Whether you are planning to work with your dog on a cultivation in the woodlands or would just like a rewarding activity for an intelligent dog that struggles with boredom we can create a course or a one-off session for you. Both our in person and remote courses are tailored around the individual dog-handler team and their particular aims, location and pace of learning. The focus of the lessons isn’t just on getting the dog to consistently sniff out truffles but on building a reliable, confident working partnership.

We typically meet on Zoom or Teams with each session designed to give you clear, practical steps to take between these lessons. This isn’t a crash course, the real progress happens between sessions, as you and your dog build up experience together. This means that lessons may be spaced out over several weeks or even months, depending on how much practice you’re able to fit in. There’s no rush — truffle dog training is a slow, rewarding journey. It can also be full of frustrations which we can guide you through.

To make the most of the process:

• You’ll be tracking your progress in a customized journal or training log.
• I’ll ask you to video some of the key training sessions so we can review them together and adjust your plan if needed.
• You’ll receive personalised feedback, worksheets, scent games and weekly challenges to keep you on track and inspired.

Each lesson builds on the last as we nurture your dog’s motivation, clarity and truffle-scent confidence.

These lessons are designed for anyone interested in exploring the world of truffles with their dog but are especially suited to

• Owners of bright, energetic dogs who are prone to boredom. Working breeds, in particular, thrive when they have something to focus on. Dogs who need to be left at home alone for long stretches often benefit from a meaningful, nose-led activity that taps into their natural instincts.
• People with young or maturing truffle orchards, who want to train their own dog to harvest produce. Having a trained dog is both practical and rewarding.
• Anyone who already enjoys foraging or time in nature and is drawn to the idea of bonding with their dog over the search for truffles.

As we are primarily truffle hunters, we can only take on a very small number of students each year, so we don’t advertise this training widely. Rather we offer it quietly to those who are serious about learning and who value a relationship-based approach to truffle dog work. An approach where trust, connection and consistency are just as important as the end goal.

If that sounds like you, we’d love to connect.
Start by telling us a little about yourself and your dog by clicking on and filling in the form below:

Interest in Truffle Dog Training

We’ll read it carefully and get back to you.

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Our workshops, talks and webinars are shaped by two decades of experience in the field, hunting year round with our truffle dogs. Though the truffle world is still a secretive one, in many respects, it is also incredibly connected. Through our work, we’ve had the chance to meet and collaborate with truffle hunters, growers, researchers and dog trainers across many different landscapes: from the hazel orchards of Asia Minor to the beech woodlands of northern Europe as well as countless cultivated truffières.

Over time and with the growing popularity of truffle hunting and growing, we are often asked to share our experience in a variety of educational events. This could be a practical demonstration of dog training techniques or a talk about the subtle differences in habitat that shape where truffles grow and why. Whatever the format, we try to share clearly and honestly what we’ve learned and help others avoid the pitfalls that come with this challenging pursuit.

In recent years, we’ve become increasingly involved in cultivation—working not just with truffle trees, but with wider ecosystem goals in mind. We’re exploring low-input approaches, rejuvenating abandoned orchards and experimenting with ways to promote wild truffle growth as part of forest conservation and rewilding efforts. We’re particularly interested in the role truffles can play in maintaining healthy, biodiverse woodlands—especially in the face of climate change, deforestation, and shifting agricultural patterns.

Straddling both the hunting and growing worlds has given us the opportunity to work with a range of groups – from beginners with their first truffle dog to academic researchers and landowners exploring sustainable truffle cultivation.

If you’re organising a course, event or educational programme and would like an experienced voice to contribute, please connect and tell us all about it julie@realtrufflehunters.

 

 

 

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For the past couple of decades we’ve been involved not only in collecting truffles from the forest but also from truffle orchards. Like many hunters, our careers began on a plantation where we trained our first truffle dog, Jane 1. Since then we have worked across Europe in a variety of orchards melanosporum, aestivum, uncinatum, brumale and borchii at varying stages of production.

We’re sometimes asked to visit private woodland to carry out surveys with our experienced dogs. Here, we look for signs of natural truffle production and can give advice on how to further promote growth.

Our team of highly experienced dogs are trained to work calmly and methodically. They will give us a reliable indication of whether truffles are present while creating minimal disturbance to the soil. We have older teacher dogs that can help to train the landowner’s dog to work using shadowing techniques.

As professional hunters, secrecy is part and parcel of our lives and we are happy to sign an NDA before any visit to a site. Sometimes these visits are straightforward, other times they lead to wider discussions about dog training, managing orchards or marketing truffles.

If you would like us to help you with your work, contact me by email julie@realtrufflehunters.com and we can arrange a free online consultation.

 

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