Have you ever wondered how truffles are found and why they are so expensive? The answer to both questions is due to Truffle Hogs and Truffle Dogs. Truffles are a very difficult item to find. They are often found at the bottom of certain tree roots. However, they do not constantly grow in the same place, which makes them so unpredictable to find. Truffle Hogs and Truffle Dogs are used to help hunters find some of these little culinary gems! So which one is better? The dogs or the pigs?

Dogs
The Lagotto Romagnolo is usually the dog of choice when it comes to truffle hunting as it is the easiest dog to train to pick up the scent of truffles. They have an incredible sense of smell so they can find truffles faster than many other dog breeds. They are natural foraging dogs and are not distracted once they are on the trail of something, which is incredibly helpful while hunting for truffles in wooded areas.

the pigs
Truffle Hogs aren’t used as much as Truffle Dogs nowadays, but they are very good at finding Truffles. Unlike the Lagotto Romagnolo, they do not need to be trained to smell them. It’s a natural instinct for them to find truffles, I guess you could say! The main problem with the Truffle Hog is that they tend to eat the truffles they find very quickly. This is one of the reasons why they are not widely used today.

so which one is the best?
They are both very good at finding Truffles, but the Dog must be better than the Pig. This is mainly because they are much easier to control in terms of finding the truffle and not consuming it. They can also be used to find other things depending on how you train them. The Dog can also be kept in a home with other animals and children as they are great with other animals and people if they are around for a while. The Lagotto Romagnolo is also a very loyal and obedient animal making it perfect for truffle hunters to keep at home.

The Hog is still useful, but it requires someone to be in front of it so the Hog doesn’t gobble up the Truffles! The pig does not require training to find the truffles, but they are very difficult to control, so it is much easier to use a truffle dog. However, the Hog has been banned in some areas, such as some regions of Italy, due to the fact that they eat and destroy thousands of euros worth of truffles. This is only in a few areas, but it shows that truffle dogs are better at finding truffles.

One thing that should also be mentioned is that the Lagotto Romagnolo is not the only truffle dog. It is the most common dog for hunting fresh truffles, but any dog ​​can be trained to sniff them out! It’s just how much effort you’re willing to put in!