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Trust the Italians to have a breed of dog that is useful for finding truffles! They are a gastronomic race of people and as they like the finer things of life with their food, as they do with their dogs. This is an engaging and beautiful breed, doubling in his spare time when not locating truffles, as a companion and watchdog. Originally a water dog from marshlands of Ravenna he has all the hallmarks of coat and needs of a good water dog though not called upon to do this in his new guise as master truffle locater around the plains of Romagna. His dense curly coat of woolly texture is one that requires good hydration but without flattening or softening.

As such an advocate of Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil what would we do without this wonderful plant oil that just adds such healthy vigour to all those coats needing to retain texture as well as hydration? Water dogs, gun dogs, arctic breeds and many herding dogs all need that water retention to the coat without rendering it greasy or lank.

Dilute 1 tablespoon in 4 Litres of water and work well through the coat with a large sponge. LEAVE IN. DO NOT RINSE. It gives incredible sheen and finish to the hair. We cannot stress enough the wonderful attributes of this product. There is nothing quite like it anywhere and an extra bonus is the depth of colour you get from prolonged usage with great retention of natural colour pigment in the coat.

The Lagotto’s curly coat tends to not reflect light as fancy as a smoother coated breed so encouraging as much moisture and colour retention will give the appearance of a much healthier, almost shinier coat. Hate to see this coat with leeched out colour and drab appearance.

For show grooming, your standard calls for the coat to be of woolly texture, and somewhat rough in surface forming tightly curled, ring shaped curls with undercoat shining through. Curls are to be even over the body, except on the head where the curls are less tight, forming well-furnished eyebrows, whiskers and beard. Cheeks also are covered with dense hair.

As his heritage of a waterdog suggests, the topcoat and especially undercoat, are waterproof. A good complete clipping at least once a year will prevent the coat felting with any felted coat removed regularly. Keep on top of this coat between times and your job for the show will be easy.

Colours for this breed are off-white solid colour, white with brown or orange patches, brown roan, brown solid colour (in different shades) or orange solid colour. A brown to dark brown mask is acceptable.

Now which shampoo is recommended for the various coat situations? You certainly individualise your routine with this breed according to the various needs. You have the opportunity to tweak your dog to his personal perfection. He is not a generic average every dog! He is his own breed with the wonderful variety of his many colours. Treat them differently.

The head and expression created by their distinctive coat is an important part of the breed. Use Plush Puppy Let’s Face It. This is a hypoallergenic sulfate free low foaming shampoo designed for faces. It’s a nil fragrance, no tear formula with the highest quality Blue Cypress Extracts that clean, sooth, add moisture, aids in healing and has anti-inflammatory benefits. A small golf ball sized amounts directly to the face and eye area allows you to thoroughly clean without causing irritation. Can be used in and around ears also with the same benefits. Its low foaming design allows easy rinsing yet complete cleaning. Best used first and left on whilst using all other shampoos and rinsing off with the final shampoo rinse.

If shine is the primary requirement and for all the warmer toned coats you need to keep up the depth of colour, use Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo with Henna. This does not change the coat colour but enhances the moisture content and adds shine. Use diluted 1:3 (1 part shampoo to 3 parts water).

For white areas, use Plush Puppy Herbal Whitening Shampoo diluted 1:5. This balances the tonal qualities of the coat offsetting any unwanted warm tones which can be yellowing or unwanted rusty tones on even a brown coat. This shampoo is a great tool and does not lighten or bleach thus keeping the condition and hydration to the coat.

For light coloured or stained areas use Plush Puppy Wonder Blok. It helps to maintain a white stain free coat. It is not a bleach and contains no harmful chemicals but high amounts of naturally sourced vegetable surfactants and glycerin. This product is designed to remove gently unwanted warm or red tones to the coat. Best used on a damp or wet coat. Gently rub into the areas required allowing 5-10 minutes and rinse. For maximum effects repeat or allow a longer time for this amazing product to work. As with all products take care around eyes.

For overly greasy coats which can be part of the gun dog heritage, use the Plush Puppy Deep Cleansing Shampoo at 1:3. Great for cleaning up the coat which has absorbed more than its fair share of product build up or just plain greasy skin.

For out of coat or not enough coat situations, use Plush Puppy Body Building Shampoo at 1:3. Follow with Plush Puppy Silk Protein Conditioner diluted at 5:1. Try to avoid conditioning the head and face too much as this will soften the texture and make it hard to achieve the characteristic face and head of the Lagotto.

For show baths, include a small amount of the Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil but use just 1 teaspoon to 4 litres of water as opposed to the one tablespoon for maintenance baths. To save time mix 1 tablespoon Seabreeze Oil and ¼ cup Silk Protein Conditioner to 4 litres of water and slosh thoroughly over the coat saturating right down to the skin. Leave in, don’t rinse. Now you have correct texture and hydration with loads of healthy vigour happening. If you are using the 1:5 Conditioner dilution mix, rinse the conditioner out of the coat and apply Seabreeze Oil after that.

Plush Puppy Reviva Coat is an excellent conditioner after bathing as it doesn’t soften and is also perfect for increasing curl to the coat after drying. Apply golf ball sized amounts to the coat by hand and either rinse out or leave in.

When drying use a Plush Puppy Ultimate Pin Brush. You don’t want to rip the coat by using a bristle brush on a wet coat. When ¾ dry switch to a large wide toothed Plush Puppy Professional Grooming Comb. Allow the coat top to dry but maintain the natural curls. The Plush Puppy Ultimate Slicker Brush is perfect for legs. This allows the coat to be totally tangle and knot free and letting you have a well finished coat to scissor. We are after a polished, professional look that once mastered is just breathtaking.

At times due to various reasons including the weather static electricity can create flyaways. If this occurs use Plush Puppy Anti-Static Coat Control. This is a lightweight spray infused with organic extracts of Witch Hazel Leaf, Linden Flower, Birch Bark and Nettle. It includes a UV filter to stop sun damage and protects against heat. The perfect finished look of the coat.

Now for show day itself use Plush Puppy OMG. This is a revolutionary grooming spray that lives up to its name. As a concentrate, it can be diluted to suit every coat type or individual situation. Use the concentrate form at 1:30-40 (1 part OMG to 30-40 parts water). The stronger the mix the stronger their effects. OMG reduces static and allows for easy show day prep and won’t build up on the coat. It allows grooming without breaking up the curls. For more curls, just make the mix stronger (less dilution) and comb dry. Spray the coat and pat dry using the palm of the hand to achieve the curls and shape desired. Also available in a Ready-To-use spray formula.

Show day a quick spray with Plush Puppy Odour Muncher. It literally munches the odour and works well for smelly problems such as emergencies in transit. Leaves a light fragrance – certainly not too much and definitely not too little.

For a final boost of shine and lustre, spray a light mist of Plush Puppy Shine and Comb 30cm above the coat and let the mist fall onto the coat. By keeping shine to the coat, you instantly give the appearance of deeper and richer colour as the light reflects off a smoother surface better than a rough surface.

The secret is to make it all look as if nothing has been done and thus the Lagotto is now ready to compete, showing himself as a retriever of the gun dog group in both form and function. Those Italians sure knew what they were doing when they perfected this breed knowing a dog can look beautiful and be useful as well – Italians are so stylish as is your Lagotto!

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