Lagotto Romagnolo Breed: Your Complete Guide

With their curly coats and adorable appearance, the lagotto Romagnolo is the ultimate definition of a teddy bear dog. At first sight, it’s common to mistake them for the miniature poodle. While they share a fair number of similarities, the lagotto Romagnolo is a distinct dog breed.

Coming from the Romagna region of Italy, the lagotto Romagnolo is a working dog breed with origins in waterfowl hunting. Today, many are employed for truffle hunting in the Italian countryside and are considered the world’s finest truffle dogs.

Just like how good they are at sniffing out for truffles, the lagotto Romagnolo can be an amazing family companion with the right owner and setting. Our breed guide will walk you through this breed’s physical features, temperament, trainability, and care needs.

Quick Look at the Lagotto Romagnolo

Below, you’ll find a quick overview of this dog breed. Read on to know if the lagotto Romagnolo is a suitable dog breed for your lifestyle.

What Is the History of Lagotto Romagnolos?

The lagotto Romagnolo originates from the Romagna sub-region of Italy, dating back to the 1500s. This dog breed was primarily used for waterfowl hunting to find and retrieve feathered game. The breed’s name derives from can lagòt, which means water dog in the Romagnol language.

After the wetlands the lagotto Romagnolo originated experienced drainage, Italians started employing them for truffle hunting. With the lagotto Romagnolo’s exceptional sense of smell, they quickly gained recognition in truffle hunting.

Today, the lagotto Romagnolo isn’t a well-known breed in the US but is becoming increasingly popular. Unfortunately, there aren’t many lagotto Romagnolo breeders. If you intend to get a lagotto Romagnolo puppy, ask plenty of questions to ensure you’re dealing with a responsible breeder.

What Do Lagotto Romagnolos Look Like?

The lagotto Romagnolo is a dog breed recognized for its wooly curls that cover the entire body. The hair around the chin, eyebrows, and whiskers complement their appearance, giving them the teddy bear dog appearance.

Brown, orange, sable, white, and off-white are the most common coat colors. They can also have a mixture of colored and white hair in parts of their coat, known as roan. While many lagotto Romagnolos are single-colored, some also have brown, tan, orange, or white markings varying in size.

Under all that fur, there’s a body capable of all kinds of physical activity. The lagotto Romagnolo can easily keep up with people living an active lifestyle, making them an athletic companion.

The body shape of the lagotto Romagnolo resembles the miniature poodle in many ways. However, they have a more solid frame with shorter legs. As you can expect, the lagotto Romagnolo is heavier than the miniature poodle – by about 10 to 20 pounds.

What Size Is a Lagotto Romagnolo?

The lagotto Romagnolo is a medium-sized dog breed, though some are a bit smaller than what you would call a medium-sized dog. Nonetheless, this dog breed typically stands 16 to 19 inches tall and weighs between 25 and 35 pounds.

Often, the weight of the lagotto Romagnolo is surprising to those interacting with the breed for the first time. Once you start playing with one, you’ll realize they hide their weight very well with their wooly coat.

What Is a Lagotto Romagnolo’s Coat Type and Length?

The lagotto romagnolo has a very distinct coat. It’s entirely curly, from head to tail. While this coat gives them the adorable teddy bear look, it requires daily brushing and combing to prevent matting. The fur also grows relatively fast but forms ringlets, making it more manageable with daily care.

Lagotto Romagnolos technically have a double coat, but not the kind you expect to shed. It only leaves clumps of hair every once in a while. Therefore, the lagotto Romagnolo is a hypoallergenic dog breed that doesn’t produce as much dander.

What Is a Lagotto Romagnolos Temperament?

The lagotto Romagnolo is a working dog breed with exceptional intelligence. Although they can be headstrong sometimes, lagotto Romagnolos are very easy to train. They are eager to please their owners and enjoy learning new things.

Despite their cuddly appearance, the lagotto Romagnolo is a high-energy breed that requires plenty of physical exercise to stay healthy and happy. Activities that both physically tire and stimulate them mentally are the best, considering their intelligence and exercise needs.

While providing these can be demanding, it also means the lagotto Romagnolo is very playful. These dogs can turn anything into a game. Even a fully grown lagotto Romagnolo can be just as enthusiastic about playing as puppies.

The lagotto Romagnolo is more suitable for individuals and families with an active lifestyle. They don’t do well when left alone, but their adaptability will allow you to fit a lagotto Romagnolo everywhere you go. If your workplace allows bringing a dog, for example, they can become the perfect, most well-behaved canine coworkers.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Good With Kids?

