A Canberra truffle farmer is rescuing dogs and training them to hunt for the prized black gold. 

Jayson Mesman has trained law enforcement dogs for 12 years but a decade ago he stumbled across truffle farming while working for Customs in Western Australia. 

He now owns the ACT's only truffle farm in the foothills of Mount Majura.  His "farm hands" are dogs rescued from pounds over the past decade. 

"I actually go into the pound and look for the dogs that people quite often can't maintain," Mr Mesman said. 

"Those with a really strong hunt drive, wanting to play constantly, the dog that chases the ball until he falls over almost." 

Mr Mesman said Labradors were often given up for adoption. 

Truffle hunting dogs Nala, Simba, Willow and Samson. (  Supplied )

"Owners are grabbing the cute, cuddly Labradors that everyone sees on the Kleenex ads," he said. 

"They don't realise they're a natural born retriever, so really high-powered ... and they don't realise that until their nice manicured backyard gets ripped to pieces." 

Truffle dog 'works for hugs'

Truffle dogs are specifically trained to find the scent of the underground fungus and are rewarded with play, pats, praise and food treats. 

"Each dog will work for different reasons," Mr Mesman said. 

"Every dog is trainable, it's just finding that key niche that they want to work for." 

Mr Mesman said his dog Simba worked for hugs. 

"My partner Danielle is a dog lover but has never trained a dog," he said. 

"We couldn't get Simba to work for us, I'd spent hours in the paddock with balls, food. 

"He found his first truffle when Danielle gave him a hug. 

"All he wants is a hug." 

Jayson Mesman with his kelpie Max on his 'graduation' from 'Truffle Dog University'. (  Supplied )

It is nearly impossible to find truffles without a highly trained dog or pig. 

Traditionally pigs have been used, but dogs are easier to train and to work with according to Mr Mesman. 

Labradors are commonly used because they are scent-dominant and can be trained to smell out the pungency of a ripe truffle. 

But Mr Mesman has also had success training his kelpie, Max. 

"He's a dog that can run 80 to 100 kilometres per day," he said. 

"So we put all that energy to use and it's something that he loves doing." 

Mr Mesman said truffle hunting was essentially one big game of hide-and-seek for the dogs. 

"These dogs don't consider it work, it's not a chore by any sense," he said. 

"The key is making sure they're having a good time." 

Dogs sniffing out cancer, fire ants

The demand for truffle dogs is growing with new farms popping up in Australia each year. 

Mr Mesman said other industries were also increasingly using dogs for their sense of smell. 

"People are starting to tap into how useful dogs can be and how successful they are," he said. 

"There are dogs searching for cancer ... termites and fire ants." 

Mr Mesman said he specialised in training dogs with strong behavioural or aggression issues. 

"I'm trying to rescue as many dogs as I can and put them onto people that can use them," he said. 

"By using positive reinforcement you can get a dog to do basically anything you want them to do." 

Pigs increase truffle yields

Pigs were traditionally used to find truffles in France and Italy and they still have their place on Mr Mesman's farm. 

He said pigs had a greater sense of smell than his dogs, but it was hard to stop them eating the truffles. 

The Wessex saddleback pigs dig up the rotten and leftover truffles at the end of the season. (  Supplied )

"They're 120 kilograms and stopping them is like stopping a small dozer," he said. 

Mr Mesman uses his two Wessex saddlebacks, named Winnie and Piglet, to dig up unformed and rotten truffles at the end of the season. 

"They eat the truffles, digest the truffles, and through their faeces they actually spread the spores and help increase our yields naturally," he said. 

Truffle season kicks off in June. 

Prices are likely to be higher this year — between $2,000 and $3,000 per kilogram — because of a poor season in Europe.