Page 38 - ShowSight Presents - The Lagotto Romagnolo

“a Judge once asked me why Brushed ouT dogs weren’T aLLowed.
THE ANSWER LIES IN THE DELICATE PLACE THE GENOTYPE OF THE BREED CURRENTLY LIES.”
to the coat, but you should still have curls. A judge once asked me why brushed out dogs weren’t allowed. The answer lies in the delicate place the genotype of the breed currently lies.
Although the breed is ancient they have only been receiving pedigrees and regis- tered anywhere since 1997. A great per- centage of pedigrees are only one genera- tion. And many dogs are without correct coat in following generations, with no curl or wavy coats. A brushed out sculpted coat can hide this very easily. And with a breed with such a unique coat but weak geno- type, it could disappear in a few genera- tions and what a terrible shame that would be. Most of all, it matters because it’s the standard and if we aren’t judging the stan- dard, why have purebred dogs? When eval- uating a Lagotto’s coat you will see a lot of different styles, some pleasing to the eye, some not. Instead of evaluating the looks of the coat, fucus on judging the quality. Curl, Density, Uniform length, Undercoat and Length permitted.
“and many dogs are wiThouT correcT coaT in foLLowing generaTions, wiTh no curL or wavy coaTs.
A BRUSHED OUT SCULPTED COAT CAN HIDE THIS VERY EASILY.”
244 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2014
from the AKC StANDArD for the LAGotto romAGNoLo
Coat: Hair—of woolly texture, never twisted to form thin cords, semi-rough on the surface, with tight, ring shaped curls, with visible undercoat. Curls must be evenly distrib- uted all over the body and tail, except on the head, where the curls are not as tight forming abundant eyebrows, whiskers and beard. Even the cheeks are covered with thick hair. The topcoat and specially the undercoat are water-proof. The clipped coat must not be longer than a maximum of 11⁄2 to 2 inches in a curled state (not brushed out) and it should be uniform with the silhouette of the dog. Only on the head the coat can be longer than 11⁄2 inches, but not so long as to cover the eyes. The edges of the ears should be clipped to the leather, though the surface of the ear flap should show wavy hair. The area around the genitals and anus should be clipped short. The hair should never be clipped so short (except as noted above) that curls and texture of the coat cannot be assessed. The correct clip is un-pretentious and contributes to accentuate the natural, rustic look typical of the breed. The correct coat is never luxurious and shiny. Excessively groomed dogs (sculpted or blown out so that the curl may not be assessed) should be so severely penalized as to eliminate from competition. Disqualification Corded coat. Skin-thin, close fitting all over the body, without wrinkles. Pigmentation of the skin connecting with mucous mem- branes and that of pads ranges from light to dark and very dark brown.
Color: Off-white solid color, white with brown or orange patches, brown roan, brown (in different shades) with or without white, orange with or without white. Some dogs have a brown to dark brown mask. Tan markings (in different shades) allowed. The colors have a tendency to fade to a more diluted shade as the dog ages, sometimes to such an extent that the brown areas can appear as a silvery/gray roan. All the above colors are equally desirable including faded or diluted colors. Black coat, black patches or black pigmentation are to be disqualified.