IRO-Certified International Rescue Dog Test: Day 1 Concludes

On Friday, May 8, 2026, the first day of the IRO-certified International Rescue Dog Test was held at the Yatsugatake International Rescue Dog Training Center (Tournament Chairman: Mr. Akinori Eto, Member of the House of Representatives and former Minister of Defense).

For this tournament, judges came from South Korea and the Czech Republic. In addition, trainees who are future judges also came from South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand for this test.

Obedience exercises are conducted with two pairs simultaneously.

From the perspective of rescue dog health checks, all participating dogs underwent a medical check by a veterinarian at the reception (Cooperation: Veterinarian Ken Kawabata).

Medical check by Veterinarian Kawabata.

Participating pairs will perform search and obedience tasks over three days.

Some B-level (advanced) search activities were also conducted, where pairs challenged themselves to search for three simulated victims according to regulations. The judges explained the damage scenario, and each pair planned their search strategy based on weather conditions, damage assumptions, etc., and then carried out the search activities according to their plan.

After completing the search activities, the participating pairs received feedback from the judges, including their respective challenges.

Pairs receiving feedback after being explained the damage scenario by the judges.

For more details, please contact the NPO Rescue Dog Trainers Association.

https://rdta.or.jp/