Truffles grow underground, and while they can be found by random digging, this is neither efficent nor does it result in the collection of the most ripe and fragrant truffles. The truffle fungus advertises its ripeness by its strong aroma, which attracts animals, such as squirrels, chipmunks, and pigs to disseminate the spores and spread the fungus. Both pigs and squirrels pose difficulties when trained to hunt truffles because they like to eat the fungus themselves. We therefore rely on dogs that are know for ther keen sense of smell to detect the ripest truffle. We are training our italian truffle dog Luna, of the Lagotto Romagnolo breed, to do just that.