The lagotto Romagnolo is generally good with kids. They can play for hours with active children in the family following proper socialization.

However, the lagotto Romagnolo has a high noise sensitivity. If a child runs around screaming, the lagotto Romagnolo may feel agitated. Constant exposure to this can lead to behavioral issues. That said, the lagotto Romagnolo does better with gentle yet playful children.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Good With Other Animals?

The lagotto Romagnolo is a friendly dog breed that does well with other dogs. After seeing a dog on walks, they are likely to wag their tail around and see them as potential friends rather than displaying aggression or dominance. With proper socialization, lagotto Romagnolos can also live happily with cats.

This friendly nature of the lagotto Romagnolo makes them great for families with pets. However, they don’t do as well with prey animals. Since they’ve been used for hunting, lagotto Romagnolos have a strong prey instinct. They aren’t the best dogs for homes with small animals like hamsters and Guinea pigs.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Aggressive?

The lagotto Romagnolo is one of the least aggressive breeds. They are very approachable dogs that wag their tail around new people and dogs. With this personality trait, the lagotto Romagnolo is effortless to socialize.

These sweet-hearted dogs also aren’t prone to displaying territorial behaviors, though some may bark at strange people and animals. Lagotto Romagnolos are easy-going dogs that love making new friends, whether human or animal.

Do Lagotto Romagnolos Bark?

The lagotto Romagnolo isn’t particularly a vocal dog breed. They don’t use their voice to get what they want or communicate. However, this dog breed tends to alert bark. If you have a yard, it wouldn’t be uncommon for a lagotto Romagnolo to bark at strangers or other animals approaching it.

Other than alert barking, which can be curbed easily with their high trainability and eagerness to please, the lagotto Romagnolo tends to be quiet. They are an ideal dog breed for those living in apartments with noise restrictions.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Affectionate?

It isn’t only the appearance of the lagotto Romagnolo that’s cuddly. These dogs have a very affectionate personality. They thrive on human interaction and love snuggling with their family members.

This affectionate personality of the lagotto Romagnolo also makes them approachable to new people and dogs. After a quick introduction, lagotto Romagnolos warm up to strangers quickly and may initiate play or even demand pets.

While these are lovely traits, note that the lagotto Romagnolo doesn’t do well when left alone for excessive amounts of time. They need human companionship to stay happy and may engage in destructive behavior if left alone for prolonged periods.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Intelligent?

The lagotto Romagnolo is one of the smartest dog breeds. They learn new commands quickly and understand human gestures and emotions well. While these help with training and establishing rules, their intelligence demands more mental stimulation.

If things become repetitive, the lagotto Romagnolo can get bored. These dogs crave mental stimulation and must be kept busy to live a fulfilling life. As with separation anxiety, boredom may cause destructive behavior. Luckily, they are incredibly adaptable dogs that will happily tag alongside their favorite human while running errands.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Energetic?

The lagotto Romagnolo is a high-energy dog breed. They are always up for play with only a moment’s notice. This energetic personality, paired with their hard-working nature, demands a lot of daily physical exercise. These dogs prosper with people living an active life.

Although the lagotto Romagnolo requires a lot of exercise, they tend to be gentle indoors. Scent work, hide and seek, solving puzzles, and other mentally stimulating activities can be just as efficient in letting their excessive energy out. These activities are perfect to provide a lagotto Romagnolo with enough exercise on bad weather days.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Easy to Train?

Lagotto Romagnolos are hard-working dogs that are eager to please their owners. Even if you have minimal knowledge and experience in dog training, you’ll realize that training a lagotto Romagnolo, provided with the right direction, is not difficult.

Since this dog breed is extremely intelligent, establishing rules, obedience training, and housebreaking should be straightforward. The lagotto Romagnolo is also a good candidate for advanced training types, particularly agility.

However, these dogs don’t respond well to harsh corrections. Due to their affectionate nature, the lagotto Romagnolo does best with positive training techniques. Most lagotto Romagnolos find a tasty treat the best reward but play or praise might be more effective for some.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Good Watchdogs?

As mentioned, the lagotto Romagnolo tends to alert bark. When a strange animal or person enters their space, they will use their voice to react to their presence. However, this alone doesn’t make the lagotto Romagnolo a good watchdog.

Lagotto Romagnolos often try befriending unfamiliar faces rather than suspiciously analyzing whether they are a threat or not. They will simply bark to greet strange people and animals, not to use their voices to scare them away.

