How Far Can Bloodhounds Smell? Vet-Approved Breed Facts
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While all dogs are known to have amazingly sensitive noses, Bloodhounds are famous for their impeccable sense of smell; they are often referred to as “noses with dogs attached”. Although they were initially bred for hunting, today they are often used to track missing people and can follow their noses for miles until they find what they are looking for. But how far exactly can these tracking dogs smell? Incredibly, Bloodhounds can follow a scent from up to 130 miles! In this article, we’ll discuss the bloodhound’s sense of smell and how it has become a crucial tool for humans today.
How Far Can a Bloodhound Smell?
Because Bloodhounds have such good noses for scent tracking, they have been used for this purpose for centuries. In fact, they are one of the oldest recognized breeds that hunt using scent.
The Bloodhound can follow a smell for more than 130 miles because of their outstanding ability to smell. They can use the aromas from sweat, skin, and breath to construct a scent profile after being given a sample. The Bloodhound will not give up searching once a trace is discovered until the subject is located or the trail comes to an end. This dog can not only detect the slightest scents and follow the trail for miles, but it can also follow a scent trail that has been there for more than 300 hours – that’s over 12 days!
Some dogs, like bloodhounds, are more skilled at tracking because of their genetic traits and training, but environmental conditions affect the distance at which a dog can pick up a scent. How far a dog can smell depends on the temperature, wind speed and direction, and weather. Dogs may have trouble detecting scents in hot, dry weather and do better when the ground is cooler than the surrounding air.
While a bit of rain can improve a dog’s scent, a lot of rain can make scent tracking more challenging. The wind’s direction will also impact how easily a dog can detect a scent because the wind will naturally carry the smell. Depending on the weather, a trained dog can locate a scent 50–500 yards away. However, 100 yards can be too far if the weather is bad. A dog can likely detect a person upwind from 40 feet on a windy day.
Do Bloodhounds Smell Better Than Other Dogs and Animals?
Bloodhounds are considered to have the keenest sense of smell when compared to other dogs, and have over 300 million scent receptors; more than any other breed of dog. They also have one of the largest olfactory regions of any dog, and have been shown to be able to track a scent from a distance ten times greater than other dog breeds. Because of their consistently accurate sense of smell, a Bloodhound’s findings can be presented in court as evidence.
Other species in the animal kingdom have powerful olfactory senses, but this sense may be used for different functions. Some animals use their sense of smell to communicate with one another using pheromones, or protect themselves from harm.
To get an idea of a Bloodhound’s incredible sense of smell, we compared their smelling distance to a few other animals known for their ability to track a scent.
A Dog’s Smelling Distance Compared to Other Animals
| Bloodhound | 130 miles away |
| Other dog breeds | 12 miles away |
| Shark | ¼ mile away |
| Bear | 1–2 miles away |
| Elephant | 12 miles away |
| Snakes | 1+ miles away |
| Silk Moths | 5–7 miles away |
| Rats | 10 miles away |
How Do Bloodhounds Smell So Far Away?
Bloodhounds can smell 1,000 times better than humans because they have 40 times as many olfactory cells! In addition to this, the Bloodhound’s physique and build contribute to their superior sense of smell. A Bloodhound can easily carry scent molecules into their nose because their long, drooping ears scrape along the ground and trap them. Likewise, the fragrance molecules are captured by their wrinkled skin. The Bloodhound’s broad shoulders and strong limbs enable them to keep their nose to the ground for many miles without becoming fatigued.
What are Bloodhounds Used For?
European noblemen used the Bloodhound’s strong scent to track game for centuries. Today, the breed’s strong sense of smell is used for search and rescue operations and detective work. By tracing a victim or suspect’s scent, Bloodhounds can assist law enforcement in finding missing persons or criminals. The Bloodhounds are scent-focused, in contrast to ordinary police dogs, and have been taught to follow the scent of the suspect exclusively.
Do Bloodhounds Make Good Pets?
A loyal and loving breed, Bloodhounds certainly make wonderful companions, but they may be less tolerant of small children than other breeds. They can be at home in a large rural property or a good sized apartment, but look out for drool!
Their preoccupation with scents can make them a bit more difficult to train, so be sure to incorporate strong smelling treats if you want to hold your Bloodhound’s focus!
How to Engage Your Bloodhound Sense of Smell
Your Bloodhound can learn to use their inherent scenting abilities without enrolling in the police academy. The fun of scent work can be taught to your dog in programs offered by many obedience schools. There are also small things you can do with your dog daily to nurture their sense of smell.
- Take multiple walks outside every day
- Allow your dog to sniff while walking or visiting new places.
- Play scenting games with your Bloodhound by hiding their favorite treat or toy and allowing them to find it. You can hide the treat in a more difficult place when they find it too easily.
- Provide your dog with toys that can hide treats.
Conclusion
A bloodhound’s sense of smell can virtually be classified as a superpower! With the ability to track a scent for up to 130 miles, Bloodhounds are remarkable trackers. Even compared to other dogs and animals with a keen ability to track a scent, Bloodhounds certainly have outstanding noses. Their incredible sense of smell has been used for centuries, and today they are used by law enforcement and search and rescue operations to track missing people.
Bloodhounds can make great pets, but be sure to provide them – and their nose – with plenty of stimulation, and incorporate strong smells when training them.
Featured Image Credit: Huckleberry14, Shutterstock
