The Lagotto boasts having a curly, dense coat that sheds very little. The downside is that they need to be regularly trimmed by a professional dog groomer, but this makes keeping their coats tidier that much easier in between visits to a parlour. The curls on a dog's face and head are longer and looser than on the rest of a dog's body. This forms their distinct and heavy brows as well as their whiskers and beards which tend to get a bit messy after a dog has eaten. As such special attention has to be paid to their mouths making sure they are kept nice and clean once a dog has finished their food.
One thing that is worth bearing in mind is that a Lagotto's puppy coat is extremely soft and dogs only develop their curls very slowly as they mature. In short, their adult coat only really grows through when they are around 2 to 3 years old. It's also important to check a dog's ears on a regular basis and to clean them when necessary. If too much wax is allowed to build up in a dog's ears, it can lead to a painful infection which can be hard to clear up. In short, prevention is often easier than cure when it comes to ear infections.
The Lagotto is a high energy, intelligent dog and as such they need to be given the right amount of daily exercise and mental stimulation for them to be truly happy, well-rounded dogs. They need to be given a minimum of 2 hour's exercise a day with as much off the lead time as possible. If they are not given the right amount of mental stimulation and exercise every day, a Lagotto would quickly get bored and could even begin to show some destructive behaviours around the home which is their way of relieving any stress they may be feeling.
A shorter walk in the morning would be fine, but a longer more interesting one in the afternoon is a must. These dogs also like to be able to roam around a back garden as often as possible so they can really let off steam. However, the fencing has to be extremely secure to keep these high energy, alert dogs in because if they find a weakness in the fence, they will soon escape out and get into all sorts of trouble. Because they love being in and around water, care has to be taken when walking a Lagotto off their leads anywhere near any dangerous water courses, just in case they decide to jump in.
With this said, Lagotto puppies should not be over exercised because their joints and bones are still growing. This includes not letting a dog jump up and down from furniture or going up or down the stairs. Too much pressure placed on their joints and spines at an early age could result in a dog developing serious problems later in their lives.
If you get a Lagotto puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy eaters, but this does not mean they can be fed a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature dog twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
