Animals / Dogs

Lagotto Romagnolo

History of occurrence

The Lagotto Romagnolo is an old breed dating back to the 1300's; it has remained the same in appearance and conformation over the centuries. It hails from the northeastern area of Italy known as Romagna. Its original job was as a water dog used in the hunt for water fowl. However over the years, as the region became more and more inhabited, the wetlands were drained and the water fowl disappeared from the area. The Lagotto found itself a new job, that of sniffing out truffles and it does that job to this day.

General form

Small to medium sized dog, well proportioned, powerfully built, of a rustic [hardy] appearance, with a dense, curly coat of woolly texture. Important proportions - The length of the head is 40% of the height at the withers. The dog is nearly as high as it is long (square). The length of the skull should be slightly more than 50% of the total length of the head. The length of the muzzle is 20% less than that of the skull (i.e. 44%:56%) The depth of the chest is less than 50% (about 44%) of the height at the withers.

Отличительная особенность породы Lagotto Romagnolo

Head

Head and skull: viewed from above, trapezoidal in shape [a four sided shape with no two sides parallel] and moderately broad; the upper longitudinal axes [planes] of the skull and of the muzzle diverge slightly [slightly down-faced] Stop: not too pronounced. Nose: large, with wide open and mobile nostrils. Median groove strongly pronounced. Viewed in profile, the nose continues on the same level as the muzzle and protrudes very slightly from the front edge of the lips. The colour ranges from light to dark brown, depending on the colour of the coat. Muzzle: Fairly broad, a little shorter than the skull (ratio - skull 56%, muzzle 44%), the depth being only slightly less than the length. It is slightly wedge shaped, with a moderately flat front face. The bridge of the nose is straight. Lips: not too thick; they are rather tight, so that the lower profile of the muzzle is determined by the lower jawbone. They are covered with a long and rather bristly moustache. Viewed from the front, the lips form a wide semi-circle. The colour of the edges ranges from light to dark brown. Cheeks: flat . Eyes: fairly large, rounded, filling the socket, set fairly well apart. The colour of the iris ranges from ochre to hazel and dark brown, depending on the colour of the coat. Close fitting eyelids; the colour of the eye-rims ranges from light to dark brown. Eyelashes very well developed. Look is alert, expression keen and lively Ears: medium sized in proportion to the head, triangular with rounded tips; their base is rather wide; they are set just above the zygomatic arches. Hanging at rest or slightly raised when the dog is attentive. If pulled towards the nose they should reach the muzzle at 1ž4 of its length. On the ears, the hair tends to show looser curls, but remains very wavy. No short hair on the ears. The inner part of the ear-flap is also covered with hair. Mouth: jaw strong with almost straight branches and a relatively large lower jaw. Complete scissor or pincer bite with white and well developed teeth. Slightly undershot mouth acceptable.

Body

Neck: strong, muscular, lean with oval section; well set off from the nape and absolutely free from dewlap. Topline slightly arched. In males, the circumference of the neck can be twice that of its length. The length of the neck is a little less than the total length of the head. Body: compact and strong; almost as long as the height at the withers. Topline: straight from the withers to the croup. Back: straight, very muscular. Loin: short coupled, very strong, in profile slightly arched. Width is equal to or exceeds the length. Croup: long, wide, muscular, slightly sloping; (slope of the hip bone ranges from 25 to 30 degrees). Chest: well developed, reaching down to the elbows. Although fairly narrow in front, from the sixth rib the chest widens backwards. Underline and belly: long sternal section in form of a straight line; the following tuck-up is only slight.

