(Lagotto cane da tartufi a pelo riccio Romagnolo)
GROUP 8
ORIGIN: Italy DATE OF PUBLICATION OF VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD: 24.07.1996 UTILISATION: Truffle Dog. FCI-CLASSIFICATION: Group 8, section 3; waterdogs.
Without working trial. BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: Ancient breed of water
retrieving dogs in the lowlands of Comacchio and marshlands of Ravenna.
During
the centuries, the great marshlands were drained and turned into arable
land.
Subsequently the Lagotto changed from being a waterdog to an excellent dog
for
searching truffles in the flat open country and in the hills of Romagna. GENERAL APPEARANCE: Small to medium-sized dog, well
proportioned, powerfully built, of rustic appearance, with a dense, curly
coat
of woolly texture. IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: The length of the head is 4/10
of
the height at the withers. The dog is nearly as high as long. The length of
the
skull should be more than 50% of the total length of the head. The length of
the
muzzle is 2/10 less than that of the skull (44% to 56%). The depth of the
chest
is less than 50% (about 44%) of the height at the withers. BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT: A natural gift for searching
and
its very good nose has made the breed very efficient in truffle searching.
The
breeds former hunting instinct has been eliminated, hence his work is not
distracted by the scent of game. The Lagotto is tractable, undemanding, keen,
affectionate,
very attached to his owner and easy to train. He is a very good companion
and
also an excellent warning dog. HEAD: Viewed from above trapezoidal in shape and
moderately large; the upper longitudinal axes of the skull and the muzzle
diverge slightly. CRANIAL REGION: Skull: The skull is wide at the level of the
zygomatic
arches and is as long as wide. Viewed from the side, from occiput to stop,
the
skull should be longer than the muzzle. It is slightly convex and tends to
flatten out at the occiput. Frontal sinuses well developed, superciliary
arches
marked, medio-frontal furrow pronounced, occipital crest short and not very
developed, supraorbital fossae slightly marked. Stop: The stop is not too pronounced. FACIAL REGION: Nose: Large with wide open and mobile nostrils.
Median
groove strongly pronounced. Viewed in profile, the nose continues on the
same
level as the muzzle and protrudes very slightly from the front face of the
lips.
The colour ranges from light to dark brown, depending on the colour of the
coat. Muzzle: Fairly broad, a little shorter than the skull
(ratio:
skull 56%, muzzle 44%), the depth being only slightly less than the length.
It
is slightly "wedge shaped", with a moderately flat front face. The
nasal bridge
has a straight profile. Lips: The lips are not too deep; they are rather
tight,
so that the lower profile of the muzzle is determined by the mandible. They
are
covered with long and rather bristly whiskers. Viewed from the front, the
lips
form a wide semi-circle. The colour of the edges ranges from light to dark
brown. Jaw/Teeth: Jaw strong with quite straight branches
and
a relatively large mandibular body. Complete scissors or pincer bite with
white
and well developed teeth. Slightly undershot mouth acceptable. Cheeks: Cheeks flat. Eye: Fairly large, rounded, filling the socket, set
fairly apart. The colour of the iris ranges from ochre to hazel and dark
brown
depending on the colour of the coat. Close fitting eyelids; the colour of
the
eyerims ranges from light to dark brown. Eyelashes very well developed. Look
alert, expression keen and lively. Ears: Medium-sized in proportion to the head,
triangular
with rounded tips; their base is rather wide; they are set just above the
zygomatic arches. Hanging at rest or slightly raised when the dog is
attentive.
If pulled towards the nose they should reach the muzzle at 1/4 of its
length. On
the ears, the hair tends to show looser curls, but remains very wavy. No
short
hair on the ears. The inner part of the earflap is covered with hair. NECK: Strong, muscular, lean, with oval section; well
separated from the nape and absolutely free from dewlap. Topline slightly
arched.
In males the perimeter of the neck can reach the double of its length. The
length of the neck is a little less than the total length of the head. BODY: Compact and strong; almost as long as the
height at
the withers. Topline: Straight from the withers to the croup. Withers: They rise above the level of the croup; they
are
not too narrow, but quite high set and extended backwards. Back: Straight, very muscular. Loin: Short coupled, very strong, in profile slightly
arched. Width is equal or exceeds the length. Croup: Long, wide, muscular, lightly sloping (coaxial
inclination ranges from 25° to 30°. Chest: Well developed, reaching down to the elbows.
