Grooming

The Lagotto Romagnolo is renowned for its unique and beautiful coat, which sets it apart from other dog breeds.

With its tight curls and dense texture, it is both visually striking and functional. This water-resistant coat protects the dog from the elements, while its low-shedding nature and hypoallergenic qualities make it a great choice for those with allergies. Regular grooming keeps the coat in top shape, ensuring that the Lagotto Romagnolo looks and feels its best.

Step 1 - Maintenance of the coat

Proper brushing is essential to maintain a mat free coat. First, you should use a slicker brush over the entire coat and than run the metal comb trough. Be sure to get down to get to the skin and not just brush the surface. While brushing, a little ‘’leave in’’ conditioner mixed with water can be added on the coat because it will minimize the damage. If you are going to bath your dog, always make sure to de-tangle him first. Water will tighten the mats and make them more difficult to remove. You can also brush your dog in your tub , apply the conditioner and brush it trough. Rinse the dog after he is completely brushed.
There are some areas that tend to mat more often - armpits, thighs, behind ears, face, beard and areas that get wet from grass. This areas are in need of extra attention.

Step 2 - Clipping according to the standard of the breed

One of the most common complains I hear is " that groomer made my dog look like poodle,bichon,doodle etc "… If you share this few tips a good groomer I guess he will be happy to follow the instructions and he will be grateful that you were able to explain to him how you dog should be groomed.
Tell him that the body is cut all in one lenght. The tail is cut short without flag, all in one lenght and in shape of a carrot. The head of Lagotto is his signature look and it should be done in a proper way. Do not cut the hair on the bridge of the nose or between the eyes. The head should be rounded with long beard in "diamond" shape. The hair in front of the eyes should be cut with scissors/thinning sheads so they can see but not so open and rounded like bichon. The ears are trimmed short around and under them so they lay close to the head. Many Lagotto's have their ears done incorrectly and this really changes the look of the breed.

Every groomer has different type of preparation for clipping. Some will cut them while they are curly and others will blow the coat out to get an even cut. It is not a big deal but however if you get a‘’poofy’’ dog out of the salon and you preffer a curly coat , throw them into your tub or spray them with water and the curls will come back.

The most common question is : ''How often to brush?’’

It always depends on the type of coat. The more undercoat your dog has - the more often you need to brush it. Its much easier with puppy coats because it doesnt't consider much undercoat. Around 9 - 16 months your puppy coat will transition to adult coat and it's the period when the coat tends to mat easier. Obviously the longer coat will require more work and sometimes it can happen that you may need to brush even twice a week if  your dog has lot of undercoat. If you keep his coat short, once a week should be fine to keep the head and beard free of mats. If your dog swims on regular basis, it's best to keep his coat shorter otherwise you will find yourself constantly brushing to keep your dog mat-free and it will damage the coat and a damaged coat mats very quickly.