The 8 Best Search And Rescue Dog Breeds

Search and rescue dogs are the heroes of the canine world. Sometimes called SAR for “search and rescue,” these brave, loyal dogs work with law enforcement, first responders, and rescue teams.

All SAR dogs go through many months or years of training, especially dogs who work in the most difficult types of searches and rescues. These dogs do many important jobs, including human remains detection, water search for living people or cadavers, avalanche search, urban area search, drug detection, and disaster search.

The best breeds for search and rescue are intelligent, trainable dogs who have powerful scent and tracking abilities. Hounds, for instance, have an extremely keen sense of smell, and other breeds have powerful eyesight. All SAR dogs are eager to learn and willing to help their human partners do their jobs.

Here is our ranking of the best breeds of SAR dogs and interesting facts about each.