Only 25 Competitor Places · Entries Now Open

Fri 13 Nov 2026 Private Woodland, West Sussex

The UK Truffle Dog Championships

The UK's national truffle dog competition. Dog-and-handler teams, live timed hunts in real woodland, and one national title.

Enter the Championships

Entry £36 · Only 25 competitor places · Entries now open

Discover the Championships
Fri 13 Nov
The day before
the festival
0
Competitor
places
2 Classes
Open and
Young Dogs
Est. 2022
Entries fill
every year

About the Championships

Real scent. Real skill. Real partnership.

A truffle hunter and his Lagotto Romagnolo finding a truffle in the woods

Each year, dog-and-handler teams from across the UK compete in live, timed truffle hunting challenges for the national title. It's skilful, nail-biting, and genuinely unlike anything else on the British events calendar.

Inspired by Italy's long-established truffle dog trials, the Championships has moved away from traditional scentwork scoring. Natural behaviours like digging are not penalised. Instead, judging focuses on what really matters in real truffle hunting:

  • Motivation & Drive
  • Searching
  • Detection
  • Harvesting
  • Teamwork

In 2026, the Championships takes place in a natural woodland setting, giving competitors the environment this competition truly deserves.

Enter Now → How It Works
A truffle hunter and his Lagotto Romagnolo finding a truffle in the woods
Friday 13th November 2026 · 9am to 4pm

How the Day Works

A timed woodland search, judged on the craft of true truffle hunting.

Every team takes on a live, timed search in natural woodland, watched by expert judges and scored on the five pillars above. Full rules are shared with competitors once they have secured their place.

  • 25 competitor places across two classes: Open Class (18 months and over) and Young Dogs (9 to 30 months).
  • One dog per competitor on the day.
  • Up to two spectating guests included with every competitor entry.
  • The venue is disclosed to competitors only, a private natural woodland within 20 minutes of Hickstead, West Sussex.
  • The main awards ceremony takes place the following day at The UK Truffle Festival in Hickstead.
Secure Your Place →
A truffle dog in woodland with a freshly found truffle

Competitor Entry

What's Included

Entry is £36 plus a £1 booking fee, and covers the full competition day.

Your competition runA live, timed woodland search in front of expert judges.

Two guest placesBring up to two spectating guests with your entry.

Scorecard and feedbackPersonal feedback from the judges on your team's performance.

The title shotCompete for podium places and the title of UK Truffle Dog Champion 2026.

Awards at the festivalThe main awards ceremony is held the next day at The UK Truffle Festival, Hickstead.

National recognitionRecognition prizes rewarding specific elements of skill and teamwork on the day.

Enter the Championships

Our Story

How It All Began

Guests and dogs at the UK Truffle Festival

The UK’s original Truffle Dog Championships were founded in 2008 by the late Marion Dean, a true pioneer of British truffle hunting. Working with her Lagotto Romagnolo, Mufti, Marion created an event that brought together dogs and handlers from across the country to celebrate the unique partnership behind truffle detection.

Fourteen years later, the spark was reignited during an episode of the Truffle Forager podcast, when host Ben Sweet spoke with James Feaver of the English Truffle Company, winner of that very first contest with his black Labrador, Bramble. The conversation ignited renewed interest, and in 2022 a new Championships was born, a fresh event inspired by Marion's original.

The revival grew into something bigger, a celebration not just of truffle dogs but of the entire truffle culture in the UK. The result was The UK Truffle Festival: dogs, truffles, food and education, woven into a vibrant one-day countryside event, with the Championships at its heart.

Supported by a growing network of dog lovers, foragers, scientists, growers, chefs and enthusiasts, the Championships continues to evolve each year, raising standards and honouring the roots of truffling in the UK.

Enter the Championships
Guests and dogs at the UK Truffle Festival
Denise Stalder, lead judge of the UK Truffle Dog Championships

Meet the Judge

Judged by Denise Stalder

Swiss truffle dog trainer, breeder and author, back for her second year as lead judge.

Denise Stalder is one of Europe's most experienced truffle dog trainers. Based in Switzerland, she has hunted truffles for some 20 years and has run professional truffle courses for dogs of all breeds since 2005, through her Trüffel Akademie Schweiz. A Lagotto Romagnolo breeder and behaviour specialist, she is also co-author of the book Lagotto Romagnolo & Trüffel.

Denise led the judging at the 2025 Championships and quickly became part of what makes the event special: competitors valued her calm, expert eye and generous feedback, and she raised the level of the whole competition. We're delighted to welcome her back as lead judge for 2026.

Denise will also be running beginner truffle dog training workshops at The UK Truffle Festival on the Saturday. More information coming soon.

Good to Know

Frequently Asked Questions

All breeds and all experience levels are welcome, from newer teams to seasoned hunters. There are two classes: the main Open Class for dogs 18 months and over, and Young Dogs for dogs between 9 and 30 months. Each competitor may compete with a single dog on the day.
No. The format is designed to test natural truffle hunting ability rather than formal scentwork scoring, and newer teams are genuinely welcome. If your dog can search, detect and work with you, you have everything you need to take part.
Each competitor entry includes up to two spectating guests. Beyond that, the Championships is not open to the general public. The best place to catch the truffle dog action is The UK Truffle Festival the following day, where the main awards ceremony takes place.
In a private natural woodland within 20 minutes of Hickstead, West Sussex. The exact location is shared with competitors only, ahead of the day. Keeping truffle sites confidential is standard practice in the truffle world, and it protects the woodland for years to come.
Entry is £36 plus a £1 booking fee. That covers your competition run, a scorecard with feedback from the judges, up to two spectating guests, and the chance to compete for podium places and the title of UK Truffle Dog Champion 2026.
Full rules are shared with competitors once they have secured their place. Judging focuses on motivation and drive, searching behaviour, detection capability, harvesting efficiency and teamwork.
No, it's a completely separate event with its own entry process and ticketing. The Championships is held in woodland on Friday 13th November, and the main awards ceremony takes place the following day at The UK Truffle Festival in Hickstead. Festival tickets are sold separately.
No, bitches in season cannot compete, in fairness to the other dogs working the same ground. If this affects your entry, get in touch and we'll do our best to help.

Make a Weekend of It

The UK Truffle Festival · Saturday 14th November

The Championships awards ceremony takes place at the festival, alongside a full day of truffle dogs, live cooking, expert talks and great food at Hickstead, West Sussex.

Adults from £24 · Under 16s go free

Festival Tickets →

Entries Now Open

Could Your Dog Take the Title?

Only 25 competitor places. First come, first served.

Enter the Championships

Entry £36 plus £1 booking fee · Friday 13th November 2026 · Private woodland, West Sussex

25 Competitor Places · Entries Open