Military Dog Breeds and their Exceptional Skills

While dogs are certainly one of the most loving companions one could ever have, as dogs always remain loyal to their owners till the end itself. A fact true to all dog breeds, but there is just one thing. Dogs can have many utilities that are not just being adorable and playful friends, they can also be used for policing or military purposes too.

In fact, many dog breeds are utilized for purposes of locating a lost person, for sniffing a bomb or even fighting off an intruder or an enemy. Dogs used in military are a common fact by now even as one may always see a dog in the midst of a group of an army of soldiers or police officers.

If you too are wondering about some military dog breeds, then you must just keep reading this article further below to know more about the top 17 military dog breeds and what they do.

Top 17 Military Dog Breeds

Military dog breeds can often be used for a variety of purposes by the military, some of the dog breeds used for military utilities are:

1. Labrador Retriever

Breed Overview:

• Group: Sporting
• Height: 21.5-24.5 inches
• Weight: 55-80 pounds
• Coat and Color: Short-length double coat. Colors include: Black, Chocolate, and yellow
• Life Span: 10-12 years
• Origin: Newfoundland, Canada

This breed of wild and energetic dogs can be excellent while working as gundogs. Most often used by the military as Combat Tracker Teams for their exceptional olfactory senses. This helps them to smell out either enemies or wounded soldiers along with sniffing out IEDs or other sorts of explosives.

The Labrador Retriever or Labrador is a British breed of retriever gun dog. Due to their agility and promptness, these dogs are rather popular in the military as they are also able to form bonds with the soldiers and work effectively in their favor.

Read more: Types of Spaniel Dog Breeds

2. Rottweiler

Breed Overview:

• Group: Working
• Height: 22-27 inches
• Weight: 80-135 pounds
• Coat and Color: Short-length smooth coat. Colors include: Black & Rust, Black & Tan, or Black & Mahogany
• Life Span: 9-10 years
• Origin: Germany, Rottweil

Getting their name from a town in Germany called Rottweil, the Rottweiler is one if not the most intimidating dog breeds often utilized by both police and military for chasing down the enemy. Rottweilers can generally be either used as guard dogs, messenger dogs, or even for herding purposes.

Overall, the most important feature essential for the utilization of Rottweiler is their immensely high bite force of 328 pounds. This proves to be the undoing of an enemy if they happen to get themselves bitten.

Read more: Dog Breeds Like Pit Bulls

3. German Shepherd

Breed Overview:

• Group: Herding
• Height: 22-26 inches
• Weight: 50-90 pounds
• Coat and Color: Medium Length topcoat and undercoat. Colors include Bi-Color, Sable, Black, White, and Gray, etc.
• Life Span: 7-10 years
• Origin: Germany

Specifically bred for helping the German military, the German Shepherd is one of the most active and working dogs one may find. German Shepherds can both be used by the police or the military for their agility and trainability.

German Shepherds are also used as K-9 unit dogs by the police along with being used by the military for calmly taking on dangerous enemies.

4. Belgian Malinois

Breed Overview:

• Group: Herding
• Height: 22-26 inches
• Weight: 40-80 pounds
• Coat and Color: Smooth and short-length coat. Colors include: Fawn Sable, Mahogany, Red Sable, Fawn and Red Sable
• Life Span: 14-16 years
• Origin: Belgium, Malines

Named after the city of Malines in which they were bred, the Belgian Malinois may serve well as a herding breed. But their careers in both serving as messengers during the World War I and for carrying ammunition has earned them a well-deserved place in the military.

Belgian Malinois in fact are often preferred more for military operations than other dogs as they are also great skydivers and are highly intelligent, making them most utilized by SEAL teams and other military groups.

Get more: Exotic Dog Breeds

5. Doberman Pinscher

Breed Overview:

• Group: Working
• Height: 24-28 inches
• Weight: 60-100 pounds
• Coat and Color: Short-length smooth coat. Colors may include Black & Rust, Fawn (Isabella) & Rust, Blue & Rust or Red & Rust.
• Life Span: 10-12 years
• Origin: Germany

Intelligent and lean, The Doberman Pinscher excel as a guard dog. Used during World War I and II for the detection or as sentries, the Doberman remains one of the military’s favorites for locating enemy traps and other obstacles.

