Truffle Hunting
In order to spot wild as well as cultivated truffles we must always be accompanied and guided by the specifically trained truffle dogs. Dogs of different breeds can be used for this purpose. Of common use are Labrador Retrievers, english Pointers, german shorthaired Pointers (Bracco Tedesco or Kurzhaar), German Wirehaired pointer and Deutsch-Drahthaar, Portuguese pointer (Vizla), Lagotto Romagnolos, Epagneul Bretons, Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels as well as many cross-breedings.
Every breed has its specific characteristics and the best choice of a truffle dog shall be formed once all the requirements of the potential owner are pointed. The purely hunting breeds tend to have a wide field of research, strongly developed sense of smell and are generally highly active. Retrievers tend not to move far from their owner while making an intense and detailed research. Epagneul Bretons and the Springer Spaniels are known for their great strength and stamina as well as their ability to retrieve. The Lagotto Romagnolo is a breed of characteristic obedience and capabilities, bred from italians initially as a water-retriever and then commonly used for truffle hunting.
Don’t forget that the love and patience towards your puppy while training it are of much greater importance than the “genes” of your dog.