New Zealand Truffle Dog Services

06/04/2025

Suppliers of soil conditioners, liquid fertilisers and animal health products.
Grow organic with our Bio Gro Registered products.

05/03/2025

Interesting study on the extinction of the moas.

THE SNAKE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN WAS MAN

Scientists say humans and their associated rats, cats, dog, and pigs wiped out almost a thousand species of birds--- most of them of the big, flightless and tasty variety -- from Pacific Islands during the Holocene period as early humans arrived a thousand years before the first Europeans.

One example is the tallest bird that ever lived — the 12-14 foot tall Moa of New Zealand, which disappeared before 1400 AD.

In all, there were 11 species of Moa, ranging from 40 to 600 pounds. Early settlement sites in New Zealand are littered with moa bones suggesting they were a favorite food of pre-European settlers.

Scientists have never doubted that the moa was hunted into extinction, but what is astounding is how few people it took to accomplish the task.

A population model done by Richard Holdaway, a paleobiologist from Palaecol Research in Christchurch, New Zealand, assumed an original moa population of 158,000 birds -- a number that is double what is believed to have actually existed.

Holdaway's model also assumes no moa eggs were eaten (though midden piles make clear they were) and that all of the moas that were killed for food were at least one year old. The calculations also assume a small clutch size, which is suggested by semi-fossilized moa nests found in caves and overhangs.

So how long did the moas last? Not long.

According to Holdaway's calculations, if 100 Polynesians arrived, and their population grew 1 percent per year, and 20 people ate one female moa per week, and there was no habitat decline due to intentional burning, the birds would have gone extinct in 160 years.

If 200 people arrived, the population grew 2.2 percent per year, and 10 people ate one female moa each week, and habitat loss is factored in, the birds would have vanished in just 50 years.

While there is clearly a lot of wiggle room here (the numbers predated on would have slowed as numbers declined, human population may not have grown quite as quickly, nest size may have been a little larger that suggested in the model, and not all of the moas that were eaten were female) Jacomb's numbers appear to be supported by what scientists see in the field.

The first humans settlers to New Zealand are now believed to have arrived from Polynesia around 1280 AD, and no moa bones are found in caves that were occupied after 1400, suggesting the faster decimation scenario, rather than the slower one.

Rumors of moas existing at last as 1700 or 1800 are due to the fact that the birds often nested in caves and overhangs, which preserved bones and near-perfect eggs (see picture of semi-fossilized moa skeleton, above)

For more information, see >> Rapid Extinction of the Moas by R. N. Holdaway and C. Jacomb, Science, March 24, 2000, pp. 2250-4.

The current total fertility rate of New Zealand, by the way, is 2.0 -- just below replacement. Immigration, however, means New Zealand's population continues to grow.

31/12/2024

Happy New Year from Truffle Dog Services! - https://mailchi.mp/e51032f962b8/happy-new-year-from-truffle-dog-services

24/12/2024

Safe and happy Christmas greetings to you all.

15/10/2024

You never know what the next dig will bring! Life is about those rare finds that make it all worthwhile. 🌱 - Karen Drummond 2024

Picture of first truffles for a grower in Hawkes Bay region.

02/10/2024

They say finding a truffle is like finding a needle in a haystack—but when that needle smells like pure heaven, the challenge is worth it! 🙌 Indy sniffed out a some great truffles this 2024 season —there’s nothing like watching the magic happen.

16/09/2024

🌿 Ready to Hunt Your Own Truffles in 2025? Train Your Dog NOW! 🐾

✨ Calling all truffle growers! The best time to prepare for next year’s truffle season is NOW—start training your dog to be your expert truffle-hunting partner. Our Truffière Orchard Truffle Dog Training Course is designed just for you and your property!

🚜 Why Now?
Training takes time, and the 2025 season is just around the corner. With our easy-to-follow, fun, and engaging modules, you'll have your dog primed and ready to uncover your orchard’s treasures.

📅 What You’ll Get:
🔸 Weekly, step-by-step training focused on the Tuber family
🔸 Video tutorials, live webinars, and PDF documents
🔸 Hands-on leash handling and scent recognition techniques
🔸 Up to 5 hours of fun training exercises each week!

