If you’ve ever owned a dog, you know they are super good at being our best friends. But dogs also have many other characteristics that truly make them stand out. Here are 6 super hero dog traits that dogs can have that help us humans. Dogs have a superior sense of smell and hearing that can be utilized. Their speed and jumping ability have practical applications as well as recreation. Special instincts such as retrieving and herding are used on both a professional and sport level. Dogs can be trained to utilize any of their 6 super hero dog traits. In this blog we will discuss these in detail!

Sense of smell

It is a well known fact that dogs have the first of the 6 super hero dog traits, a superior sense of smell. We use this to the advantage of humans many ways. A major place this sense is utilized is in detection dogs. Humans train dogs to detect a number of things, such as gunpowder, bombs, narcotics, and for other humans or human remains. These dogs go thru a high level of training to alert their handlers when they smell these particular scents. We can use them to find these smells in hidden places in businesses or schools. These dogs are also used in disaster situations such as avalanches or building collapses to find people. The breeds with the best senses of smell are the hound breeds, such as Bloodhounds, Coonhounds, and Beagles

sense of hearing

After the sense of smell, most people know that dogs can hear very well. Dogs can hear approximately four times as well as humans. They also hear high-frequency sounds much better than people. Dogs are equipped with 18 muscles to move their ears to funnel sound into their longer ear canals. We can utilize this to our advantage with hunting dogs that can hear prey better. Humans also train dogs for the hearing impaired. We can teach dogs to alert their handler to sounds undetectable to their humans, such as a car coming during a walk. The top breeds for their sense of hearing are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, and Cocker Spaniels.

Speed

Dogs are fast. Very fast. Speed makes up a very important characteristic of our 6 superhero dog traits. In general, dogs run approximately 15-20 miles per hour for short distances. The fastest breed in the world, the Greyhound, can reach a top speed of up to 45 miles per hour. These dogs are raced for sport and also used in hunting. Other hound breeds such as the Saluki and Afghan Hound rank high on the list of fastest dogs. Certain working and herding breeds, including the Doberman and Border Collie, also have high top speeds that these dogs utilize in the jobs these dogs were bred and trained for. Speed comes into play for dogs in police work, as well as dogs trained for recreational sports such as agility or dock dogs.

Jumping

Though sometimes considered a vice, jumping is actually a great tool for a dog to have. Dogs can use jumping in detection work when searching for things. They often have to jump to places humans have a hard time getting to. We also teach service dogs to jump up and retrieve things off the counter or turn off light switches. Dogs that compete in sports like agility or dock diving need to jump on command. The key to jumping is teaching your dog when it’s appropriate to jump. By using marker words and creating a task, teaching a dog to jump will let them know that jumping is a command to be utilized for a skill. The highest jumping breed is the Jack Russell Terrier, they can jump 5 times higher than their size. Border Collies, Greyhounds, and Vizslas can all jump fences higher than 6 feet.

retrieving

Retrieving is a trait typical of dogs so much that some dog breeds literally have it built into their breed names. Retrieving is the act of a dog bringing an object back its handler. This is common in many jobs we use dogs for! The first thought most people have is of the Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever breeds that are bred for hunting birds. Retrieving is also common in service dogs. The handlers of these dogs often drop things and the dog needs to retrieve the object for the person. The best breeds for retrieving include the Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Irish Setter, German Short-Haired Pointer, and Weimaraner.

herding

Some of the 6 superhero dog traits are instincts bred into certain breeds. Herding is a great example of this. These dogs have been bred for generations to help their handlers handle livestock. The herding instinct causes dogs to want to make things move somewhere. They are habitual car chasers and can nip at other animals, sometimes kids, if this instinct isn’t managed properly.

A good herding dog will be valued by livestock handlers everywhere. Herding competitions are also available to people who may not handle livestock on a daily basis but still would like to utilize their dog’s instincts. There is an entire group of dog breeds bred specifically for herding. Some of the more well-known include the Border Collie, German Shepherd, Australian Shepherd, and Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Everyone knows that we love dogs for their companionship and loyalty. These 6 superhero dog traits show us the additional traits dogs have that we can utilize to help humans in our modern world. These specialty traits make certain dog breeds more popular and desirable for their other jobs and instincts. Contact Buckaroos for additional information about training for these traits!