KENAI
Lagotto Romagnolo

The breeds · gun dog · water dog

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 298

Lagotto Romagnolo.

FCI 298: utilisation 'Truffle dog'; an ancient breed of retrieving water dogs in the lowlands of Comacchio and the marshlands of Ravenna, which changed to truffle searching as the marshes were drained. AKC standard: 'A natural gift for searching and a very good nose have made the breed very efficient in finding truffles. The former hunting instinct has been modified by genetic selection to avoid distraction by game.' Lagotto Romagnolo Club of America: originally a skilled water retriever, now the world's premier truffle hunter and a family companion. Royal Kennel Club: truffle hunting is his primary use in Italy, and in the UK he has shown retrieving skills in gundog working tests..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
24–35LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 28 to 35.3 lb; breed bitches 24 to 31 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayRoyal Kennel Club: more than 2 hours per day. AKC breed page: energy level 4 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 16.5 to 19.5 in · bitches 15.5 to 18.5 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2020

No ideal printed, so no centre.

Weight

dogs 28 to 35.3 lb · bitches 24 to 31 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2020

No ideal printed, so no centre.

Coat

AKC standard: wooly texture, semi-rough on the surface; topcoat quite thick with undercoat visible, together they repel water; tight ring-shaped curls, not frizz; never luxurious or shiny; must not be corded; smooth or straight coat disqualifies. FCI 298: dense, woolly, curly coat (full text in the cached standard).

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2020

Colours (AKC): off-white, white with brown or orange patches, brown or orange roan, brown, orange or sable; black or gray disqualifies.

Shedding

Shedding 1 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · AKC standard: thick, woolly, tightly curled topcoat with a visible undercoat that together repel water, kept trimmed to no more than 1 1/2 in on the body.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2020

Derived: a dense curled coat with an undercoat, trimmed short in the show standard, is scored as a medium coat (3).

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Royal Kennel Club: more than 2 hours per day. AKC breed page: energy level 4 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'More than 2 hours per day' = 150 min by the ruled mapping.

Energy

4 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · Royal Kennel Club: grooming more than once a week, coat medium length, does not shed. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 2 of 5, shedding 1 of 5. AKC standard: the body coat is trimmed to no more than 1 1/2 in, a correct trim is 'unpretentious', hair must be long enough to judge curl; corded or sculpted/blown-out coats are severely penalised. Lagotto Romagnolo Club of America: in the US the coat is shown rustic, with no fluffing or blowing out.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'more than once a week' = 3 by the ruled mapping. The standard requires regular trimming but no source prints an interval, and the AKC grooming score reads lower (2 of 5, AKC's own scale); both stand.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 298: utilisation 'Truffle dog'; an ancient breed of retrieving water dogs in the lowlands of Comacchio and the marshlands of Ravenna, which changed to truffle searching as the marshes were drained. AKC standard: 'A natural gift for searching and a very good nose have made the breed very efficient in finding truffles. The former hunting instinct has been modified by genetic selection to avoid distraction by game.' Lagotto Romagnolo Club of America: originally a skilled water retriever, now the world's premier truffle hunter and a family companion. Royal Kennel Club: truffle hunting is his primary use in Italy, and in the UK he has shown retrieving skills in gundog working tests.

Breed clubFédération Cynologique Internationale, 2026

Both roles stated: historic duck and waterfowl retrieving in the Romagna marshes; modern truffle work. Club Italiano Lagotto says the hunting instinct has been cancelled, so the dog is not distracted by game.

Primary game

Historic: waterfowl, retrieved from the marsh (RKC: 'curly coated duck retriever'; Wikipedia: water retriever bringing shot game back to dry land or punts). Modern: truffles, not game; FCI utilisation is 'Truffle dog'.

Breed clubFédération Cynologique Internationale, 2026

Also used on

Truffles on any ground (Club Italiano Lagotto: the only breed specialised in truffle search). UK gundog working tests (RKC).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Search pattern

Club Italiano Lagotto working standard: a lively, joyful trot (a canter at the start, a walk when confirming a find); searches on diagonal lines with frequent changes of direction, crossing the ground minutely; adapts pace and width to the terrain, at a reasonable distance from the handler; slows to a walk and lowers the nose to the ground when a faint scent is met, may stop, sniff deeply and begin to scratch; may raise the head high to take a strong scent on the wind; the tail signals a find.

Breed clubClub Italiano Lagotto, 2014

Truffle search, not game search. The AKC standard does not describe a search pattern.

Field trial standard

Club Italiano Lagotto Regolamento prove (approved 2006, amended 2014): type A and type B truffle trials run in producing truffle grounds; type B only for dogs that have already earned a CAC or reserve CAC in type A (or an equivalent abroad). FCI 298: 'working trial optional' (Group 8 Section 3 Water Dogs). RKC: UK dogs have shown retrieving in gundog working tests.

Breed clubClub Italiano Lagotto, 2014

No NAVHDA or AKC hunt-test statement was found for the breed on a page that was read (the US club's versatility awards page was not archived).

Water work

AKC standard: forefeet and hind feet are webbed; pads have particularly hard soles; coat repels water. FCI 298: ancient breed of retrieving water dogs. Wikipedia: traditional function a water retriever, bringing shot game back to dry land or to punts.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2020

Historic function; the modern role is truffle hunting on land.

Cold water

3 of 5 · AKC standard: topcoat and undercoat 'repel water'; forefeet and hind feet are webbed, pads have hard soles. FCI 298: ancient breed of retrieving water dogs in the Comacchio and Ravenna marshes. The AKC standard and club pages do not state cold-water performance, and the breed's present work is truffle hunting.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2020

Derived from the water-repellent coat and the breed's water-retrieving origin, held at 3 because the standard is silent on cold and the modern role is on land.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

21.5% · 1,089 OFA hip evaluations, all data as served Oct 8 2026; 21.5% dysplastic (mild 15.6, moderate 5.4, severe 0.5), 76.8% normal (11.5% excellent, 48.6% good, 16.7% fair)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own current breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so the true figure is not lower. The AKC national breed club lists hip evaluation among its recommended tests (AKC CHIC page) and the Royal Kennel Club lists hip scoring as a Best Practice test.

Elbow dysplasia

2.9% · 548 OFA elbow evaluations, all data as served Oct 8 2026; 2.9% abnormal (grade I 2.6, grade II 0.2, grade III 0.2), 96.9% normal

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own current breed statistics, breeding-stock skew applies. The AKC CHIC list for the breed does not include elbows; the Royal Kennel Club does list elbow scoring.

Most common disorders

Royal Kennel Club Good Practice tests (the 'significant concern in the breed'): juvenile epilepsy (JE) and lysosomal storage disease (LSD) DNA tests; Best Practice: elbow, eye and hip schemes. AKC CHIC list (from the parent club): patella, hip, eye, benign familial juvenile epilepsy (BFJE) and LSD. Wikipedia: cerebellar abiotrophy and idiopathic epilepsy. Club Italiano Lagotto's health section covers juvenile epilepsy, LSD, the furnishing coat trait and PRA information.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Test lists rather than prevalence; no survey percentage was found. The US club's own health-information page could not be opened (archive has no copy).

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 2; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 1; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Lagotto Romagnolo yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 7 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Lagotto, Romagna Water Dog, Italian Truffle Dog

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