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About the Lagotto
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The Lagotto Romagnolo is also called the Romagna Water Dog. Lagotto's have large, round eyes that range from the colour of dark yellow, green or light to dark brown. Their coat is thick and wooly and is also hypoallergenic meaning that they do not shed coat. Their colours range from off-white, cream, apricot or brown. They can be found white with brown or apricot patches also. If a Lagotto was born with a brown coat, this usually tends to lighten and get white flecks once it enters adulthood. It is known to be rare if a Lagotto has a pure, dark brown coat. Black colouring in a Lagotto is known to be a fault. Males grow to be around 43-48 cm (17-17 in) in height and can weigh up to 13-16 kg. The Lagotto Romagnolo is a Gundog breed and loves to work. They have sharp senses, though their eyesight is usually more sensitive to motion then detail. This is a very loyal breed, making the Lagotto a perfect family companion. They are very smart and extremely easy to train. Lagotto's get along with other animalsfantastically if socialized at a young age. They are boisterous and need a lot of exercise and should always be kept occupied to keep their intelligent minds working at full speed. Lagotto's have a natural instinct for retrieving. Today the Lagotto are bred to locate truffles in Europe and New Zealand. In the 16th century they were bred to hunt and retrieve ducks from the marshes in Romagna, Italy. But years later, they drained out most of the marshes in Romagna and the ducks went to find food elsewhere. That's when they discovered that the Lagotto is an excellent truffle hunter. Lagotto Romagnolo are excellent swimmers and will retrieve from lakes, streams and other bodies of water without hesitation. They get along very well with children and make excellent domestic pets provided that they have regular exercise and have sufficient human contact. The Lagotto is not a dog that would be happy being stuck in a backyard day and night, they need jobs to do and lots of toys to play with. There are conflicting ideas on how to groom this breed. Some say that it should be brushed regularly but others believe that it should be left to grow out naturally into a big fluff and then clipped back short. Here at Lotsalire, we tend to brush Lucy out once to twice a week as it gives us a chance to bond and also helps to find any prickles etc. that maybe hiding in the fur. If left to their own device, they will become matted and tend to felt. In the Summer, we advise that you should scissor or clip down the coat to around 1 cm short as the thick coat can be irritating in the heat. Once the coat has grown back to around 1 to 2 cms all over the body, we recommend that it is to be kept at this length until the next Summer comes around. The head should be slightly longer as this is the main feature to the Lagotto. The ears should be cleaned out regularly as they tend to build up with wax and dirt and as not much air can get into the ear canal. Hair should also be removed from the inside of the ear about once each month.
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