LAGOTTO ROMAGNOLO of CANADA
Canadian Bred, Raised and Trained Working Lagotto Dogs

LAGOTTO ROMAGNOLA: The Breed

History of Lagotti

The Lagotto Romagnola is an ancient working breed, originally used for water retrieval, that developed in the Romagna area of Italy. They are believed to be the hereditary source of all current water dogs. When their marshy home area was drained in the mid 1800s they slowly lost their water retrieval function and gradually became specialized as truffle hunters. Lagotto Romagnolo were near extinction as a pure strain when specific efforts to revive and define the Lagotto breed began in Italy in the mid 1970s.

The breed is now clearly defined and these wonderful dogs are now bred in Europe, Australia, the United States and Canada. Ducketts' Lagotto Romagnolos of Canada are among the very few bred and raised in Canada.

Lagotto Breed Characteristics

Some of the most important and appealing characteristics of Lagotti are:

• Their personalities are bright, happy, affectionate, loving and obedient with a fervent wish to please their masters;
• They have keen senses, particularly smell. With many generations of being bred for searching for things it is not surprising that they are the primary breed of dogs used for truffle hunting and are known world-wide as "Lagotto Truffle Dog". They can also be trained to hunt for other scents;
• Lagottos are known as a breed that is "non-shedding" and anti-allergenic, making them great dogs for people with allergies and sensitivities.
• Very agile, robust, and intelligent - they are easily trained in both search and helper areas;
• Devoted to their families and excellent with children, Lagotti are proving themselves as assistance dogs;

WORKING LAGOTTO ROMAGNOLO Dogs at Duckett Truffieres

Contessa, The Queen of Canadian Truffle Dogs

Imported from Italy in 2007 by Ducketts, Contessa showed true working form by finding Canada's first Black Perigord Truffles at Duckett Truffieres in winter 2007.

Duchess

• A daughter of Contessa, Duchess started her truffle hunting career in 2009 and works in the off-season as a human/handicapped companion.
• She is now mature and entering Duckett's breeding program. Duchess will be a new mother in early 2011.
• Another sister, Asper, is internationally known as a detection dog, trained and used for finding hidden moisture in homes.

Dexter

• With scarce numbers in the world, and very few in Canada, Ducketts have reached to Europe for their breeding lineage, confirming generations of parentage in order to ensure there is no close breeding.
• Dexter (Dexter Dino) arrived in 2010 as a three-month old purebred working and show quality dog from a famous family of dogs trained specifically for "truffle hunting" in Europe.
• Dexter will be training for the truffle hunt for two years and will be a strong male in Duckett's breeding program.
• This proven and upcoming lineage of working Lagotto Romagnola dogs will combine the best traits and skills with the highest quality for show.

Watch our News page for upcoming puppies!

PURCHASING A LAGOTTO Puppy/Dog

All breeding dogs at Ducketts undergo rigorous screening for breed characteristics, conformity to standards, intelligence and ideal personality and are tested for any hereditary birth defects such as juvenile epilepsy and hip dysplasia.

Shortly after birth Duckett’s Lagotto pups are checked thoroughly by a veterinarian and placed on a strict custom veterinary protocol. The puppies are raised according to this protocol and provided with a Licensed Vet Health Certification prior to purchase. Duckett’s Lagotto guarantee is provided by and completely within the scope of this Vet Health Certification, with conditions limited to this Certification.

• Routinely groomed, handled and socialized with humans and other dogs;
• Vet checked from shortly after birth through at least eight weeks, including complete physical examination, administration of deworming and first immunization shots;
• Micro-chipped for identification;
• Completed with Registered Sire/Dam Records.

Being a rare ancient breed, Lagotto Romagnolo are of limited availability globally. Should you wish to purchase a puppy or dog of this distinguished breed we ask for your completed application and a $500.00 deposit in order to reserve a pup. Once your application is received you will be placed on our waiting list. Reserve deposits are held for up to 2 years and applied to the purchase price of your pup on fulfillment of the request. If the reservation is not filled within that time the deposit is surrendered.

Click here to Download Puppy/Dog Application Form.

Because the Lagotto breed are such gentle and quick learners with strong noses and a keen desire to please they have been identified as an ideal breed to train for some of the highest need areas of assistance dogs. For example there are urgent needs for individually custom trained dogs for specific patients with Autism Spectral Disorder (ASD) and for Alzheimer's patients.

We are researching this area with certainty that more dogs capable of filling these needs are urgently needed. If you are interested in maintaining the breeding potential of your dog it is important that we know that when you purchase your pup so the best future sire or dam is chosen. We also require a Breeders' Agreement in order to waive neutering or spaying.

If you are interested in contributing to a program to identify, train and supply specialized assistance dogs to people with special needs please contact us.

More About the Lagotto Breed

The Italian Lagotto Club (website in Italian) and the Lagotto Club of America (English site using Italian Club info) offer a detailed history of Lagotto Romagnolo dogs.

The Lagotto Club of Canada has the breed specifications for show and the common characteristics of Lagotti. Animal Planet has an excellent video on the Lagotto Romagnola Breed describing their wonderful traits as working and family dogs.