🏅 Sign up today and have your truffle dog ready to hunt by 2025!

🌍 Perfect for growers across the New Zealand, and throughout the truffle world!

An opportunity for you and your dog to develop a stronger relationship through training them to hunt for truffles.

06/09/2024

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Frog Recruitment Top Dog awards - dogs with a job.

06/09/2024

🌿🐕 **End of Season Wrap-Up – Thank You! 🐕🌿

As the truffle season has drawn to a close, the team at Truffle Dog Services wants to extend a massive thank you to all the incredible growers we had the pleasure of hunting for across the North Island.

A special congratulations to the five growers who harvested their first-ever truffles this year! 🎉 After years of searching, it’s a thrill to see those hidden treasures finally reveal themselves. Persistence certainly paid off!

To those who are new to the truffle industry—whether you’ve just planted your first orchard or purchased an established property—welcome aboard! We’re excited to see where your journey will take you and can’t wait to be a part of your success in the seasons to come.

From all of us at Truffle Dog Services (Karen, Konrad, Jane) and especially the dogs 🐶, here’s to the end of a great season and looking forward to more truffle-filled adventures ahead!

Stay tuned for exciting updates and opportunities as we gear up for next year. 🖤🍄

Send a message to learn more

25/08/2024

With only a few days left for vote for People's Choice award in the Frog Recruitment awards, Indi would like your vote! The votes close at 9am on Thursday 29th August.

If you would like to vote for Indi, or another deserving contestant, go to https://www.frogrecruitment.co.nz/nzpeoplechoice.

Frog Recruitment

25/08/2024

Indi is one of the top 20 Finalists for Frog Recruitments 2024.

The People's Choice award is still taking votes and closes at 9am on Thursday 29th August. If you would like to vote for Indi, or another deserving dog, go to: https://www.frogrecruitment.co.nz/nzpeoplechoice

Frog Recruitment

24/08/2024

This is the final weekend for us looking for black truffles.

Two growers visited and both had reasonable success. One is a new grower that had purchased a property and had an exciting time digging up their first truffles. Great result for their first time.

Today we searched for Borchii and had success again today with a small bounty. I found a small truffle and Indi kept returning to the same spot. After much probing we found a reasonable sized Borchii - the one at my finger tips. Came out in about 4 pieces!

Another search tomorrow and looking forward to more success.

14/08/2024

End of season Truffle Surveys - https://mailchi.mp/ed3fe8e12ea3/mid-season-truffle-surveys-17983761

14/08/2024

Indi is pleased to announce that she has been selected as one of the Finalists in the 2024 Dogs with Jobs.

Voting is available for the People's Choice award, so feel free to vote for Indi whilst the overall decision is made on the 2024 Top Dog with a Job on the 27th August.

Click her to add your vote: https://www.frogrecruitment.co.nz/nztopdogwithajobfinalist/indi-cocker-spaniel-te-kuiti

More about Indi:
Indi has been involved in the truffle industry for nine years, and has found first truffles for a large number growers throughout the North Island of New Zealand.

This season alone she has found first truffles for two Tuber melanosporum (Périgord or Black Truffle) and three Tuber borchii (Borchii or Bianchetto) growers. They are based in the Waikato, Auckland, Hawkes Bay and Bay of Plenty.

The season is still going, but will be finishing soon.

12/08/2024

Indi has been entered into the 2024 competition.

Follow this link to place your vote for Indi in the People's choice award.

https://www.frogrecruitment.co.nz/nztopdogpeoplechoice/vote-for-indi-cocker-spaniel-te-kuiti


Frog Recruitment

9 years ago, we discovered global research indicating that having dogs around the workplace can improve employees mental health. NZ Top Dog is a feel-good competition to celebrate our furry best friends and shed some light on the positive impacts they have on our lives and mental health.

31/07/2024

What an awesome day in the office today. The sun was shining brightly, although you can see the rain clouds starting to toll in.

Found first T. Borchii (Bianchetto) truffles on 5 year old trees for a grower.

Today's find makes it three new T. Borchii producers this season.

Congratulations 🎊 to all the new producers.

24/07/2024

Mid-season Truffle Surveys - https://mailchi.mp/34bb69677649/mid-season-truffle-surveys