Grooming Your
Lagotto Romagnolo

Section i

Understanding the Coat

Before you can manage the Lagotto coat, you need to understand what it actually is — because it behaves differently from almost every other breed you may have encountered.

The Lagotto has a double coat: a dense, woolly undercoat designed to insulate against cold water, and an outer coat of thick, ring-shaped curls that are almost waterproof in their natural state. The coat is made of hair rather than fur, which means it grows continuously and does not shed in the conventional sense. This is genuinely good news for people with allergies and for anyone who doesn’t want dog hair on their furniture. It comes with a trade-off: a coat that doesn’t shed must be clipped, and a coat left unmanaged will not simply get long and scruffy — it will felt.

Felting is different from matting, and the distinction matters. Matting is a tangle. Felting is what happens when the curly undercoat fuses to itself at the root level — essentially compressing into a dense, solid layer against the skin. A matted coat can often be worked through with patience and the right tools. A felted coat cannot. It must be clipped off entirely, which is uncomfortable for the dog and distressing for the owner. Regular grooming is not optional with this breed — it is the difference between a coat that is a pleasure and a coat that has become a welfare problem.

The breed standard describes the ideal coat as rustic — which is worth holding in mind every time you groom. A Lagotto should never look like a Poodle or a Bichon Frisé. The curls should be visible, natural, and dense. The dog should look like what it is: an ancient working breed from northern Italy, cared for but not fussed over.

Section ii

The Puppy Coat & the Transition

The transition period — when the soft puppy coat gives way to the dense adult curl.

A Lagotto puppy arrives with a soft, open coat that bears little resemblance to the dense adult curl. This is normal. The adult coat develops gradually, typically completing its transition somewhere between twelve and twenty-four months — though some coats take longer.

There are two things every new Lagotto owner needs to know about this transition.

The first clip matters. The first full clip — recommended around three months of age — is not just tidying up a puppy coat. It actively encourages the curl to develop correctly. A puppy coat left unclipped grows long and heavy, and that weight suppresses the curl from forming. Clip the puppy coat short at around twelve to fourteen weeks and you give the emerging adult coat the best possible start.

The transition period is the hardest. Between roughly nine and eighteen months, the puppy coat and the adult coat coexist — and the resulting mixed texture is significantly more prone to felting than either the puppy coat before it or the adult coat after it. This is the period when new owners are most likely to be caught off guard by a mat behind the ear or under an armpit that appeared seemingly overnight. During this window, increase your checking frequency. Run a metal comb through the coat every week or so — not to brush it out, but simply to find any areas of concern before they become problems. See how we begin preparing every puppy for grooming from day three.

Once the adult coat is fully established, management becomes considerably more predictable. Most pet owners settle into a rhythm of professional clipping every ten to twelve weeks, with minimal maintenance between visits.

Section iii

The Correct Clip

The Lagotto is clipped to the lines of its body — not sculpted, not shaped into a silhouette that isn’t there. The coat follows the dog.

The body coat is kept uniform, typically one to one and a half inches in curled length. The legs are left slightly longer and should look like columns — not feathered, not shaped, simply present. The tail is trimmed in a tapered shape — in traditional Lagotto grooming, the description used is a carrot. The head is rounded, with the eyes clearly visible and the characteristic beard, eyebrows, and whiskers preserved. The ears are trimmed to the leather at the edges — meaning the fringe is removed so the ear finishes cleanly at its own edge rather than hanging beyond it.

The area around the genitals and anus is clipped short for hygiene. The pads of the feet are trimmed to remove excess coat between the toes, which otherwise traps debris, mud, and moisture.

One important note for owners who use professional groomers: many groomers, particularly those without experience with the breed, default to treating a Lagotto like a Poodle. They will brush the coat out, blow it dry with a force dryer, and clip through the fluffed result. This destroys the curl structure and produces a coat that is more prone to matting, not less. If you use a professional groomer, the guidance in the final section of this page will help you find one who understands this breed.

