Welcome to this Episode of the Truffle Forager Podcast, where it’s my job to chat with Truffle Hunters, Mushroom Experts and Enthusiasts from around the world and tease out their stories of Inspiration and Wisdom with you… helping you to deepen your connection with mother nature and your dog.
Special guest: Alana McGee
Alana McGee is the founder of The Truffle Dog Company. She’s a world-renowned truffle dog trainer and in this interview, we talk about everything you read below…
Learn more about Alana here: https://truffledogcompany.com
Chapters:
- 00:02:26 – Alana McGee’s story and how she got started training truffle dogs
- 00:09:05 – What different truffle species do you find in North America – An Overview
- 00:18:14 – Alana’s favourite truffles and what different truffles smell like?
- 00:24:00 – Are there undiscovered areas where wild truffles might be growing?
- 00:28:00 – Truffle oil vs. real truffles for dog training
- 00:32:50 – How do you make your own truffle-scented oils?
- 00:37:10 – Alana shares what science and truffle research projects she’s excited about
- 00:41:00 – Alana talks about her dogs
- 00:43:10 – What are the most common things new truffle dog handlers struggle with?
- 00:46:50 – How to teach a dog to alert and stay at source
- 00:50:20 – What is the ideal truffle dog sequence to train for
- 00:58:00 – What do your advanced students commonly struggle with?
- 01:04:20 – How much do we need to worry about scent contamination when training our dogs?
- 01:08:50 – What is the best way to explore new truffle areas with your dog?
- 01:16:00 – How to use your “que” when training your dog hunt truffles
- 01:17:35 – Alana shares what she loves most about her work in the truffle industry
- 01:20:45 – Alana talks about truffle hunting in Europe
- 01:29:12 – Raking for truffles vs using dogs
- 01:40:18 – Alana’s favourite way to eat truffles
