sniffer dog / sleuth
der Spürhund, die Spürhunde
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sniffer dog
A specially trained dog that uses its sense of smell to search for and track down people, animals, or specific objects.
Der Spürhund fand die vermisste Person im Wald.
The sniffer dog found the missing person in the forest.
sleuth
A person who pays particular attention while searching for information, clues, or hidden activities.
Als Spürhund der Redaktion entdeckte sie den Skandal zuerst.
As the editorial team’s sleuth, she was the first to uncover the scandal.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Spürhunde |
| genitive | des Spürhundes |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Spürhund | die Spürhunde |
| accusative | den Spürhund | die Spürhunde |
| dative | dem Spürhund | den Spürhunden |
| genitive | des Spürhundes des Spürhunds | der Spürhunde |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Spürhund' (sniffer dog) consists of 'Spür-' and 'Hund' (dog). The first part belongs to the word family of 'spüren' (to sense / detect) and can help you remember the connection with perceiving and discovering things.
Der Spürhund bemerkte einen Geruch, den die Menschen nicht wahrnehmen konnten.
The sniffer dog noticed a smell that the people could not detect.
Common collocations include 'einen Spürhund einsetzen' (to use a sniffer dog), 'einen Spürhund ausbilden' (to train a sniffer dog), and 'mit einem Spürhund nach etwas suchen' (to search for something with a sniffer dog). In the last collocation, what is being sought follows 'nach' in the dative.
Die Polizei suchte mit einem Spürhund nach dem verschwundenen Kind.
The police searched for the missing child with a sniffer dog.
When 'Spürhund' refers to a person, it has a figurative meaning. Typical contexts include journalism, investigations, or uncovering scandals. The term can be meant as praise, but it often also sounds derogatory, meaning 'snooper'.
Kommissar Berger gilt als Spürhund, dem kein Detail entgeht.
Inspector Berger is considered a sleuth who never misses a detail.