The Doberman or the Devil Dog as nicknamed by the military, are fearsome due to their intelligence and can easily keep serving as some of the best dogs for scouting out traps.

6. Boxer

Breed Overview:

• Group: Working
• Height: 21.5-25 inches
• Weight: 65-80 pounds, females can weigh less than 15 pounds compared to males
• Coat and Color: Smooth yet short-length coat. Colors include: Brindle and Fawn
• Life Span: 10-12 years
• Origin: Germany

Being used by the military in World War I as a scout or messenger dogs, the Boxer breed of dogs are normally intimidating and outright aggressive to strangers. This attribute of them makes the Boxer a perfect guard dog as their immense strength only serves to amplify their favorable attributes to the military.

The Boxer works as a great watchdog also as they will instantly alert the owner of the coming of a stranger.

7. Siberian Husky

Breed Overview:

• Group: Working
• Height: 20-23.5 inches
• Weight: 35-60 pounds
• Coat and Color: Thick topcoat and undercoat that is medium-length. Colors include: White, Black, Agouti & White or Black & White, etc. Colors include: Brindle and Fawn
• Life Span: 12-14 years
• Origin: Siberia

The Siberian Husky was bred to pull sleds, hence for this very purpose, they are still utilized by the military for such uses during operations in snowy places. Originally used to pulling sleds during World War II for the U.S military, while not as active in the military as before, are still used in some capacities and are often effective at it.

8. Dutch Shepherd

Breed Overview:

• Group: Herding – subject to change
• Height: 21.5-24.5 inches
• Weight: 42-75 pounds
• Coat and Color: Double coat that is short-length. Colors include: Silver Brindle and Gold Brindle
• Life Span: 11-14 years
• Origin: Netherlands

While bred to be sheepherders, the Dutch Shepherd has often been utilized by the military for their strong athletic and mental abilities. Their extreme working capabilities have earned them a well-deserved place as one of the breeds utilized for military operations by the U.S military. This is thanks to being placed in the U.S Military Canine Program for their great instinct as herding dogs.

Get more: Wrinkly Dog Breeds

9. Airedale Terrier

Breed Overview:

• Group: Terrier
• Height: 23 inches
• Weight: 50-70 pounds
• Coat and Color: Short and medium length wiry coat. Colors include: Black & Tan, Grizzle & Tan
• Life Span: 11-14 years
• Origin: Netherlands

Often considered to be the largest of all terriers, the Airedale Terrier is one of a kind dog breed used by the military many times. Their ability to pick up commands and follow instructions specifically makes them both great scout and patrol dogs.

They can also be used for smelling lost objects or to carry ammunition or other supplies as demonstrated by them during World War I.

10. Alaskan Malamute

Breed Overview:

• Group: Working
• Height: 23-25 inches
• Weight: 75-85 pounds
• Coat and Color: Medium-length double coat. Colors include Sable & White, White, Silver & White, Agouti & White, etc.
• Life Span: 10-14 years
• Origin: Alaska

The Alaskan Malamute was used during World War II to pull sleds along with being the first military dog that was trained to parachute. Something that came in handy for rescuing wounded allies in harsh climates. The Alaskan Malamute displays a strong sense of duty and due to their dense coat which is weatherproof, are able to do heavy work effectively well in harsh climates.

11. Giant Schnauzer

Breed Overview:

• Group: Working
• Height: 23.5-27.5 inches
• Weight: 55-85 pounds
• Coat and Color: Wiry and medium-length double coat. Colors may include: Black or Pepper & Salt
• Life Span: 12-15 years
• Origin: Germany

Bred for herding cattle, the Giant Schnauzer was both used by the German military as sentry dogs for World War I and II along with being used by the Air Force again during WWII in 1980. The Giant Schnauzers are heavier brethren of the normal Schnauzer and are still being used by the military for protection detail from time to time.