Are Lagotto Romagnolos Good Service Dogs?

The lagotto Romagnolo is a working dog breed that belongs to the AKC’s sporting group. Upholding various duties and executing commands flawlessly isn’t unknown to them. These dogs make exceptional service dogs when the tasks given are suitable for their size.

With the lagotto Romagnolo’s exceptional sense of smell and hypoallergenic coat, an increasing number of people are considering them for service dog work. You can see these dogs upholding the responsibilities of medical alert dogs, autism assistance dogs, hearing assistance dogs, and psychiatric service dogs.

The affectionate and loving personality of the breed also make them great ESAs and therapy dogs.

How to Care for a Lagotto Romagnolo?

Like every dog, the lagotto Romagnolo needs attention to live a fulfilling life. They need scheduled vet visits, regular brushing, daily walks and playtime, dental care, and mental stimulation. With all these, they aren’t low-maintenance dogs that happily laze around the whole day without their owner’s care.

The biggest care needs of these dogs are physical exercise and entertainment. Without these, they will show their destructive side to channel excess energy.  If you plan to get a lagotto Romagnolo puppy, be prepared to spend a bit more time than an average dog on walks and enriching activities – here’s more to their care needs.

Do You Need to Groom a Lagotto Romagnolo?

The coat that gives the lagotto Romagnolo the famous teddy bear look requires regular grooming. The curly coat turns into ringlets and gets matted without brushing. They must be brushed thoroughly every day to prevent this from happening.

If brushing is overlooked, the mats can get out of control and require shaving. Considering their iconic look, it wouldn’t be pleasant for any lagotto Romagnolo – and owner – to go through that.

The lagotto Romagnolo’s coat also grows fast and requires occasional haircuts. Other than these, they need their nails trimmed and ears cleaned once every few weeks – more often if swimming.

Do Lagotto Romagnolos Shed?

The lagotto Romagnolo has a double coat of curly wool-like hair. They leave lumps of hair now and then, but they don’t shed like Siberian huskies or German shepherds. Lagotto Romagnolos are hypoallergenic dogs that don’t trigger allergies as much as other dogs. It also makes them more suited for small living spaces.

What Health Problems Do Lagotto Romagnolos Have?

The lagotto Ramognolo is one of the healthiest dog breeds. Still, the breed is prone to several hereditary diseases. They are prone to storage disease, which is a neurological disorder that causes cerebellar damage. Lagotto Romagnolos may also develop idiopathic epilepsy between the ages of one and five.

Aside from these health conditions, the lagotto Romagnolo is at risk of eye infections and hip dysplasia. It’s important to schedule regular vet visits and provide adequate care to prevent these common canine diseases in lagotto Romagnolos.

How Long Do Lagotto Romagnolos Live?

The lagotto Romagnolo has an average life expectancy between 15 and 17 years. However, this doesn’t mean all lagotto Romagnolos will get to live that long.

Many factors go into the lifespan. Exercise, diet, environment, genetics, and even stress levels have a say in how long a dog lives. It’s essential for us dog owners to provide our pups with the best possible life we can to ensure they stay around as long as possible to be our beloved companions.

What Should a Lagotto Romagnolo Eat?

Like any dog, lagotto Romagnolos should be on a high-quality diet. They should eat dog food formulated for their size and age. Look for these labels on the dog food you’re buying. Besides kibble, you can feed a lagotto Romagnolo dog-safe fruit, vegetables, meat, and seafood in appropriate quantities as a snack.

You can also put a lagotto Romagnolo on a home diet. However, a diet like this should be approved by your vet to ensure they get enough nutrition.

Is a Lagotto Romagnolo the Right Dog for Me?

In summary, lagotto Romagnolos are high-energy dogs that require plenty of physical exercise and mental stimulation. The coat that gives them the adorable teddy bear look requires daily care and occasional haircuts. They are affectionate and thrive on human interaction.

With all these, the lagotto Romagnolo is a relatively high-maintenance dog breed. They do best in the hands of individuals and families that can adequately meet their exercise and stimulation needs. Otherwise, the lagotto Romagnolo can become a troubling and destructive dog, especially during puppyhood and teenage years.

If you’re looking for an active, playful furry friend who will happily sit beside you, the lagotto Romagnolo is one of the best medium-sized dog breeds. They are very adaptable dogs that do well in families and living spaces of all sizes, making them an appropriate breed of choice for many.