Page 43 - ShowSight Presents - The Lagotto Romagnolo

Official Stan dard for th e
LA G OTTO ROMA G NOLO
COURTESY THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB
General Appearance: Small to medium-sized dog, well pro- portioned, powerfully built, of a rustic appearance, with a dense, curly coat of woolly texture. The dog should give the impression that he has the strength and endurance to work all day in difficult and challenging terrain.
Size, Proportion, Substance: Size - Height at the withers: Dogs 1 7 to1 9 inches, Bitches 1 6 to 1 8 inches. Tolerance of 1⁄2 inch. Disqualification - Dogs under 1 6 1⁄2 inches or over 1 9 1⁄2 inches. Bitches under 1 5 1⁄2 inches or over 1 8 1⁄2 inches. Weight - Males 2 8 to 3 5 pounds. Females 2 4 to 3 1 pounds. Important Proportions - The length of the head is four-tenths of the height at the withers. The dog is nearly as high as long (square). The length of the dog, measured from the sternum to the ischium is nearly the same as the height at the withers. The length of the skull should be slightly
more than 5 0 percent of the total length of the head. The depth of the chest is less than 5 0 percent (about 4 4 percent) of the height at the withers.
Head : When viewed from above the head is
trapezoidal in shape and moderately broad;
the upper longitudinal axis of the skull and
the muzzle diverge slightly. Cheeks flat. Axis
of the skull and the muzzle converging or
appearing “dishfaced” is a fault. Viewed from
the side, from occiput to stop, the skull
should be longer than the muzzle. The skull
measured across the area of the zygomatic arches is wide and equal to the area from the stop to the occipital crest, both being slightly more than 5 0 percent of the total length of the head (5 6 percent). Frontal sinuses well developed, marked arch of the eyebrows, the occipital crest is not very developed, the stop not too pronounced though the furrow between the eyes is pronounced. The ridge formed by the eye sockets is palpable from the eyebrows to the side of the head. The eyes are large, but never exaggerated, rounded, filling the socket, set fairly apart. The color of the iris ranges from ochre to hazel and dark brown depending on the color of the coat. Close fit- ting eyelids; eye-rim color will vary with coat color from flesh colored to dark brown. Eyelashes very well developed. The Lagotto’s expression should be alert, keen and lively. Walleye(s), an eye with a whitish iris, a blue eye, are a dis- qualifying fault. The ears are 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. The ears when pulled loosely forward across the cheeks towards the nose tip should cover 1⁄4 of the length of the muzzle. Muzzle is measured from eyes to nose tip. On the ears, the hair tends to show looser curls, but remains very wavy. Except where trimmed to the edges there should be no short hair on the ears. The inner part of the auricle is also covered with hair. The muzzle is broad in width, in length a little shorter than the skull (4 4 to 5 6 percent ratio). The muzzle is wedge shaped, giving a blunt profile. The nose is large with wide
open and mobile nostrils. Median groove strongly pro- nounced. The bridge of the muzzle has a straight profile, a roman nose is a fault. Viewed in profile, the nose continues on the same level as the muzzle and protrudes very slightly from the front edge of the lips. Color will vary with coat color from flesh colored to dark brown. The nose should be fully pigmented. A de-pigmented nose is a fault. The lips are not too thick; they are rather tight, so that the lower profile of the muzzle is determined by the mandible. They are covered with a long and rather bristly moustache. Color will vary with coat color from flesh colored to dark brown. The flews are tight fit- ting and dry. Strong underjaw which is relatively large with white and well developed teeth. The mandibular braches of the jaw should be straight. Reverse scissor bite, scissor bite or level bite are all acceptable. Overshot bite and pronounced
undershot bite (more than a 1⁄4 inch space between the upper and lower incisors) are both disqualifying faults. Full dentition is preferred. No more than one missing tooth. The missing tooth to be allowed only between P1 -P4 . Any tooth missing other than a premolar or more than one missing tooth is a disqualification.
Neck, Topline and Bod y: The neck is strong, muscular, lean and oval in shape; well set off from the nape, and slightly arched. In males the perimeter of the neck can reach the dou- ble of its length. Short in appearance, it is
less than the total length of the head. The topline - well pro- nounced withers, topline straight from behind the withers to the croup, which is slightly sloping. Body - compact and strong. The length of the dog, measured from the sternum to the ischium is nearly the same as the height. Chest - well developed, reaching down to the elbows. Ribs - well devel- oped, narrow in front; widening from the sixth rib back (behind the shoulders) to the last rib. Underline-long sternal section in form of a straight line; the following tuck-up is only slight. Back-straight, very muscular. Loin - short coupled, very strong, width is equal or slightly exceeds the length. Croup - long, wide, muscular, slightly sloping. Tail - set on slightly below the line of the back; following the natural line of the croup. The length of the tail when hanging at rest should barely reach the hocks. At rest carried scimitar like or straight; when excited it is decidedly raised. When moving the tail is often carried level with the back. When working or excited can be raised higher, also scimitar like, but never curled or straight up. Tail tapers towards the end. It is covered with woolly and rather bristly hair.
Forequarters: Shoulder - shoulder blades long (3 0 percent of the height at withers), well laid back (5 2 to 5 5 degrees), mus- cular, strong and closely attached to the chest, but moving freely. The angle formed between the shoulder blade and the upper arm should be 110 to 115 degrees. Upper Arm - mus- cular, of thin bone structure, as long as the shoulder blade; its inclination to the horizontal ranges from 5 8 to 6 0 degrees.
268 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2017