12. Beagle

Breed Overview:

• Group: Hound
• Height: 13-15 inches or under 13 inches
• Weight: 20-30 pounds or under 20 pounds
• Coat and Color: Smooth short-length coat. Colors may include Black & Tan, Black Red & White, Lemon & White, etc.
• Life Span: 10-15 years
• Origin: England

While they may look small and cute, the beagle should never be considered as weaker than their larger counterparts. Beagles are mainly scent hounds and hence are occasionally used both by the military and customs for sniffing out drugs, explosive devices, and alike.

Energetic yet bored-looking; these tiny fellows have more than enough utilities to help both the police and the military sniffing-related problems.

13. Akita (Akita Inu)

Breed Overview:

• Group: Working
• Height: 24-28 inches
• Weight: 70-130 pounds
• Coat and Color: Medium-length thick topcoat and undercoat. Colors may include Black, Brown, White and Fawn, etc.
• Life Span: 10-14 years
• Origin: Japan

Used by the military during the Russo-Japanese war to track down Prisoners of War or other lost people, currently considered to be the national dog of Japan.

The Akita breed of dogs has a strong sense of duty and is still currently used as police dogs in Japan due to their tenacity and wariness with strangers. Although, their very own stubbornness does make them a lesser choice for use in the military nowadays.

Read more: Most Beautiful Dog Breeds

14. Black Russian Terrier

Breed Overview:

• Group: Working
• Height: 26-30 inches
• Weight: 80-130 pounds
• Coat and Color: Curly and thick medium or long length double coat. Colors may include: Black, Sable, Blue, Salt & Pepper, or Black & Tan
• Life Span: 10-12 years
• Origin: Russia

Created during the 1940-the 1950s in USSR for use as military dogs, the Black Russian Terrier is a combination of over 17 breeds which makes them the perfect dogs to work in harsher climates on the terrains of Russia.

They are often used by the Russian military for the detection of enemy explosives, for patrol, or for even searching for lost people in operations.

15. Cocker Spaniel

Breed Overview:

• Group: Sporting
• Height: 13.5-15.5 inches
• Weight: 20-30 pounds
• Coat and Color: Long silky double coat. Colors include Black, Brown, Buff, Silver, and Red or a combination of these.
• Life Span: 10-14 years
• Origin: England

Cocker Spaniels, while used for various activities related to dog sports or as a companion pet. Are now currently being utilized by the Indian army for sniffing of explosives such as IEDs and have assisted them in several of these activities.

Cocker Spaniels, due to their highly trainable nature and responsiveness, are a favorite of the Indian military and therefore are often trained for these purposes.

16. Bouvier des Flandres

Breed Overview:

• Group: Herding
• Height: 23.5-27.5 inches
• Weight: 70-110 pounds
• Coat and Color: Rough double coat that is medium in length. Colors include: Black, Brindle, Gray Fawn, etc.
• Life Span: 10-12 years
• Origin: England

Having served in the military as messenger dogs or even cart pullers during World War I, the Bouvier des Flandres are nowadays used as K-9 units by the police. Bred to be farming herders, these dogs have seen their fair share of war as they participated in both WWI and WWII.

These tough fellows are now mainly guarding dogs or are even kept as pets by some families.

17. Bloodhound

Breed Overview:

• Group: Hound
• Height: 23-27 inches
• Weight: 80-110 pounds
• Coat and Color: Smooth short-length coat. Colors include: Red, Black & Tan, Liver & Tan
• Life Span: 10-12 years
• Origin: Belgium, United Kingdom, France, England, Scotland (origins unclear)

Known for its bored yet intimidating stature, the Bloodhound is one the most used hounds by both military and police forces. Bloodhounds normally have a stronger sense of smell thanks to their keen olfactory receptors, this helps them to detect narcotics, weapons, or explosive devices of various types.

Once on duty, these normally docile dogs will go on a surefire hunt for the smell they will be given to search for!

Conclusion

While some dog breeds may have unfortunately lost their presence in the military as a whole, many of them are still being used for other purposes such as being guard dogs, domestic pets, or show dogs. If that is not all, these dogs are often recalled for service during times of need for important events by either the military or the law enforcement units as desired.

Therefore, while this list may have been about affordable dog breeds used by the military, do not mistake them for just being relegated for one purpose. For these dogs are all-purpose breeds best utilized by a capable owner.