Although fairly narrow in front, from the sixth rib the chest widens
backwards.
Underline and belly: Long sternal section in form of
a
straight line; the following tuck up is only slight. Tail: Set on neither too high nor too low; tapering
towards the end. When extended, it should barely reach the hocks. At rest
carried scimitar like; when attentive decidedly raised. When working or
exited
can be carried over the back, but never curled. LIMBS: FOREQUARTERS: General appearance: Vertical seen from the front or
in
profile. Shoulder: Shoulder-blades long (30% of the height at
withers), well laid back (52-55°), muscular, strong and closely attached to
the
chest, but moving freely. The scapula-humeral angle ranges from 110° to
115°.
Upper arm: Muscular of thin bone structure, as long
as
the shoulder-blade; its inclination on the horizontal ranges from
58°-60°. Elbows: Close to the chest, but not too tightly;
covered
with thin skin; parallel to the sagittal plane of the body as the upper-arms
are. The tip of the elbow is located on a vertical line lowered from the
back
angle of the scapula to the ground. Forearm: Perfectly vertical, long (36% of the height
at
withers), with compact, strong bone of oval cross-section. Wrist (carpus): Viewed from the front in a vertical
line
with the forearm; fine, robust and mobile; pisiform bone markedly
protruding. Pastern: Rather smaller and thinly boned compared
with
the forearm, elastic; seen in profile, it forms an angle of 75° to 80° with
the
ground. Forefeet: Slightly rounded, compact, with arched and
tight toes. Nails strong and curved. Pads well pigmented. Interdigital
membranes
very well developed. HINDQUARTERS: General appearance: Hindquarters upright, powerful,
well
proportioned to the size of dog. Thigh: Long (35% of the height at withers), with
clearly
separated and visible muscles. The axes of the femur has a markedly
inclination
of 80° on the horizontal line. The coxo-femoral angle ranges from 105! to
110°
The thigh is parallel to median plane of the body. Stifle: The angle of the stifle joint ranges from
130° to
150°. Lower thigh: Slightly longer than the thigh (36% of
the
height at withers), well boned and muscled, with marked muscular groove. Its
inclination on the horizontal ranges from 50° to 55°. Hockjoint: Wide, thick, lean, with clear-cut bone;
parallel to the medium plane of the body; the tibia-metatarsal angle is ca
140°.
Metatarsal: Thin, cylindrical, perpendicular to the
ground. Hindfeet: Slightly more oval shaped than forefeet and
toes not as arched. GAIT/MOVEMENT: Walk regular, trot energetic and
brisk,
gallop for short periods. SKIN: Close fitting all over the body, without
wrinkles,
thin, with scarce subcutaneous tissue . Pigmentation of mucous membranes and
of
pads ranges from light to dark and very dark brown. COAT: HAIR: Of woolly texture, somewhat rough in surface,
forming very thick, ringshaped curls with visible undercoat. Curls must be
evenly distributed all over the body, except on the head, where the curls
are
less tight, forming well-furnished eyebrows, whiskers and beard. Even the
cheeks
are covered with thick hair. The coat and the undercoat is water-proof. If
not
cut, the hair tends to become felted; therefore a complete clipping must be
performed at least once a year. Felted hair and undercoat must be removed
periodically. COLOUR: Off-white solid colour, white with brown
or
orange markings, brown roan, brown solid colour (in different shades),
orange
solid colour. Some dogs have a brown or dark brown mask. HEIGHT AND WEIGHT: Height at the withers: Males: from 43 to 48 cm,
(ideal
height 46 cm) Females: from 41 to 46 cm, (ideal height 43 cm). Tolerance of 1 cm more or less. Weight: Males: about 13 to 16 kg. Females: about 11 to 14 kg. FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points
should be
considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be
regarded
should be in exact proportion to its degree. ELIMINATING FAULTS: Axes of the skull and the muzzle
converging. Dish faced Pronounced undershot mouth Butterfly nose Strabismus Coat not curled or close shaven; black coat or black markings. Dewclaws. Docked tail. Oversize or undersize DISQUALIFYING FAULTS: Overshot mouth Dudley nose Wall-eye Corded coat N.B: Male animal should have two apparently normal
testicles fully descended into the scrotum
FCI-Standard Number 298
Breed recognised by ENCI 16 Oct. 1991,
Breed provisionally recognised by F.C.I. 19 Feb. 1995
Interim standard accepted by the FCI 24/7-1996