The Lagotto has been selected for the search for truffles on all kinds of ground: its the only breed recognized for this purpose. The Lagotto is an ancient breed for water retrieving known in Italy since the XVI century in the lowlands of Comacchio and the marshlands of Ravenna. Over the centuries, the great marshlands were drained and turned into arable land. Since the XIX century this intelligent breed has been utilized as an excellent dog for searching truffles in the flat open country and the hills of Romagna, thanks to his very developed sense of smell ad high ability to concentrate on the search. The Lagotto is olso a small / medium sized dog, well proportioned, square built, hardy muscled. The head is quite big and supported by powerful neck. Its teeth should form a scissors bite. The eyes are round and relatively big they can be in any color between dark yellow and dark brown, it usually depends on the color of the coat. The coat can be off-white, solid white, white with brown or rust patches, different shades of brown, or rust solid color, a brown mask is acceptable. Lagotto's wooly coat is dense and curly. This dense hair protect him from thorns it can find in the bushes while searching truffles. Its dropping ears are triangular with rounded tips, they are well proportioned to the head. The front legs must appear straight from any angle. The topline should be straight.
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| Temperament
The Lagotto it's a working dog. It has a natural gift for searching and
its very good nose has made this breed very efficient in truffle
searching. The former hunting instinct has been eliminated, hence his
work is not distracted by the scent of wilds animals or other dogs. The
Lagotto is loyal, keen, affectionate, very attached to his owner and
easy to train. It gets on well with other dogs and the other pets if
sufficiently socialized. A Lagotto is supposed to get along with any
dog. In Italy they are kept in packs, so they need to get along. It is
an excellent family companion and a very good warning dog. The lagotto
is a good pet and loves people, but in addition to needing plenty of
exercise, they need to use their brain. This intelligent dog needs a job
it do, something to keep its mind occupied. Tracking, games of searching
for people in the woods or searching for mushrooms are some ideas.
Obedience is also something they like and are good at, and Agility is a
favorite! If you’re not interested in competition, you can always play
hide and seek at home. As long as you let the dog use it’s brain, it
wont have to find things to do on it’s own (that’s never anything
good!) In Sweden the breed is very popular. For some this breed is
perfect, because of it’s allergy friendly, non shedding coat, it’s
medium size, it’s happy disposition, it’s intelligence and it’s
willingness to work.
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| Conditions
Thanks to its small size, the Lagotto would do fine in an apartment if
properly exercised. Where you live doesn’t matter, as long as you can
walk the dog and keep it active, at least 3-4 times a day. If you do
have a yard, and like your flowers… well, then you have to fence in
your flowers. In the Lagottos nature lies a desire to dig. They love to
dig big holes and then stick their head in the hole. These dogs can dig
a big hole in matter of seconds!
Height: Male 17-19 inches (43-49
cm.) Female 14-16 inches (36-41cm.)
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| ExerciseThe
Lagotto needs plenty of exercise. They love to search for things, it has
a natural instinct for retrieving. This breed loves to walk next to its
owner and need to be taken on a daily long walk. The Lagotto loves to
swim. Some are even known to make the kitchen floor in to a puddle by
tipping the water bowl over. They also love Mud and other gooey stuff.
Lifehas been known to live 16 or more years.
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| Grooming
Its dense, curly coat needs regular care. When you buy a Lagotto you
hear different stories from different people about how to care for the
coat. Some say that you should only clip it down with clippers twice a
year and nothing else. Some say you have to brush it sometimes. One
owner states "Well, I have learned the hard way, that it is more
difficult that it seems. The coat easily get matted, and to prevent that,
you have to comb through it on a regular basis." You should not
show a brushed Lagotto (like a poodle) in show ring. It’s not a fur
ball, it’s a working dog, and should be showed that way. This breeds
sheds little to no hair.
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Faults Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. Note Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
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Lagotto
Romagnolo 
Intrim
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