New Berlin business provides free training to Sheriff K-9's

NEW BERLIN (WITI) -- K-9 officers never know what situation they'll encounter when chasing down criminals. That's why it's best to be prepared for everything. In an effort to help out the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, Think Pawsitive Dog Training provided free classes for the K-9 Unit.

"It gives them the opportunity to socialize the dog with every type of obstacle that it`s going to come across in their path," Todd Oilschlager with Think Pawsitive Dog Training said.

Trainers teach the dogs how to walk and balance on different surfaces, loosen their muscles through stretching, and gain an understanding of how to use different parts of their body.

"For most dogs there`s not a lot of back muscle tone and that`s where their back is not strong and they`re prone to more injuries and things like that when they`re running. So we try to balance it out," Katie Oilschlager with Think Pawsitive Dog Training said.

Then the dogs hit the pool.

The goal is to get the K-9's comfortable in the water, as many of them have never gone swimming before.

"If they`re out there and they need to get into a river and cross a river somewhere, they`re able to achieve that and not be like 'water I`m not doing that' and there goes the bad guy," Todd Oilschlager said.

"We work our dogs though what they don`t like. At least accommodate them -- not to a point of where they like it, but they`re actually used to it which is very important,"  Officer Wayne Grutza with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said.

The K-9 unit is continually training to help the dogs maintain their skills.

Although they're not your typical co-worker, many officers say they're the perfect partner.

"He never talks back and he always listens, so it's very nice to have," Officer Grutza said.