Stop guessing.Train a truffle dog you can trust.
Learn to read what your dog is telling you, build a reliable indication and follow a personalised pathway toward confident searching in real truffiere conditions.
- Read your dog’s searching behaviour instead of guessing the source location.
- Build a clear, reliable indication you can trust.
- Follow a week-by-week pathway from initial scent pairing to advanced searching in real farm conditions.
Training built in the field
Eight-plus years working across private and commercial truffieres.
Real truffle work. Practical dog training. Proven field experience.
8+ years
Field experience
Practical truffle hunting and dog development.
30+ farms
Per season
Private and commercial truffieres across Victoria and NSW.
250kg+
Season harvests
Truffles found through real hunting and harvest work.
10+ dogs
Now working
Developed through the program into professional truffle dogs.
Why training stalls
Your dog may know more than you can currently see.
The difficult part is rarely effort. It is knowing what the dog is communicating and making the right decision at the right moment.
Without experienced feedback, every session can become a series of guesses: Was that the source? Did you reward too soon? Should you help—or give the dog more time?
The program teaches the handler as deliberately as it trains the dog.
This may feel familiar
- 1
You are not sure if you understand your dog’s body language and are guessing the source location.
- 2
You do not know when to wait, help, reward, reset or increase the difficulty.
- 3
Your dog succeeds in familiar exercises, then loses confidence or accuracy outdoors.
- 4
You are worried that inconsistent handling could create habits that become harder to fix later.
The transformation
Build clarity at both ends of the lead.
A capable truffle team needs more than odour recognition. Your dog needs confidence and independence; you need observation, timing and a repeatable plan.
See what your dog smells
Learn to recognise searching behaviour, odour commitment and the small changes that help you locate the true source.
Train with purpose
Know what to practise, what success should look like and how to adjust the task when your dog needs more support.
Build a dependable alert
Shape a clear indication and improve precision so your dog can communicate where the truffle odour is coming from.
Progress beyond the backyard
Develop confidence, stamina and focus through distractions, weather changes and increasingly realistic search problems.
Handle with better timing
Improve your rewards, resets, cues and leadership so you support the search without taking the job away from your dog.
Become a working team
Build the leadership, timing and communication needed for a capable human-and-canine truffle hunting team. As you learn to see what your dog smells, your dog becomes an extension of you.
How the program works
Personal training—not a generic video library.
Every team begins in a different place. The program identifies that starting point, then builds the next useful skill without skipping the foundations underneath it.
The core principle
Make the task clear enough for the dog to succeed—and challenging enough for the team to keep developing.
- 01
Assess the team
Begin with a two-hour consultation to review your dog’s current skills, motivation, searching style, indication, go through the theory, demonstrate the practical aspects of training and discuss your goals.
- 02
Follow a tailored pathway
Receive weekly tasks selected for your dog’s current ability rather than trying to force every team through the same exercises.
- 03
Review, refine and progress
Use regular check-ins and timestamped video feedback to improve your handling and modify the plan as your team develops.
Included with every course
Understand why your training has stalled—and what to do next
Two-hour initial consultation
Online or in person, with an assessment of your team’s starting point and the priorities that should guide your training.
Four weeks of continued support
Weekly check-ins throughout each level, with tasks and course content modified as your team progresses or new challenges appear.
Custom weekly tasks
A practical week-by-week plan based on your dog’s ability, rather than a generic list of exercises to work through alone.
Timestamped video feedback
Detailed review of your training footage to help you understand body language, search behaviour and alert development.
Personalised troubleshooting
Guidance when odour recognition, confidence, drive, distractions, handling or indication behaviour are not progressing cleanly.
50+ pages of course material
More than 50 pages of course material, with theory and practical handling for each level across the pathway. The evidence-based training systems build a deeper understanding of canine scent capability.
Meet your instructor
Learn from someone who understands the dog—and the job.
Simone Thomas combines formal study in canine psychology, behaviour, training, emotion and cognition with more than eight years of practical truffle-season work.
You are not only learning exercises. You are learning how scent behaves, how dogs solve odour problems and how a handler can support the search without creating dependence or confusion.
Canine Truffle Program
A practical development pathway with 10+ dogs through the program who are now professional truffle dogs.
Events and workshops
More than five years presenting at and hosting truffle hunting events, including interstate workshops.
Industry contributions
Australian national conference and state meeting contributions, including a 2024 truffle dog expert Q&A panel, a 2025 National Conference presentation and a 2026 Victorian State Meeting presentation.
Collaboration with industry experts
Working alongside industry experts in truffle grading, cleaning, trimming, preservation and transportation.
Dog Emotion and Cognition
Duke University via Coursera
Completed March 9, 2025 — approximately 22 hours.
Certificate in Dog Psychology, Behaviour and Training
The Career Academy
Certificate issued May 2026.
Australian Truffle Industry Association Conference
Industry presentation — April 2025.
Choose your pathway
Start at the level your team needs now.
Each level is delivered as a private four-week program with personalised tasks and feedback. Completing Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced creates a 12-week pathway. Courses are available during the off-season, and travel charges apply to in-person delivery where required.
Beginner
Truffle Hunting Basics
$700
Four-week private course
Best for: Dogs and handlers beginning scent work or rebuilding the foundations of an early truffle search.
Build a clear foundation from first odour association through independent searching and an early indication.
You will work on
- A development pathway from beginner to advanced truffle work
- Canine olfaction, body language and handler communication
- Drive, motivation and independent searching
- Indication behaviour and shaping passive or active alerts
- Scent association indoors, outdoors and on grass
- Introducing “Find” and troubleshooting early odour recognition
Intermediate
Increasing the Difficulty for the Truffle Dog Team
$1,000
Four-week private course
Best for: Teams with basic odour recognition that are ready to improve independence, precision and consistency.
