King is a four and a half year old Belgian Malinois mix.  He was originally imported into the U.S. to be a working dog, and after he had some training I was fortunate enough to adopt him in early 2013. 

Much more detail on King's training in one of the dog sport disciplines can be found at Capitol K9 Training.  We have a made a lot of progress, and most of it has been fun, but we still have a way to go.  

Despite being a major city, Washington, D.C., is fairly dog-friendly to breeds of all sizes. The city maintains several parks specifically for dogs, and you can find hosts of dogs and their owners at many other well-known parks throughout the city. Capitol Hill has several areas that are well-known gathering places just about any day the sun is shining. In addition, there are many national parks and hiking trails within a short drive of the city, and it is common to see dogs (and sometimes cats) at these locations. 

There are also many restaurants and shops that allow owners to bring their dogs onto the premises, including some locations that have dog-oriented happy hours, though any pet owner should use their discretion on whether it's a good idea to do this with their pet.  You will also come across many outdoor patio seatings areas at restaurants that have waterbowls sitting out.  In short, big cities and big dogs are not mutually exclusive. Capitol Hill has several pet shops and grooming places, but there are also several websites I've come across that have equipment more suited to high drive sport and working dogs, including Leerburg, Elite K-9, and Hallmark K9. Having used a fair amount of equipment and training resources from all of these places, I have been impressed with the quality of the workmanship and customer service as well.