Name: Peri

Breed: Beagle Cross

Age: 4 Years (2023)

Reward: Food

Location: Double Oaks Estate, Lancefield. Winery and Truffle Plantation.

Planted 9 Rows in 2019 and remainder in 2021.

Previous Training:

None

Main areas to work on:

N/A

Course: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.

We started Peri’s truffle training journey in 2021 starting with the Beginner Course at 4-month-old late April 2021. After 4 weeks she was ready for the Intermediate course all because of the excellent training and consistent approach of her owner, Kristy. She was finding unpaired truffle hides, pointing accurately with her nose and sitting as her alert. She has amazing focus and extremely keen to please. She absolutely loves the game. She began the Intermediate course in mid-May 2021 and then moved on to the advanced course in mid-June 2021.

I returned in 2022 to do 3 refresher sessions with Peri to see how she was going and continue to keep her interested in the game as real truffles were still a few years away on this farm. She was confident in unpaired truffle training oil hides off lead and was accurate and focused even within the truffiere.

In 2023 I returned to do refresher with real truffle hides. Peri found the real truffle hides without difficulty.

Future:

Peri will be working on lead keeping focused and working on the “Show” command while building search stamina during the off season between 2023/2024. There could be truffle in 2024 so it could be an exciting year for her, 3 years in the making. Once the truffiere is producing we will be marking real truffle locations with Kovu and continuing her training in advanced while cross checking her with the real underground truffle locations. So keep a eye on Double Oaks website in 2024 because there is every possibility they will be starting their truffle hunting experiences.

Update Season 2024:

We found first truffles during the 2024 season and this season is all about consolidating Peri’s training within the truffiere. We are marking the locations of the truffles first then having Peri search along these rows. Peri is doing an amazing job at finding these real undug truffles and I think in the 2025 season she will start showing truffles all by herself without the aid of seasoned truffle dog, Kovu.