Move beyond simple paired hides and develop a more accurate, resilient search across changing environments.
You will work on
- Leadership, practical obedience and clearer team communication
- A precise transition from paired to unpaired hides and handling odour
- Teaching “Show” and using it within the truffiere
- Search stamina, focus and marking accuracy
- Working through distractions without losing the task
- Using “Drop” to develop an off-switch in high-drive dogs
Advanced
Truffle-Specific Training & Professional Dog Development
$1,300
Four-week private course
Best for: Experienced teams preparing for demanding farm conditions or professional-level truffle work.
Prepare for the complex odour, weather, depth and handling challenges that appear in operational truffieres.
You will work on
- The truffle growth cycle and stages of ripening
- Harvesting techniques, truffle marking systems and preservation
- Rip lines, reinoculation and farm biosecurity
- Truffle brûlé and how heat, humidity, soil, rain and wind affect odour
- Finding the scent source across different soil properties
- Residual odours, converging odours and multiple hides
- Blind hides and search confidence in variable weather
- Wet conditions and small or deep truffles
- Maintaining focus and marking accuracy around distractions
Combined pathway
Purchase Intermediate and Advanced together
Beginner coursework and a truffle training kit are included at no additional cost, giving you the complete pathway from foundations to professional-level challenges.
Is this the right fit?
Designed for handlers who want to understand—not just follow instructions.
A strong fit when you want to…
- Build skills carefully instead of rushing the final behaviour.
- Understand why an exercise is working—or why it is not.
- Submit video and apply feedback between sessions.
- Prepare for practical truffiere conditions over time.
This is not…
- A one-size-fits-all collection of prerecorded lessons.
- A promise that every dog progresses at the same speed.
- A shortcut that skips motivation, search independence or indication foundations.
- Retrieval training—the hide equipment contains small parts and must not be picked up by the dog.
Need focused help instead?
Get expert direction without joining the full program.
Consultations are designed for handlers who need troubleshooting, an assessment or a clear next-step plan.
60 minutes
Available all year
Private Phone Consultation
$200
For handlers who need expert direction, a second opinion or a practical plan for one specific stage of training.
- Review of your dog’s current training and skill level
- Identification of the most important gaps or challenges
- Guidance on improving your current training approach
- A clear, actionable plan to continue at home
Two hours
Off-season only — October to April
Private Training Consultation
$500 + travel
For handlers wanting an in-depth assessment and personalised guidance without committing to the full four-week program.
- In-person or video assessment of current search skills
- Identification of training gaps and areas for improvement
- Evaluation of drive, motivation and reward systems
- Guidance on developing or refining the indication
- Demonstrations of important training steps
- A customised training plan tailored to your goals
- A follow-up email with detailed training recommendations
Training equipment
The practical tools for building scent exercises at home.
Kits and training odour are available separately. They provide the equipment—not the instruction—so handlers who need a training pathway should select a course above.
Truffle Training Kit
$45
Postage within Australia included
- Plastic storage container
- Two tins and three tubes for truffle-oil hides
- Three plastic jars with lids for real-truffle hides
- Tweezers and cotton swabs
- 15mL Educatruffe truffle training oil
Educatruffe Training Oil
$70
115mL • Postage within Australia included
- Specialised dog-training odour—not edible truffle oil
- Long-lasting use, applied one drop at a time
- Used within the pathway before transitioning to real truffle
- Supplied by Truffe France
Equipment safety
Kits contain small parts and are not suitable for retrieval training. Do not allow your dog to pick up or carry a hide. Owners use the equipment at their own risk. Custom quotes are available for partial kit components.
Questions before you enquire
Everything you need to choose your next step.
The program is personalised, so your enquiry should include where your dog is now and what you want the team to be able to do.
Is the course four weeks or 12 weeks?
Each Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced level is a four-week supported course. Completing all three levels creates a 12-week pathway from initial scent pairing to advanced farm searching.
Is this a self-paced online course?
No. Each course is a private, supported four-week program. It begins with a two-hour consultation and includes customised weekly tasks, regular check-ins and timestamped feedback on your training videos.
Can a complete beginner join?
Yes. Truffle Hunting Basics is designed for dogs and handlers starting scent work or building early truffle foundations. Include your dog’s current experience in your enquiry so the most suitable starting point can be assessed.
Can the training be completed remotely?
The initial consultation can be online or in person. The ongoing task structure, check-ins and video feedback make remote support possible. Travel charges apply where in-person delivery requires travel.
When are the courses available?
The four-week courses are offered during the off-season. The two-hour private training consultation is available from October to April, while the one-hour phone consultation is available throughout the year.
Which course level should I choose?
Choose Beginner for early scent foundations, Intermediate when your dog recognises odour but needs more precision and independence, and Advanced when you are preparing for complex farm conditions. Include your dog’s current experience in your enquiry if you are unsure.
Is a training kit included?
Training kits are normally purchased separately. When the Intermediate and Advanced courses are purchased together, the Beginner coursework and a training kit are included at no additional cost.
Can the hide containers be used for retrieval training?
No. The kits contain small parts and are not suitable for retrieval. Do not allow your dog to pick up or carry the hide containers. Owners use the equipment at their own risk.
Ready to stop guessing?
Tell us where your truffle dog team is now—and where you want to go.
Include your dog’s current experience, the challenge you are facing, your training goal, your location and the course or consultation you are considering.
Email enquiries
Courses are available during the off-season. The one-hour phone consultation is available year-round.