Joriad North American Truffle Dog Championship in Eugene kicks off Oregon Truffle Festival

Ben Lonergan, Register-Guard
·2 min read

As her nose hovered above the damp forest floor, Pixel swept through a stand of trees before pressing her nose to the soil. She began to dig.

With the help of her handler, Courtney VanDyke, the pair unearthed a small white truffle.

“You did so good. Good puppy,” said VanDyke.

Pixel, a 3-year-old border collie, and VanDyke, of Everett, Washington, were among 27 competitors to take part in The Joriad North American Truffle Dog Championship in Eugene last weekend. The duo were the event champions with 14 truffles found and went home with the $500 prize.

The truffle dog competition is the inaugural event for the 2023 Oregon Truffle Festival, which features a variety of dining events and seminars over the next few weeks.

Courtney VanDyke celebrates with Pixel, her 3-year-old border collie, after finding a truffle during the final round of the North American Truffle Dog Championship in Eugene Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.
Courtney VanDyke celebrates with Pixel, her 3-year-old border collie, after finding a truffle during the final round of the North American Truffle Dog Championship in Eugene Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

Getting into truffle hunting

VanDyke and Pixel got their start in truffle hunting after a friend jokingly suggested it after Pixel’s success with agility classes.

“At first it was a joke, and then it wasn’t,” said VanDyke.

In the months leading up to the competition, VanDyke and Pixel would train weekly for practice and after their success in the amateur competition they may begin working for hire, VanDyke said.

Truffle festival events

The Truffle Homecoming later in February is the festival's signature weekend. There will be a truffle farming workshop, truffle dinners, lecture series and fresh truffle marketplace.

The Fresh Truffle Marketplace will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 19 at the Oregon State University Alumni Center, 725 SW 26th St., in Corvallis. The event includes cooking demos, wine and beer tastings, truffle and mycology lecture series and truffle dog demonstration (Advance: $25 general admissions/$40 with wine tasting; At the door: $30 general admissions/$50 with wine tasting).

For more info on the Oregon Truffle Festival, check out the website, oregontrufflefestival.org.

Raji, a 1-year-old Pembroke Welsh corgi, looks up at his handler during the first round of The Joriad North American Truffle Dog Championship at the Lane County Fairgrounds Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.
Raji, a 1-year-old Pembroke Welsh corgi, looks up at his handler during the first round of The Joriad North American Truffle Dog Championship at the Lane County Fairgrounds Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

The Statesman Journal's Em Chan contributed to this report.

Contact multimedia journalist Ben Lonergan at blonergan@registerguard.com, call 541-214-3136 or follow on Twitter or Instagram @lonerganphoto.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Truffle dog championship kicks off Oregon Truffle Festival