross.
Some dogs have the most amazing sense of smell, an attribute that has often been intentionally bred in them to make them perfect for tasks like tracking prey.
They are also dogs that are prone to sniffing out food, which makes it difficult to stop them from stealing your lunch.
These are the 10 dog breeds with the best sense of smell, according to the American Kennel Club.
With a record 300 million scent receptors, the Bloodhound is the gold medalist for sniffing out anything you might want to find. They have been used to find many things over the years – including fugitive criminals – and can follow a scent trail on the ground or in the air.
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Hailing from France, the Basset Hound uses its long ears to sweep scent from the ground to its super-sensitive nose. He also ingeniously uses the loose skin of his chin to trap a particular scent for reference.
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The Beagle’s incredible sense of smell was used by hunters to spot foxes from miles away. They are now often used by customs officers at airports to find hidden contraband.
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Originally used for herding, nowadays the military, police, and search and rescue services all make good use of the German Shepherd’s 225 million olfactory receptors. Unlike some of the other dogs on this list, they primarily use scent in the air, rather than on the ground, to track.
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