From Working Dog to Family Pet — The Incredible and Surprising Lagotto Characteristics

With its proud Italian heritage, it’s unsurprising that the Lagotto characteristics are intrinsically Romanesque — passionate, food-loving, exuberant, and alfresco-besotted. The only things that are missing are an uninsured Vespa and a strong, black espresso.

But, the personality of the Lagotto Romagnolo is much more complex than these somewhat lazy Italian stereotypes. And, after breeding these incredible dogs for the last 18 years — I have a truly personal insight into the intriguing mind of the Lagotto.

This is your complete, and often surprising, guide to the nuances of Lagotto Romagnolos.

Lagotto Temperament

As with any purebred, the true temperament of a dog — and its behavior, intelligence, and exercise requirements — can only be fully understood when considered alongside its history.

Until the marshlands of Romagna, Italy dried up in the 19th century, the Lagotto was a water retriever — diving down into the icy depths to locate shot ducks. Then, as the marshes and swampland began to disappear, its job evolved into a truffle hunter.

It’s this background as a working dog that has forged its modern temperament and attitude today.

Always eager and ready to retrieve or find, the Lagotto is highly alert and energetic — ears pricked and eyes keen surveying its environment. What’s more, it’s immeasurably curious and inquisitive, stemming from its innate desire to dig and discover hidden fungi.

And, since the dog was typically familiar with working with a sole marshman or handler, Lagotto Romagnolos are faithful, loyal, and possess an immense desire to please. This dedication also leads to a loving and affectionate disposition.

Lagotto Coat

The curly, wooly, waterproof, and lanolin-rich coat of the Lagotto is evidence of its working dog pedigree — allowing it to shed moisture after water retrieval, and protect against coarse and prickly bushes and undergrowth.

Displaying very little shedding — Lagottos are excellent hypoallergenic dogs. What’s more, their relatively tight curls attract and cling to discarded fur — meaning that there is very little molting.

But, as they don’t shed — it’s your responsibility to remove their loose and dropped hair.

If you neglect this weekly housekeeping, your Lagottos fur will mat. This can be extremely painful for your dog — and only the way to solve the issue is to shave the affected area.

Therefore, once or twice a week, make sure you comb your Lagotto — more often if they’re an avid bush and gorse explorer. But, avoid using a brush! This will overly fluff-up your Lagotto’s coat, leading again to matting problems.

This regular comb-through,  and the occasional bath when your dog smells, and clipping their coat in the summer, is all the grooming required by a Lagotto.

Lagotto Behaviour and Training

When you combine the Lagotto intelligence and high energy with its eagerness to please — you have a dog that excels at training.

If you begin with basic obedience commands, you can then build up to more complicated retrieving and hunting skills. Using positive reinforcement and reward, the keen brain of the Lagotto will rapidly take to training and learning new tasks and commands.

However, you must keep your teaching sessions both varied and relatively short — as their active brain will rapidly find repetitive lessons uninspiring and lose interest.

I know, most of us don’t live on a truffle farm, have a local duck lake, or enjoy access to fungi-packed woodland. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t develop through training your Lagotto’s inherent desire to run, retrieve, and hunt.

Your dog will respond well to games of hide-and-seek or locate-the-treat, appealing to its discovery drive. Furthermore, as excellent agility-task and Flyball performers, Lagottos can satisfy their passion for running, climbing, investigating, and retrieval.

And surprisingly, despite their inquisitive and adventurous outdoor passions — don’t expect your Lagotto to run off and disappear when out on walks.

As working dogs bred to be alongside handlers — whether duck retrieving or truffle hunting — they rarely wander great distances from their owners. It’s as if they create an imaginary — albeit fairly lengthy — leash between themselves and their companion. Almost always remaining within your sight and hearing limits.

Lagottos Exercise Needs

Naturally, as a working dog, the Lagotto Romagnolo needs significant exercise — not just to keep them healthy, but also to satisfy their undying passion for physical activity. 

Outdoor adventures are perfect for Lagottos, and appeal to its alfresco background. Allowing your dog to hunt, run, climb, and explore shrubbery leads to a well-rounded, content, and sufficiently-exercised animal.

And naturally, as the world’s best truffle-hunting dog, your Lagotto will adore digging. However, bear in mind that if you have a garden that’s your pride and joy, you may soon find it somewhat transformed by the Lagotto’s desire to burrow and excavate. 

Many Lagotto owners work around this by including a sandpit or dedicated area of their garden for the dog to dig. Focusing scent training on these locations can often prevent Lagottos from exploring other areas — but that’s by no means guaranteed.

Furthermore, their background as water dogs means Lagottos love swimming — allow them to enter a lake or pond, and unless they’re well obedience trained, you’ll struggle to convince them to get out.

Just a quick word of warning.

Lagotto puppies, and for that matter all young dog breeds, don’t need significant exercise before they’re twelve months old. Like human babies, their bones, muscles, and ligaments haven’t fully developed. Push them too early, and they will hurt themselves — often permanently.

If you’re going to walk them on the beach when young — keep them on a leash and collar and only on the firm wet sand. Soft ground will damage their tissues and joints — and, since they’re stubborn and stoic — they will not show you they’re in pain until it’s too late.

Lagottos Socialization and Family Suitability

Socializing your Lagotto from a young age is crucial — with family members, strangers, and other dogs.

Expose them early to a variety of situations, locations, animals, and people — and they will develop strong confidence and a friendly nature. Miss this from their training, and they may begin to develop territorial dependencies and reliance on who they see as their main companion.

Do what I do. 

I take my young Lagottos to the homes of friends — particularly those that have dogs, and that I know to be safe. Their dogs are friendly, and importantly, they’re vaccinated and clean.

Then, I take them to locations where there will be strangers. I take them to local cafes, but I teach them manners. I put the lead under my foot, provide a mat for them to sleep on, and allow other people to give them treats that I provide. This teaches the Lagottos that unfamiliar environments and people are not to be feared.

In the home, Lagottos are wonderful family pets. They love to play and run around with children — however, they can be wary of younger toddlers with a propensity to be rough or loud. 

And, while Lagottos love exercise, as long as you give them sufficient physical outdoor activity, they tend to be fairly laid-back and relaxed when in your home.

Lagotto Characteristics Conclusion

Intelligent, inquisitive, and faithful — the Lagotto Romagnolo is the ideal purebred adventurer.

As affectionate as it is curious, its background in alfresco exploits and owner loyalty forges a dog that can be your exploration companion and loving family member. 

Admittedly, its need for stimulation and physical activity may make it unsuitable for docile, apartment-dwellers — but, the unmistakable Lagotto characteristics make the dog perfect for allergy-troubled outdoor trailblazers.