Paws

Shoulder: blades long (30% of the height at the withers), well laid back (52-55 degrees), muscular, strong and closely attached to the chest, but moving freely. The angle between the shoulder blade and the upper arm ranges from 110 to 115 degrees. Upper arm: muscular, of fine bone structure, as long as the shoulder blade; its angle from the horizontal ranges from 58-60 degrees. Elbows: well attached to the chest wall, but not too tightly; covered with fine skin; parallel to the median sagittal [central] plane of the body as are the upper arms. The point of the elbow is located on a vertical line lowered from the back end of the scapula to the ground. Forearm: perfectly vertical, long (36% of the height at the withers), with compact, strong bone of oval cross section. Wrist: viewed from the front, in a vertical line with the forearm; fine, robust and mobile; pisiform bone markedly protruding. Pastern: rather less thick and of finer bone compared with the forearm; mobile; seen in profile, it forms an angle of 75 to 80 degrees with the ground. Hindquarters: upright, powerful, well proportioned to the size of the dog. Upper thigh: long (35% of the height at withers), with clearly separated and visible muscles. The femur forms a sharp angle of 80 degrees from the horizontal. The angle between the hip bone and the femur ranges from 105 to 110 degrees. The thigh is parallel to the median plane of the body. Stifle: the angle of the stifle joint ranges from 130 to 150 degrees. Lower thigh: slightly longer than the upper thigh (36% of the height at the withers), well boned and muscled, with marked muscular groove. Its angle on the horizontal ranges from 50 to 55 degrees. Hock-joint: wide, thick, lean, with clearly defined bone; parallel to the median plane of the body; the angle between the lower thigh bone and the bones forming the hock is about 140 degrees. Hock: thin, cylindrical, perpendicular to the ground. Forefeet: slightly rounded, compact, with arched and tight toes. Nails strong and curved. Pads well pigmented. Webs between the toes very well developed. Hindfeet: slightly more oval-shaped than the forefeet and toes slightly less arched.

Tail

Set on neither too high nor too low; tapering towards the end. When extended, it should barely reach the hocks. At rest, carried scimitar-like; when attentive, decidedly raised. When working or excited, can be carried over the back, but never curled.

Wool

Skin: close-fitting all over the body, without wrinkles, thin, with little subcutaneous tissue. Pigmentation of mucous membranes and of pads ranges from light to dark and very dark brown. Coat: of woolly texture, somewhat rough in surface, forming tightly curled, ring-shaped curls with the undercoat shining through. Curls must be evenly distributed all over the body, except on the head, where the curls are less tight, forming well-furnished eyebrows, whiskers and beard. Even the cheeks are covered with dense hair. The topcoat and especially the undercoat are waterproof. If not clipped, the hair tends to become felted; therefore a complete clipping must be performed at least once a year. Felted topcoat and undercoat must be removed periodically. Colour: off-white solid colour, with brown or orange patches, brown roan, brown solid colour ( in different shades), or orange solid colour. A brown to dark brown mask acceptable.

Movement

Walk is regular, trot energetic and brisk, will gallop for short periods.

Size

Height — 41-48 cm. Weight — 11-16 kg. 

Character

A natural gift for searching and its very good nose has made the breed very efficient in truffle searching. The former hunting instinct has been eliminated; hence his work is not distracted by the scent of game. The Lagotto is tractable, undemanding, keen, affectionate, very attached to his owner and easy to train. He is a very good companion and also an excellent warning dog.

Maintenance care

Like all hunting dogs, the Lagatto needs daily exercise. This can take the form of a long walk or good run off leash. It can live outdoors in temperate to cool climates, but it is a family dog and prefers to share time with its people. The coat and the undercoat are water-proof. If not cut, the hair tends to become felted; therefore a complete clipping must be performed at least once a year. Felted hair and undercoat must be removed periodically. Lifespan — 12-15 years.

Dignity

Normaly Lagotti are social to other pets, animals, people and children as long as they have been correctly socialized from puppyhood. Lagotti is a very good companion and also an excellent warning dog.

Difficulty keeping

Grooming the Lagotto takes some time and attention. Its rough, curly coat needs to be trimmed occasionally.

Diseases

Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy (JE). Lyosomal Storage disease (LSD) and Cerebellar Ataxia (CA). Hip Dysplasia. Eye Cataract.
Authentication required

You must log in to post a comment.

Log in
There are no comments yet.