Lagotto Romagnolo Breed description: Character & Co

Description and characteristics of Lagotto Romagnolo

The nature of the Lagotto Romagnolo is characterised by its high intelligence, alertness and loyalty. If you are thinking of buying a Lagotto Romagnolo, you will be delighted by its affectionate character and its joy to move. With this dog breed you will experience the perfect sports partner that will not be distracted by its almost extinct hunting instinct. No matter if you go for a run, when cycling or going for long walks, the Lagotto Romagnolo will always accompany you with great enthusiasm. They are also very playful and child-friendly. This breed is easy to integrate into a family and even the youngest children will love them. Aggressive behaviour is foreign to the Italian water dog.

Keeping and use of the Lagotto Romagnolo

The Italian water dog, as its name suggests, was formerly used for water hunting. Today this is no longer common and the hunting instinct of the breed is hardly present. However, the talented search dog is used as a truffle dog. Because of his fine nose and his above-average intelligence, he is perfectly suited to detect the fine mushrooms under the ground. If you keep a Lagotto Romagnolo, it is important that you challenge his primal and cultivated instincts. You should do tracking training with your dog or do a dog sport. If you don't have enough experience or time for this, you should also make sure you have enough exercise and play search games occasionally. Many pet shops have their own search games for dogs, which are certainly great fun for the water dog.

The Lagotto Romagnolo is also perfect as a beginner dog. He is very patient and forgives small mistakes or uncertainties on your part. However, if you want to buy a Lagotto Romagnolo, you should consider that this breed is quite hairy. Especially at times of seasonal change of coat, neither your couch nor other upholstered furniture will be spared. For this reason an annual visit to the groomer and regular grooming is very important. You should brush your dog thoroughly every day or at least every three days to counteract matting and high hair loss.

Buying and training a Lagotto Romagnolo

If you buy or adopt a Lagotto Romagnolo puppy, you will be amazed how easy it is to raise this breed. Already at the breeder's you will notice how open and carefree the dogs approach strangers. This breed is very active and bright already at puppy age and likes to be challenged. The Lagotto Romagnolo quickly learns basic commands and can quickly be house-trained. Lagotto Romagnolo puppies get attached to you very quickly and feel comfortable in a new environment even after a short time.

Health of the Lagotto Romagnolo

Unfortunately, this breed of dog genetically inherited tendencies for developing

• epilepsy.
• About 32% of the bred dogs are affected by suffering seizures.

Although a genetic test can be done, it is never one hundred percent reliable. However, in most cases it can already be determined between the 5th and 9th week of life whether the puppy is affected by the autosomal recessive type of epilepsy. But it is to be recommended that you do not only buy healthy dogs from the breeder. Breeders often find no use for sick dogs and so many sick dogs end up in the shelter. Epilepsy in dogs is a disease that usually does not affect life with your dog.