Dogs being trained to sniff out truffles
Print Edition
The growing appetite for truffles is feeding demand for dogs trained to sniff out the pungent fungus prized by chefs and foodies.
As more landowners plant orchards in hopes of harvesting truffles, more dogs are being trained to detect the earthy delicacies, which take several years to ripen on tree roots underground.
鈥淭here is huge demand for truffle dogs right now,鈥 said Alana McGee, co-founder of the Truffle Dog Company, which helps orchard owners search for truffles and trains dogs how to find them in orchards or in the wild.
鈥淭ruffle-hunting is right up their alley. It鈥檚 fun for the dogs. They get rewarded for using their noses, which is how they see the world,鈥 she said.
On a recent morning, McGee鈥檚 dog Lolo, a brown and white Lagotto Romagnolo, sniffed for signs of Perigord and burgundy truffles on the roots of oak and hazelnut trees planted next to Robert Sinskey鈥檚 vineyards in Carneros, California.
Sinskey was the first Napa Valley winemaker to plant a truffle orchard five years ago and wants to be the first California grower to harvest truffles, hopefully next year. He plans to have McGee teach his dogs the art of truffle-hunting.
鈥淚 hope my dogs will finally be able to earn their keep,鈥 Sinskey said. 鈥淚t will be nice to see them actually work.鈥
Lolo is an Italian breed commonly used to hunt truffles, but McGee said any dog can be trained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about working with the dogs鈥 personalities and different learning styles.鈥
Most black truffles come from Europe or Australia and cost US$800 to US$1,200 per pound, but supplies are shrinking while appetites are expanding worldwide.
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