The dog recently took part in training exercises in Takasaki City, where she successfully traced and located hidden items under the guidance of her handler, Aki Tokoro.

Police officials selected Tsubu for K9 training because of her calm behaviour, strong stamina and ability to interact well with people . Her handler said the dog responded quickly to scent-tracking exercises during training sessions.

"Her favourite thing to do is ‘tracking training’ to find treats. So, knowing that she'll get a treat when she finds something, she searches diligently. In terms of ease of training, she was easy to train," Tokoro said.

Tokoro also said Tsubu had already assisted police in locating an elderly person who went missing in the mountains after travelling from another prefecture.

The trainer said the dog’s search abilities could become more useful during the season when people enter forest areas to gather wild vegetables and mushrooms.

"If I teach her some things like disaster relief dog skills, her success rate in finding missing persons will increase even more, so I'm planning to start teaching her that now," she added.

During the training event, Tsubu wore a red K9 uniform presented by Masahiro Hosokawa, an inspector in the Forensic Division of the Gifu Prefectural Police Headquarters.

Hosokawa said Shiba Inu dogs are well suited for scent-tracking work because of their endurance and temperament.

"Their ability to sniff around requires them to expend energy to distinguish and track scents for short periods of time, and I think Shiba Inu are capable in that they can perform such activities for a long time," he said.

He also noted the importance of police dogs during search operations involving missing persons.

"Simply knowing whether the person went north or south from their current location is a huge help to the police <...> I always appreciate their work, and when they're finished, I give them a good pat on the head as a token of my gratitude," he said.

Local media reported that Tsubu passed her certification test in November before officially beginning duties as a police dog in Gifu Prefecture.