This ancient breed is considered to be the probable ancestor of all water retrieving breeds. Lagottos (or Lagotti) were first identified as a distinct type in Etruscan times, around the 7th century B.C. Frescoes in the Etruscan Necropolis of Spina (near Ferrara in Romagna) depict dogs of very similar look and qualities to modern day Lagotti, being used for hunting waterfowl.

Originally, Lagotti were trained to drive ducks into the nets that their peasant masters had set up in the vast and plentiful Romagnese marshes. Later, with the invention of gunpowder, the Lagotto became a retriever instead. Some Lagottos are still used as retrieving dogs, and as they have begun to be bred in other countries, this quality has been kept or rebred into those lines. But in Italy, the retrieving quality was largely bred out in the last century.

The middle of the last century saw large scale draining of the flatlands of Emilia and Romagna, changing the life of the people of the marsh, and that of their little dogs. But unlike what happened to PWDs, when they were no longer used as fishing dogs, the people of Romagna were able to find another use for Lagotti – as truffle hunters (it is for that reason that its instinct for game and fowl had to be bred out, to ensure it would not lose concentration when searching for truffles). While this helped save the Lagotto from extinction at least initially, its strong qualities actually became its downfall. Unlike PWD owners, Lagotto owners helped spread the dog beyond its traditional region.

And with the Lagotto’s ability to hunt in inaccessible places, willingness to enter thick brush, and phenomenal scenting ability, people began breeding them with other dogs to impart their hunting abilities and good temperament.

This cross-breeding diluted the homogenous nature that had been bred into the line for more than 2500 years. As a result, the traditional Lagotto breed was facing an extinction of sorts.

In the 1970s a group of Romagnesi breeders, veterinarians, and dog lovers decided to rescue Romagna’s only indigenous breed. Since then, they have spent more than 20 years educating and advising Lagotto owners, and painstakingly recording morphological details of hundreds of Lagotti. Because of their efforts, the breed has been returned to its traditional form, albeit with an emphasis on their new role as truffle hunters.

In 1991 the Lagotto received Italian Kennel Club official recognition, and FCI recognition shortly afterwards. The 1990s also saw the breed expand into other countries such as Sweden, the UK, France, and Germany. They have also continued their existence in Switzerland, and recently have begun to appear in North America.

With many of these new countries devoid of truffles, the original water retrieving qualities have resurfaced as the main function of the breed – a direction endorsed by the Italian Breed Club, as it brings the reestablishment of the breed back full circle.