The Dog Specializing in Truffle Hunting
The Lagotto Romagnolo is the only dog breed in the world specialized in truffle hunting. Gifted with an extraordinary sense of smell and a natural predisposition for work, it has been the ideal companion of truffle hunters for centuries. Thanks to its gentle and cooperative temperament, the Lagotto forms a deep bond with its handler and works with enthusiasm, turning the search into a shared game. Its curly coat protects it and makes it waterproof, earning it the nickname “Water Dog” — a reference to its original use as a retriever in marshy areas. Later, when employed in truffle hunting, the coat is trimmed to allow freer movement through the undergrowth. In addition to its truffle-hunting skills, the Lagotto remains a loving and dependable dog, capable of bringing to family life the same dedication and joy it shows in the field.
TRAINING
1. Socialization and Basic Obedience
From the very first months of life, the puppy must learn to trust its handler, respond to recall, and maintain focus.
Training is based on small obedience exercises, always accompanied by positive reinforcement such as petting and food rewards.
2. Introduction to the Truffle
This is a very important and delicate phase, during which the dog lays the foundation for successful natural truffle training.
The initial approach can be carried out in different ways, and each breeder chooses the method they find most appropriate.
I, Simone Checcaroni, use the method that, according to my experience, is the most effective.
I use real truffles from the very beginning.
The puppies, already in their first days of life, are exposed to a light imprinting with the scent of truffles, memorizing through their sense of smell that specific aroma — and a dog never forgets it.
Scent = truffle = food.
Around 45–50 days of age, I start letting the puppies play with a real truffle to observe their interest.
Then I begin to hide the truffle on the surface to stimulate the puppy’s searching instinct.
When the puppy finds it, I praise it with words like “good, good!”, give a gentle pat and a treat, holding the truffle near its nose while offering the reward.
This exercise is repeated for a few days, in short sessions of no more than 5–10 minutes a day — it must always remain a game.
3. Open-Field Search – Introduction to Artificial Training
At this stage, I begin to hide the truffle under a tile or in a small hole in the ground, making sure the scent is still detectable but that the puppy cannot grab it with its mouth.
Goal: to accustom the puppy to use its front paws to reach the truffle.
In this way, the dog learns that using its paws, when the truffle cannot be reached with the mouth, is a correct and rewarding behavior.
The process is therefore:
detecting the scent → using the front paws (digging/forata) → reaching the “prey” = truffle.
4. Consolidation and Specialization
This phase progresses very gradually, day by day.
The truffle is buried progressively deeper, in small incremental steps, preferably using latex gloves to avoid scent contamination.
5. Final Step
At this point, the dog will have developed good or excellent searching ability for its age and will be able to maintain a high level of concentration on the scent, successfully completing the digging (forata) phase.
