This is an article on an Italian website about how to train truffle dogs.
http://www.lagotto.net/addestramento2.htmThis 'Truffles Magazine Newsletter' has dog training instructions.
http://www.truffle-uk.co.uk/newsletters/2006-09-26%20Truffles%20News%20Autumn%202006.pdfThis is the only place in the UK that offers truffle dog training courses.
http://www.plantationsystems.com/Train.htmThese are some other training instructions I have.
°°Your dog needs to be about three months old when you begin training it.
°°It can be any breed of dog.
°°You will need to dedicate 15 minutes a day to his training programme. You must always reward the dog for finding something.
°°The first stage is to throw a piece of cheese onto the bare ground and teach the dog to find it – and he will eat it.
°°The second stage is to hide the cheese in the ground and train the dog to find it.
°°The third, is to place a truffle under the piece of cheese and get the dog used to the scent of the truffle.
°°The fourth stage is to hide the truffles without including a piece of cheese. The dogs will locate the truffle, but then go and find the cheese instead and dig that up.
°°The final stage is to put cheese on top of the truffle but insist that the dog digs up the truffle. When they have mastered this, hide the truffle without the cheese and again, insist that they dig it up. Reward them, this time, with cheese from your pocket.
Once this has been accomplished, at the end of a month approximately, the dog can be taken out into the hills to test his skills.
