Two toy poodles have been tied up doing promotional events instead of crime-fighting duties since they became police dogs in Tottori Prefecture in January.
The female poodles — Karin, who turns 2 on Sunday, and Fuga, also 2, — passed the police canine exam in November and have been making TV appearances ever since.
They debuted in mid-January at a Tottori Prefectural Police event to publicize 110, the emergency telephone number, and took part in an event in February at a junior high school in the town of Chizu to explain the work of dog trainers.
At the Chizu event, Karin trained with other police dogs as trainer Makoto Miyamoto told students what his job is like.
Karin walked beside Miyamoto and obeying his command, "Wait."
A Labrador retriever also demonstrated its sniffing skills at the event.
Miyamoto said it takes three to four years for a police dog to master scent tracking. "It's best for them to get on-site work experience" to master the skills, he said.
Poodles, which are used as hunting dogs, carry out orders and learn quickly, according to the Japan Kennel Club.