Lagotto Romagnolo - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Old History
The Lagotto Romagnolo is a dog breed originated from Italy. And there is a written evidence about this breed from the 1600s. But most people believe, that their history is much older and it dates back to the Etruscan people who lived in Italy since the 8th century before Christ.

2) Truffle Hunters
Today, the Lagotto Romangolos are mostly used for truffle hunting. It is the only breed in the world, that is specialized in this area. They are excellent at it, mostly thanks to their amazing sense of smell and thick coat, which helps them to work in harsh and colder climates as well.

3) The First Water Dog
Many people believe, that the Lagotto Romagnolo is actually the ancestor of all other water dogs, including the Poodles, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Otterhounds or Leonbergers.

4) Name
The name of this breed is very descriptive. The are from Romagna region, so they are called Romagnolo. And the word Lagotto? The lago can be translated as a lake. So the Lagotto Romagnolo means something like „lake dog from Romagna“. And indeed, their first purpose was to be the best water dogs in this region.

5) Italian Art
Many Italian artists from the Renaissance era depicted the Lagotto Romagnolo on their paintings. The three best known artists who draw this breed would be Pittore Lombardo, Guercino, and Andrea Mantegna.

6) Coat
One of the most distinctive feature of Lagotto Romagnolo is their coat. It has curls all over their body and tail with one exception, which is their head, where the curls are not as tight. You can find beard and bushy eyebrows on their head. The coat is very dense with wooly texture. And the big advantage of their coat is, that it is almost completely hypoallergenic and water resistant.

7) Temperament
The personality and temperament of the Lagotto Romagnolo can be described as playful, active and definitely highly intelligent and trainable. They are very loyal to their owners and family, but they are pretty aloof and not trustful towards strangers. This makes them good watchdogs. Normally, they are good with other pets in the family.

8) Maintance
As i already say, this is hypoallergenic dog, which also means they are very low shedding. They also do not have the typical doggy smell and they are very clean dogs overall. You should clip their coat from time to time to prevent mats and tangles.

9) Exercise
Lagotto Romagnolo is an active dog breed who needs a lot of physical and mental stimulation. Thanks to that they are perfect companions for active people, since they enjoy almost every activity, including long walks, swims, jogs or vigorous plays. They are also good at dog sports like agility.

10) Size
This is medium sized powerful and squared built dog breed with average height between 41-48 cm which is 16-19 inch and weight between 11-24 kg, which is 24-52 pounds. The females are naturally smaller than males.