Last fall I started Lira in truffle hunting classes through Truffle Dog Company here in Seattle and after finishing up the Foundations class it was pretty clear she was ready to skip Intermediate and move into Pre-Advanced and Advanced. Since early December we’ve been doing training hunts with real truffles most of the time and have been going out “hunting” a few days a week though she had never really even started digging but we knew it was a horrible year for truffles. This last few weeks things have gotten a bit more interesting as she started finding spots she was very interested in and dug a few holes where we’d find nothing or just heavy mycelium.
Tag Archives: TruffleDog
Hunting Birds and Truffles
Lira is back to bird hunting after last year’s injury and subsequent stem cell treatment to try and get her back. She’s been out after birds a few days a week only, not wanting to push her daily like I used to so we tend to hunt Mondays or Tuesdays and Thursdays or Fridays. I do have her drag a check cord to help slow her down a bit but she’s been doing great and finding birds every single time we get out, whether or not I get a shot is another thing but this week I’ve hit every bird that we found and the freezer is getting some pheasants again.
To give her something to do on her off days we enrolled her in truffle dog school through the Truffle Dog Company in Seattle. We started the Foundations I class a week ago and have her booked up with classes through the end of the year. She seems to really enjoy “hunting” truffle scent under cones in the house, is getting used to clicker training and loves all the extra treats. This should be a good activity for the off season for her since truffle season here picks up about the time bird season is slowing down.