The labrador retriever bounded into the forest, closely followed by a truffle hunter. I scrambled to keep up. Truffle hunting in Slovenian Istria was illegal in Slovenia only a few years ago. But now it’s a must-do foraging experience for foodies in Slovenia.<\/p>\n
Environmental restrictions officially banned commercial truffle hunting in Slovenia until 2012. Food enthusiasts wanting to experience the thrill of finding the fungi in the forest had to travel across the border to Croatia or Italy. \u00a0But it has always been a way of life for people like our guide, Sara.<\/p>\n
As a little girl, she followed her dad and his dogs into the forest. Any police they encountered on their truffle hunts didn’t mind looking the other way. A bigger concern was the wild pigs who would find and eat the truffles before the dogs could sniff them out.<\/p>\n
Now a twenty-something, Sara is completing her masters’ degree when she’s not guiding truffle hunts for visitors. “I was looking for truffles and I found Sara,” says Lado Rot, who promotes the truffle tours on his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n In confident English, Sara describes how truffle dogs are trained from puppyhood to associate the scent of truffles with feeding time and treats. All of the truffle dogs on her family farm are females, mostly Labrador Retrievers and one Border Collie mix. “They are more focused than the males,” Sara explains.<\/p>\n Watch this video to see Sara in action with her 3-year-old yellow lab, Liza. and while you’re there, please subscribe for more Slovenia travel videos!<\/p>\nTraining Truffle Dogs<\/h4>\n