The correct clip follows the dog’s natural lines. Rustic, not sculpted.

Section iv

Clip Before the Bath —
Not After

This is the piece of Lagotto grooming knowledge that surprises most people, including experienced dog owners.

For pet coat management, the clipping and scissoring work is done before the bath, not after. Here is why: when you bathe the dog first, the coat softens and expands, giving you a false impression of its actual volume and shape. Once it dries and the curls reset, the shape you cut will have shifted. Clip dry, on the dog’s natural coat, and what you see is what you get.

After clipping, bathe the dog thoroughly with a quality shampoo — more on that in the bathing section — and then allow the coat to air dry. Do not rub the coat with a towel. Do not use a force dryer to blow the coat out. Both actions break up the ring-shaped curl structure and leave you with a coat that will mat faster between grooms. A Lagotto should leave the bath damp and be allowed to dry naturally, at its own pace.

Section v

Bathing —
What the Coat Actually Needs

The Lagotto does not need frequent bathing. Once a month is appropriate for most dogs in normal household conditions. Dogs that spend significant time outdoors, in water, or working in fields may need more frequent attention — but over-bathing strips the natural oils from the coat and compromises the water-resistant properties that are one of its most useful features.

Use a quality pet shampoo that does not strip oil from the coat. This is not the place for a budget product. Look specifically for shampoos formulated for curly or double coats.

After bathing: no towel rubbing, no force drying. Gently press excess water out with a towel if needed, then allow the dog to air dry completely before any further grooming or clipping work.

Section vi

The Right Tools, Chosen Correctly

You do not need a professional-level kit to maintain a Lagotto at home between grooms. You need a few specific things, chosen correctly.

The right tools, the right technique, and the patience to keep sessions brief and positive.

Section vii

Eyes, Ears & Nails — The Full Picture

Eyes. Keep the hair around the eyes trimmed short enough that it does not irritate the eye surface or restrict the dog’s vision. The characteristic eyebrows and facial furnishings are part of the breed’s look and should be preserved, but they should frame the eye, not obscure it. Check regularly for any discharge, redness, or signs of irritation.

Ears. The Lagotto ear requires two distinct types of attention. The outer ear leather should be trimmed so the fringe does not extend beyond the edge of the ear — this keeps the ear looking clean and prevents excess hair from trapping debris. The inner ear canal may develop hair growth that, if left unmanaged, creates conditions for wax buildup, moisture retention, and infection. This hair should be plucked periodically using ear powder for grip and, if the canal is narrow, a hemostat. If your dog shows signs of ear discomfort — head shaking, pawing at the ear, odor — consult your veterinarian rather than attempting to address it yourself.

The area behind the ears and under the ear leather is one of the most common sites for matting in this breed. Check it every week without exception.

Nails. Lagotto nails are long and curved — an adaptation from their history as digging dogs, and the physical feature that makes them so effective at unearthing truffles. The quick — the blood vessel inside the nail — is correspondingly longer than in most breeds. Trim conservatively, taking small amounts at a time. A Lagotto whose quick has been cut to the point of bleeding will remember it for a long time, and a dog with a negative nail-trimming experience is significantly harder to manage at every subsequent session. Keep styptic powder on hand. If you are uncertain, ask your veterinarian or groomer to demonstrate the correct technique before attempting it alone.

Ears, eyes, and nails — the maintenance that matters most between clips.

Section viii

Finding a Groomer Who Knows This Breed

If you choose to use a professional groomer — which is a perfectly reasonable choice, particularly for owners who find the clipping work daunting — finding one with genuine Lagotto experience matters more than it does for most breeds.

Ask specifically whether they have groomed Lagotti before. Ask what their approach is to drying the coat. Ask whether they brush out the coat before clipping. The answers will tell you quickly whether this is a groomer who understands what the coat needs or one who will treat it like a Poodle.

A professional Lagotto groom in your area will typically cost between $120 and $150. If the price is significantly lower, ask why — the time required to do this breed correctly does not support a budget price point.