A police dog is a dog that is trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers. Their duties include searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, finding crime scene evidence, protecting people, and attacking criminals who are fleeing from or attacking police officers. The most commonly used breeds are the German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Bloodhound, Dutch Shepherd, and the retriever family. In recent years, the Belgian Malinois has become the leading choice for police and military work due to their intense drive, focus, agility, and smaller size. While German Shepherds are prone to health issues such as hip dysplasia, cancer, and eye problems, a well-bred working line German Shepherd is just as successful as a Malinois. German Shepherds remain the breed most associated with law enforcement. Police dogs are used on a federal and local level for law enforcement purposes, often assigned to a K-9 Unit with a specific handler, and must remember several verbal cues and hand gestures. Initial training for a police dog typically takes between eight months and a year, depending on where and how they are trained, and for what purpose. Police dogs often regularly take training programs with their assigned handler to reinforce their training. In many countries, intentionally injuring or killing a police dog is a criminal offense. In some English-speaking countries, police dog units are referred to as K-9 or K9, which is a homophone upon the word canine. From Wikipedia
