Lagotto Romagnolo.jpg
OriginItaly
Traits
Height Dogs
43–48 cm[1]
Bitches
41–46 cm[1]
Weight Dogs
13–16 kg[1]
Bitches
11–14 kg[1]
Kennel club standards
Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana standard
Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Dog (domestic dog)

The Lagotto Romagnolo[a] is an Italian breed of dog. It originates in the marshlands of the Delta del Po in the eastern part of the Romagna sub-region of Italy. The name derives from Romagnol can lagòt, meaning "water dog".[2] Its traditional function was as a gun dog, specifically a water retriever; since the drainage of large areas of wetland habitat in its area of origin, it is now more often used to hunt for truffles.[3][1]

History

The Lagotto originated in the lowlands of Comacchio and marshlands of Ravenna in the Delta del Po, in the eastern part of the Romagna sub-region of Italy. The name derives from Romagnol can lagòt, meaning "water dog".[2] Its traditional function was as a gun dog, specifically a water retriever; since the drainage of large areas of wetland habitat in its area of origin, it is now more often used to hunt for truffles.[3][1] It has been known since the sixteenth century, but did not become widespread until the nineteenth.[2]

It was provisionally accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1995, and received full acceptance in 2005.[4] In 2018 the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana recorded 2207 new registrations.[5]

Characteristics

A female Lagotto
A female Lagotto

The Lagotto is of small to medium size, rarely over 50 cm at the withers,[2] powerfully built and of rustic appearance. It is roughly square in outline, the body length more or less equal to the height. The coat is thick, wool-like and tightly curled into ringlets. It may be completely off-white, or off-white with orange or brown patches or roaning, or solid orange or brown either with or without white markings.[3][6]

A Lagotto usually lives for about fifteen years.[6] Neurological disorders that have been identified in the breed include cerebellar abiotrophy[7]: 308  and idiopathic epilepsy.[7]: 250 [8]

Notes

  1. ^ Italian pronunciation: [laˈɡɔtto romaɲˈɲɔːlo]; plural Lagotti

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f FCI-Standard N° 298: Lagotto Romagnolo (Romagna Water Dog). Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Lagotto (in Italian). Enciclopedie online. Roma: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed July 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Lagotto Romagnolo (in Italian). Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana. Accessed July 2020.
  4. ^ FCI breeds nomenclature: Lagotto Romagnolo. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed July 2020.
  5. ^ Lagotto Romagnolo (in Italian). Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana. Accessed July 2020.
  6. ^ a b Tamsin Pickeral (2014). Dogs Unleashed. San Diego: Thunder Bay Press. ISBN 9781626860681.
  7. ^ a b Ronaldo C. Da Costa, Curtis W. Dewey (2015). Practical Guide to Canine and Feline Neurology, third edition, ebook. Ames, Iowa: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781119062042.
  8. ^ T. S. Jokinen, L. Metsähonkala, L. Bergamasco, R. Viitmaa, P. Syrjä, H. Lohi, M. Snellman, J. Jeserevics, S. Cizinauskas (2007). Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy in Lagotto Romagnolo Dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 21 (3): 464–471. doi:10.1892/0891-6640(2007)21[464:bfjeil2.0.co;2]

Further reading