How Do You Get a K9 Dog
What makes a dog K9?
A police dog, also known as K-9 or K9 (a homophone of canine), is a dog specifically trained to assist members of law enforcement. Dogs have been used in law enforcement since the Middle Ages.[1]
Does K9 refer to all dogs?
Since than the terms K-9 or K9 became commonly used for dogs in general, service dogs and working dogs. The Security, Rescue, Police and Army forces all over the world use the symbol ‘K9’ or ‘K-9’ on their police cars, on their clothing, on their patches and on their dogs.[2]
Can a police dog be a family pet?
Although police dogs can be aggressive on demand, they usually make great pets. These loyal, obedient and intelligent animals can become great additions to any family.[3]
What is the best police dog?
German Shepherd It’s no secret that German Shepherds are the number one most popular police working dogs — you’re probably more likely to see this dog breed than any other when you come across a working K9 unit. German Shepherds make great police K9 units because they are intelligent, bold, fast and enthusiastic.[4]
What is the smartest dog?
Border collie. According to The Intelligence of Dogs, which ranks 131 dog breeds in terms of their relative intelligence, the border collie is the smartest dog breed known to man. Poodle. German shepherd. Golden retriever. Doberman pinscher. Shetland sheepdog. Labrador retriever. Papillon.[5]
How fast is a K-9?
Police dog[6]
What do K-9 dogs sniff for?
Drug Busters: Washington State Department of Corrections’ narcotics dogs are trained to find heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, marijuana, spice, suboxone and tobacco. They can even be trained to find other contraband items like cell phones.[7]
What happens to K-9 when they retire?
The Retired K-9 Medical Care offers grants that assist Law Enforcement Agencies and Handlers with costs related to emergency medical expenses for retired K-9s. Most K-9s after active service go home with their handlers to become household pets. The ongoing medical care for the retired K-9s can be very expensive.[8]
What language do police dogs understand?
“The dog is trained in the language of where they’re coming from.” Take police dogs, for example. German Shepherds are the breed of choice for law enforcement, and because they’re of German heritage, they will often be trained using German commands.[9]
What age do police dogs retire?
Police dogs generally start working at around 1 year of age and retire at around 10 years old. Retirement age can vary based on the breed and health of the police dog. Starting age can also vary but most police dogs work for about 8-9 years.[10]
Are K9 dogs male or female?
Most K9 dogs that are used are male dogs. However female dogs are more and more used as K9 dogs as well. Where male dogs are often more aggressive and stronger, female dogs can be used as service dogs as well. Female dogs are often used as single purpose dogs.[11]
What do police dogs eat?
It is reasonable to assume that the majority of Police K9s today are fed a commercial dry dog food diet. Ideally, raw feeding is the best diet option due to the overwhelming amount of health benefits it offers, however, it is not always the most practical when you work midnight shifts, get unexpectedly called out, etc.[12]
