What Breeds Are Drug Dogs?

Police drug dogs, also known as detection dogs or sniffer dogs, are dogs trained to detect illegal narcotics. There are numerous different breeds of drug-detection dogs, but the most common breeds used are German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Labrador retrievers. Certain organizations use only a single breed of dog for all their detection work, such as the United States Secret Service, which exclusively uses the Belgian Malinois, for use with its agents. Detection dogs are often outfitted with bullet-resistant vests and in some departments are given police badges and ID cards.

  1. German Shepherds

    • German shepherds are a large-breed mountain dog, commonly referred to as a ̶0;working dog̶1; because of their size and original breeding purpose as sheep-herding dogs. According to the American Kennel Club, the German shepherd is the most popular police, guard and military dog in the world. The dogs are well known for their loyalty, protectiveness, strength and intelligence.

    Belgian Malinois

    • Belgian Malinois, also known as a Belgian shepherd, are a medium-build sheepdog that are often confused with German shepherds due to their similar build and coloring. Belgian Malinois are the most commonly used military/police dog in Europe, and the second most common in the United States. The Malinois is also referred to as a ̶0;working dog̶1; because it is primarily bred for a specific purpose.

    Labrador Retriever

    • Labrador retrievers are the most popular breed of dog for personal use, and the third most popular breed of dog for police/military use. They are a large-breed dog that are very well known for their intelligence and retrieval ability. They have webbing between the toes on their paws, which gives them excellent swimming abilities, making them a favorite of marine police forces such as flotilla units and the Coast Guard.