It is very easy to groom a Lagotto in a way that won’t have him being mistaken for a crossbreed.
So, what makes a Lagotto look like a Lagotto?
Head
Ears
Tail
Curls
Shaving Lagotto
Lagotto look a little different without their fur.
It’s all about personal preference. There is no set time frame in which you have to shave your dog, you can scissor him forever if he is perfectly matt free, clean and comfortable. Shaving is a great option for the summer months if you go to the beach or bushwalking – the dog will dry more quickly, and the prickles won’t need removing after every outing. The dogs love the freedom of being ‘naked’ and usually run around like crazy things when their fur is removed.
Shaving is also great when you know you won’t be able to take care of the grooming regime at any time, or if you have fallen behind and find that the dog just really needs the coat to be removed because there are too many matts.
I don’t hesitate to shave dogs during the winter months (the winters here are not extremely cold) as for the most part they live indoors and are very active when they are outside. We have polar fleece coats on hand to use if the temperature drops and will use them as pyjamas for night-time sleeping if necessary.
As the new fur grows in it is soft and beautiful with a velvet feel. A real ‘fresh start’.
If you leave their head and a little of the fur on their legs (and neaten it all up with scissors) they will be back to their full curly glory in around three months.
If you shave the entire body, head, and legs it will be a much longer time frame. The fur on the head is longer than the body so it will be slower to reach full length. Same for the legs.
This is Tino after a full body and head shave.
Tino again after a couple of weeks. The curls start to reappear very quickly.
You can see that Chili’s coat is quickly returning after being shaved off about three weeks earlier. Only the head fur was left on.
Mimi after about a month. She is a huge swimmer and loves to be without a big coat.
