Disaster Rescue Dog Training (Search Dog Fukushima)

■ Date: October 24, 2020
■ Conducted by: Search Dog Fukushima (NPO)
■ Facilities used: Infrastructure Inspection and Disaster Response Area, Urban Field (Debris, Building A)

About the Training
Search Dog Fukushima (NPO) conducted certification testing to evaluate the operational performance of search dogs (disaster rescue dogs) and to evaluate performance maintenance in previously certified dogs in Building A and Debris in the Urban Field.
The search dogs follow handlers’ instructions, appropriately detect carbon dioxide odor exhaled in the breath of people in need of rescue, the odor of rafts (waste product) coming off their skin, sights, sounds, etc., and signal the location of people in need of rescue by barking.
The dogs were also trained to become used to the sounds and behaviors of drones, which enable parallel searches.
Due to COVID-19, only association members from Fukushima participated in this training session, but nationwide joint testing is under consideration.